Page 161 of 286

- in rollovers.
I n some types of acc idents the front airbags
and side ai rbags may be t rigge red togethe r.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and t he a irbag sys tem will
only provide protection when occupan ts
are in the p roper seating posit ion
¢ page 159.
-If the airbag indicato r light c::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authori zed Aud i dea ler. It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld .
How supplemental side airbags work
.
Side airbags deploy ins tan tly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 15 7 Infla ted s ide a irbag s on left s ide of ve hicle
When the system is trigge red , the airbag is
fi lled w ith p ropel lant 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
t his additional protection, the side a irbag
must inf late within a fraction of a second at
very high speed a nd with great force . The sup
p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not p roper or upr ight or if
items are located in the area where the sup
p lemental side a irbag expands . T his app lies
especia lly to children
c::> page 161, Child Safe
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door pane l on the side
A irba g sy stem 159
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col
lision
c::> fig . 157 .
Although they are no t a soft pillow , they can
"cushion" the impa ct and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de
ploys . T his is normal and 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 r ide in a
proper sea ting position.
T here is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do the ir job to pro
vide supplemental protect ion.
A WARNING ,-
An inflat ing s ide a irbag can cause se rious
or fata l injury . Improperly wearing safety
belts and imp roper seat ing pos itions in
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- I n o rder to red uce the risk of i nju ry when
the s upplemental side airbag inflates:
- 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 a irbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front
seat put t he ir hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the window .
- Always make su re t hat the side a irbag
can inflate without interfe rence .
Page 162 of 286

160 Airbag system
-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 161, Child Safety.
-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.
Page 163 of 286

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 133, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adu lts thei r
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In
many respects children are at greater risk of
serio us inju ry in crashes than adults .
Because children's bod ies are not fu lly deve l
oped, they require restraint systems especial
l y des igned for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many co untries and all states of th e
United States and p rovinces of Canada have
laws requ iring the u se of approved ch ild re
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed o f 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-po und
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child . Th is means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds ( 120 kg). Under these conditions,
on ly an appropriate chi ld restrai nt properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Ch ild restr aints must be used p roperly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can inc rease
the risk of serious in jury i n an accident.
Consult the chil d safety seat manufacture r's
i nstr uctions to be s ure the seat is r igh t for
your chi ld's size
q page 164, Important safe
ty instructions for using child safety seats .
Please be sure to read and heed a ll of the im
portant informat ion and WARNINGS abo ut
child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the ins tal
lation of child restraints in this chapter.
T here is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced A irbags 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 i nfor-
Child Sa fet y 161
mation, we cannot repeat it a ll here . We urge
you to read the detai led information in this
owner 's man ua l about airbags and the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transpor t
ing ch ildren on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
ar e extremely importa nt for your safety and
the safety of you r passenge rs, especially in
f an ts and small chi ld ren.
A WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that c hil
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 p roperly when
ever riding i n a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improper ly restrained chi ld could be
in ju red by str iking the interior o r by be
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuve r or impact. A n un re
s tra ine d or improperly restrained ch ild is
a lso at greate r risk of injury o r dea th
through contact with an inflating airbag .
- A suitable ch ild restrai nt properly inst al
led and used a t one o f the rear seat ing
positions prov ides 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 ser iously in
ju red or even killed when an a irbag i n
flates. A child in a rearward -fac ing ch ild
safety seat installed on t he front passen
ger seat w ill be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag infla tes.
- The infla ting airbag will h it the ch ild
s afe ty seat or i nfant carrie r wi th grea t
force and will sm ash the child safety se at
and child against the bac krest, cen ter
armrest o r door .
- Always install re arward-fac ing ch ild safe-
ty seats on the rea r seat .
~
•
•
Page 164 of 286

