is met c::> page 146, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec
tion.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do soc::>
page 129, General notes .
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the a ir
bag control module if the safety belt is being
used or not . If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher
ra te of deceleration than if the belt is not be
ing used . Therefore, in a particu lar collision, it
is possible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al
ready deployed, for example when your vehi
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
f ir st coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental knee air bag system is des igned
to reduce the like lihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
and minor abras ions and frict ion burns can al
so occur when an airbag inflates.
Airbag system 153
The knee airbag system basically consists
of:
-The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas gen- erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/indicator light is on) c::>
page 20.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
c::>
page 146.
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
How knee airbags work
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fig. 157 Inflated air bags protecting in a frontal colli
s ion
154 Airbag sys te m
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas
senger dep loy in certain but not all frontal
collisions.
I f the front air bags deploy, the knee airbags
a lso deploy in frontal co llisions when the de
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When t he system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and i nflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and t he
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the front passenger
q page 146 ,
fig . 154.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can
cushion the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
A ll of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The a irbags also
inflate wit h a great deal of force and it is im
po rtant for occupant safety that not hing
should be in their way when they dep loy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly wor n safety belts slow down and lim
it the occupant's forwa rd moveme nt and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: wit h kn ee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passenge rs
m ust know and do to help the safety be lts and
air bags to provide supp lemental protection .
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used. -
The knee a irbag system cannot p rotect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locat ions. When ad
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru
ment panel.
- The risk of personal inj ury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you a re
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk in
creases even more should the a irbag de
ploy.
- Always ma ke sure that th e knee airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rea se
the risk of injury in an ac cident by inte r
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the air bag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, espec ia lly children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. I f the airbag de
ploys, th is can resul t in serious o r fa tal
injur ies.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell are a in front of the dr iver's or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop
ping bags, fo r example) can inte rfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the a irbag. Small ob jects can be
thrown thro ugh the veh icle if the air
bag deploys and injure you or your pas
sengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air
b ags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
q page 158, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 158 S ide a irbag location i n the driver 's seat
The s ide a irbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t backrests
r=> fig . 158. They are iden
tified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The sid e a irbag system ba sicall y consis ts of :
-the electronic control module and external
side impact senso rs
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument
cluster .
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly
to make certain that it is functioning properly at all times . Each time you turn on the igni
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safe
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury to the dr iver's and front passenge r's up
pe r torso on the side of the veh icle that is
struck in a side co llision . The airbag deploys
on ly in side impacts and on ly when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control u nit is
hi gh eno ugh . If this rate is below the refer
ence va lue programmed i nto the con trol un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re
sult of the collision. It is not possible to de
fine an airbag trigger ing range that will cover
eve ry possible angle of impact, since the ci r
cumstances wi ll vary conside rably between
A irba g sy stem 155
one collis ion and anothe r. Important factors
incl ude, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehicle speed, etc.
r=> page 156, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc
cupant restra int system in your vehicle. Al
ways remember that the side airbag system can only help to protect you if you are wearing
you r safety be lt and wea ring it p roperly. This
is anothe r reason why you should a lways wear
yo ur safe ty be lts, no t ju st because the law re
quires you to do so
r=>page 129, General
notes .
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious inju ries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, br uising,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
s ide airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are always the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or
even the lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessarily a n indi
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa
tion. In some coll is io ns, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air
bags will deploy only once and only in ce rtain
k inds of co lli sions -you r safe ty be lts are al
w ays the re to offe r protection in those a cci
dents in whi ch airbags are not s upposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when t he ignit io n is tu rned off
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-e nd collisions
- in rear-end collis ions
156 Airbag system
-in rol lovers.
I n s ome types of acc idents the front a irbags
a nd side a irbags m ay be triggered together .
.&_ WARNING
-Sa fety belts and t he a irbag system wi ll
only provide protection when occupants
are in the p roper seating posit ion
¢ page 156.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your aut hori zed Aud i dea ler. It is pos
sible that the airbag will inf late w hen it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should .
How supplemental side airbags work
.
Side airbags deploy instan tly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 159 Infla ted s ide a irbag s on left s ide of ve hicle
When the system is triggered , the airbag is
f ill ed wit h prope llant gas and breaks thro ugh
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG" . It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In orde r to help provide
this addi tional pro tection, the side airbag
must inflate withi n a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force . The sup
p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is no t proper or upr ight or if
items are located in the area w here the sup
p lemental side a irbag e xpands. This appl ies
especia lly to children ¢
page 158, Child Safe
ty .
