example, increase the force levels measured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if the changes had not been made. Other
kinds of changes may reduce the force levels
measured by the sensors and prevent the air
bag from deploying when it should.
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par
ticular 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 being
used.
It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit .
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
formance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspens ion components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING 1= -
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Airbag system 155
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 154 Driver 's knee airbag
The dr iver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig. 154, the knee airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
panel underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
¢ page 149, More impor tant things to
know abou t 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 pro tec
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute 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 be lt and wearing it properly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
¢ page 132, General notes. ..,_
156 Airbag system
The sa fety belt buck le for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that te ll the ai r
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
rate of deceleration than if the belt is not be
i ng used. The refore, in a pa rticu la r collision, it
is possible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being used but will infla te at the position where the
safety bel t is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in ce rtai n kinds of accidents -your
safety bel ts are always there to offer pro tec
tion in those acc idents in which airbags a re
not supposed to deploy or when they have a l
ready deployed, for example when your vehi
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
f irst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an ai rbag is
n ot a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that whi le the
supp lemental knee a irbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injur ies,
other injuries, for example, swell ing, bruising,
a nd minor abras ions and frict ion burns can al
so occur when an a irbag inflates .
The knee airb ag sy stem basically con sists
of:
- The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), o ne for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag sy stem will not deploy:
- when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal collis ions when the dece lerat ion
measured by the contro l unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers -
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
<=:> page
149.
-If the airbag ind icat or light r:::>page 20
comes w hen the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authori zed A udi dealer. It is pos
sible that the airbag will in flate when it
is not supposed to, or will not infla te
when i t should.
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the l eg area can be re
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fi g. 1 55 Inf lated ai rbags protect ing in a frontal colli
s io n
T he knee airbag system has been des igned so
that th e airbags for the driv er and front pas
senger deploy in certa in but not all frontal
c ollisions.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the k nee a irbags
also dep loy in frontal coll isions w hen the de
ployment th reshold stored in the contro l un it
is me t.
When the system deploys, t he ai rbags fill
with a p ropellant gas, and infla te between th e
lower pa rt of the inst rument panel and the
dr ive r and the lower part of t he instr ument
pane l and the fron t passenger <=:> page
149,
fig. 152.
- 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 .
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 .,.
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. .,.
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.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward -fac
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
Fig . 159 Sche matic overv iew: rearward-fac ing infant
seat, properly installed o n the rear seat
~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retracto r on the
safety be lt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 171 or install the seat
using the LA T CH attachments.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 166.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infan t carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts believe that infants and
small children should ride only in spec ial re
straints in which the ch ild faces the back of
the vehicle. These infant seats support the ba
by's back, neck and head in a crash
¢fig . 159.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a po tentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide . The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forward -facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous p lace for an infant or a
l arger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
Child Safety 16 7
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using t he
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stall ing a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rearwa rd-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr ie rs on the front pas
senger seat -even with an Advanced Air
bag Sys tem. A ch ild will be ser iously in
jured and ca n be killed when the inflat
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in
fant carrier with great force and smashes the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof ¢
page 141, Child restraints on the
front seat- some important things to
know .
-Always install rearward -facing chi ld safe
ty seats or infant carriers on the rea r
seat .
- Never install a rea rward -facing ch ild re
straint in the forward-facing direction .
Such rest ra in ts are designed for the spe
cial needs of infants a nd ve ry sma ll chil
d ren and cannot pro te ct them p roperly if
the seat is forward -facing.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install t he rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect ed by your autho riz ed Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave
h icle is being used ¢
page 132, Safety
belts,
Q page 140, Airbag system and
¢ page 161, Impor tan t thi ngs to know .
168 Child Safet y
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between
20 and 40 lbs. (9
and 18 kg) in a crash.
Fig . 160 Sche matic overv iew : ins tallat ion of t he at
t a chments appl icable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 161 Sche matic overview: in sta llat ion of t he sea t
us ing t he veh icle's safety be lt system
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll
a chi ld safety seat, you must f irst activate
the convertible locking feature on the safety
belt to prevent the child safety seat from
moving
c::> page 171 or insta ll the seat using
the LATCH attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really t ight
so that the seat cannot move forward or s ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c::> page 171.
.. Secure unused safety be lts on the rear seat
~ page 166.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in
fant restraint if i t is more than one year old
and weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg).
Toddle rs and ch ildren who are o lder than one
year up to about 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be proper
ly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for the ir size and weight
~ fig. 160 and r:!) fig . 161 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly dangerous place for a
c h ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child safe
ty seat. It is a very dangerous place for an in
fant or a larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING c=
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the
wrong child safety seat or imprope rly in
stalling a ch ild restra int increases the risk
of ser ious personal in jury and death in a
collis ion or o ther emerge ncy sit uat ion.
- Ch ild ren on the front seat of any ca r,
even with Advan ced Airbags, can be seri
ously injured or even k illed when an air
bag inflates. A chi ld in a rearwa rd -facing
child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be serio usly injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
-
-The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the back rest, center
armrest, doo r or roof .
-Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe
ty seats on the rea r seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n and stay on, im
mediately insta ll the rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect
ed by your authorized A udi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possib le
to the backrest on the vehicle seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave-
h icle is being used
c::> page 132, Safety ll>-