162 Child Safety
-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.
(D 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 . 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 .,.
Page 165 of 286

same kind of child restrain t offered by child
restraint manufacturers.
T he weight ranges for the ind iv idual types,
makes and models o f ch ild restra ints tha t 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 res traint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem compares the we ight measured by the
weight sens ing mat with the info rmat ion s to r
ed i n the electron ic cont rol unit.
The electron ic control unit a lso registers the
tension on the front passenger safety be lt .
The te nsio n on the safety be lt fo r the front
p assenger seat will be d iffe ren t fo r an ad ult
who is properly using the safety belt as com
pared to the tension on the be lt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat.
T he sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger measures the
t ension 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 restrai nt with a typ ical
1 year-o ld child on the front passenge r seat
and whether or no t the airbag must be turned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regard less o f the child res traint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly insta lled at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fr ont passenge r seat, caref ully read all of the
information on c hild safety and Adv ance d Air
bags an d heed a ll of the app licable WAR N
I NGS . Make certai n that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off and that
Child Sa fet y 163
the a irbag s tat us is a lways cor rect ly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child res traints
have been available over t he years, new mod
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r models are
ta ken o ut of product ion . Ch ild restraints are
not standa rd iz ed. Child restraints of the same
type typically have d ifferent weights and si zes
and different 'footpr ints, ' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they a re insta lled on a vehi
cl e sea t. T hese d iffe rences make i t vir tually
i mpossible to certify compl ian ce wi th t he re
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with each
and every ch ild restraint that has eve r been
so ld in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For t his reason, the United S tates Na tional
Hig hway T raffic Safety Administration has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
Sys tem in your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208. These child res traints are :
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard A ngel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury Smart Fit Decembe r 1, 1999
4 543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007 22-013PAW and base
22 -999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad -December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
•
•
Page 166 of 286

164 Child Saf ety
Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Graco Snugride September 2S, 2007
Peg Perego Primo V i- September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMUN00US
Subpart C -Forward -facing and
con vertibl e child r estra in ts
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 2S, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco Hig h Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 200
7
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco P latinum Ca rgo September 25, 2007
_&. WARNING
T o reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
G ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate
ly.
(!) Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi on ly for
the Advanced A irbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsib le for the safe
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il
dren:
... Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
c::;,page 167 .
... Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
... When usi ng the veh icle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 171.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
sideways mo re than one inch (2.5 cm) .
... If a strap or tether is be ing used to t ie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure tha t it i s n ot so tight th at i t
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
... Sec ure unused safety belts o n the rear seat
c::;, page 166 .
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
chi ldren, especially those 12 years and young
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper-
ly restrained for their age and size. .,.
Page 167 of 286

A WARNING 1-=
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death .
-All vehicle occupants and especially chil dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle.
~
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain
ed child can be injured or killed by be
ing thrown against the inside of the ve
hicle or by being ejected from it during
a sudden maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S . Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion. The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames . They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
-Always heed all legal requirements per
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo
men and neck areas during sudden brak
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat.
Child Safety 165
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an
other passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each other in an accident.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas
senger seat. A child will be seriously in
jured and can be killed when the passen
ger airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety
seat and child against the backrest,
center arm rest, door or roof.
-Always install rearward-facing child
safety seats or infant carriers on the
rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal
led on the front passenger's seat can in
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the child. Al
ways install forward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's
safety and well-being require that the
following special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufac
turer's instructions provided with the
child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost position of the pas-
senger seat's fore and aft adjustment
~
•
•
Page 168 of 286

166 Child Safet y
range, and as far away from the airbag
as possible before installing the child
restra int.
- Always make sure that nothing pre
vents the front passenger's seat from be ing moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position .
- Always buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not s itting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a coll is ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
c::> page 132, Safety
belts,
c::> page 140, Airbag system and
c::> page 161, Child Safety.
.,&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PAS SENGER AIR B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child rest raint off the front pas
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate
ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
Fig. 158 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from chil dren in child safety seats. @· outer rear
sa fety be lt
.
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower ancho
rages, the unused safety belts
must be se
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
c::> &.
-Guide the safety belt webbing @ behind the
head restra int of the seat where the child re
straint is installed
c::> fig . 158. When doing
so, do not engage the switchable locking re
tractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when winding up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
.,&. WARNING
-A child in a chi ld safety seat installed with
the LA TCH lower a nchorages or with the
standard safety be lt or a child in a boos ter
seat on the rear seat co uld p lay with un
used rear seat safety belts and become en
tang led . This co uld cause the chi ld ser ious
personal injury and even death.
-Always secure unused rear seat sa fety
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by proper ly routing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the ch ild restraint is installed.
- Never activate the switchable locking re
tractor when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.