Suppleme nta l side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door pane l on the side of the vehicle that is struc
k in certain side col
lisio n~
fig . 159.
Althoug h they are not a soft p illow , they can
"cushion " the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body .
A fine dust may deve lop w hen the airbag de
ploys. This is normal an d does no t mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper sea ting posi tion.
T he re is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro
vide supplementa l protectio n.
.&_ WARNING
-An inflat ing s ide a irbag can cause serious
or fata l injury . Improperly wearing safety
belts and imp roper seating pos it io ns in
crease the risk of se rious pe rsonal injury
and dea th whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In or der to reduce the risk of in ju ry when
t he supplemental side airbag infl ates :
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
suppleme nta l side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where the supplementa l
s ide airbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety be lts a re
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the fr ont
seat put t heir hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the window .
- Always make sure that the s ide airbag
can inf late without interfe rence .
-Never install seat covers or replace
ment upholstery over the front seat
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates.
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cupholders, tele
phone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat
backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
- Always prevent the side airbags from be
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must
always be repaired immediately by an au
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident ~
page 158, Child Safety.
Airbag system 157
-Never attempt to modify any compo
nents of the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor
rectly measure increasing air pressure in
side the doors when air escapes through larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave have not been properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers
or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
•
•
158 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
q page 130, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults their
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In
many respects children are at greater risk of
serious injury in crashes than adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l
oped, they require restra int systems especial
l y designed for their size , weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the United States and p rovinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child . This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Ch ild restra ints must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can increase
the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Consult the child safety seat manufactu rer's
instructions to be sure the seat is right for
your chi ld's size
q page 161, Important safe
ty instructions for using child safety seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of the im
portant information and WARNINGS about
child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the instal
lation of child restraints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be
cause of the large amount of important infor- mation, we cannot repeat it all here
. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manua l about airbags and the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport ing children on the front passenger seat .
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in
fants and small children.
A WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must be restrained properly when
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str ik ing the interior or by be
ing ejected from the vehicle dur ing a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre
strained or improperly restrained ch ild is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly instal
led and used at one of the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag in
flates . A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen
ger seat w ill be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the back rest or door.
- Always install rearward-facing child safe
ty seats on the rear seat.
-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rearward-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dealer.
,& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
@ Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured .
Child Safety 159
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe
cially those 12 years and younger, should al
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size . The airbag on the pas
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride . The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of child re -
straints and for the different models of the ..,. •
•
160 Child Saf ety
same kind of child rest raint offered by child
restraint manufact urers.
The weight ranges fo r the ind ividual types,
makes and mode ls o f chi ld restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem compa res the we ight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the informat io n sto r
ed i n the ele ct ron ic cont ro l uni t.
The electron ic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe ren t for an ad ult
who is prope rly using the safety belt as com
pared to the tension on the be lt whe n it is
used to attach a chi ld restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger meas ures the
tension on the be lt. The input from this sen
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restraint w ith a typ ical
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whe ther or not the ai rbag must be tu rned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless o f the child restraint t hat you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu
facturer for use with a n airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly instal led at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger sea t, caref ully read all of the
i n format ion on c hild safety and Advanced A ir
bags and heed a ll of the app licab le WAR N
I NGS . Ma ke certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenger airbag is turned off and that the a
irbag sta tus is always cor rect ly signa led
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child res traints
h ave been available over the yea rs, new mod
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r mode ls are
ta ken out o f product ion . Ch ild restra ints are
not standard ized . Child restraints of the same
type typically have different weights and sizes
and different 'footpr ints,' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they are insta lled on a vehi
cl e seat. These d iffe rences make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify compl ian ce wi th t he re
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with eac h
and every chi ld restraint that has eve r been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
F or t his reason, the United S tates National
Highway T raffic Safety Adm inist ration has
published a list of specific type, ma kes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These ch ild restraints a re:
Subpart A -Car bed child re straints
Model
A ngel Guard Angel
Ride AA2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury 5martFit December 1, 19 99
4 543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
I
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
I
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
20 4
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999