
156 Airbag system
-in rol lovers.
I n s ome types of acc idents the front a irbags,
side curtain a irbags and side ai rbags may be
tr iggered together.
A WARNING
- Sa fety belts and the airbag system will
only prov ide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢ page 156 .
-If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your autho rized Aud i dea ler . It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not i nflate
when it should.
How supplemental s ide airbags work
-
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 139 Infla ted side a irbags o n left side of ve hicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
fi lled wit h propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG". It exp ands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In order to help prov ide
this additional protection, the side a irbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
ve ry hig h speed and with great fo rce . The sup
p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
se ating position is no t proper or upr ight or if
item s are located in the area where the sup
p lemental side a irbag expands. This app lies
especia lly to childre n
¢ page 161, Child Safe
ty.
Supplementa l side airbags inflate betw een the occ
upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col
lis ion ¢
fig. 139.
Although they are not a soft pi llow , they can
"cushion" the im pact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part o f the body .
A fine d ust may deve lop when the ai rbag de
ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al
ways properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a
proper seating posi tion .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro
vide supplementa l protect ion.
A WARNING
An i nflat ing s ide a irbag can cause serious
or fata l injury . Improperly wearing safety
be lts and imp roper seating pos itions in
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and dea th whenever a vehicle is being
use d.
- In order to red uce the risk of i njury when
the supplemental side airbag infla tes:
- Always sit in an upright posit ion and
never lean aga inst the a rea whe re 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 front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
- Always make sure that the s ide airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence .

158 Airbag sys te m
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ~
fig. 140. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the
risk of injury for occupants ' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side co llision . The side curtain airbag in
flates in s ide impacts and only when the veh i
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
is high enoug h. If th is rate is below the refe r
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be t riggered, even
though the ca r may be badly damaged as a re
sult of the collision . It is not possible to de
fine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir
cumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
i nclude, for example, the natu re (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, etc.~
page 159, How side cur
tain airbags work.
As ide from the ir no rmal safety function, safe
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli
sion so tha t the side curta in airbags can pro
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for you r
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc
cupa nt res traint system in your ve hicle. 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 another reason why you sho uld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just beca use the law re
qu ires you to do so
Q page 129, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, fo r example , swell ing, bruisi ng, and
minor abras io ns can also be associated w it h
these airbags. Remembe r too, these a irbags
will dep loy only once and only in cer tain kinds of accidents
-your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
- The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the fron t and
rear side windows
- The a irb ag ind icator light in the inst rument
panel
T he airbag syste m is mon itored e lectronically
to make ce rtain it is functioning prope rly at all
t imes. Each t ime yo u turn on t he igni tion, the
airbag system indicator light wi ll come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is tur ned off,
- in side collisions when the accele ration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING '"--
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupa nts
are in th e prop er seating position
Q page 53, Seats and storage.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light Q page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
h ave the system inspected immedia tely
by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
It is pos
sible tha t the airbag will inflate when i t
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.

How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
€
Fig. 141 Illustration of prin ciple: In flated side cur ta in
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
c::>fig. 141 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain airbag could in
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curtain airbag
inflates . This applies especially to children
c::> page 161.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur
tain airbags can ''cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the risk of in
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de ploys . This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle .
Airbag system 159
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the side curtain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a head airbag can
dangerously interfere with its function . A
deploying head airbag develops enough
force to catapult any piece of add-on
component out of its path of inflation
and into the passenger compartment. An
occupant hit by such a projectile can suf
fer serious injury or death
c::> page 267,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them
(for example pens) . If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob
jects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an acci
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks .
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
vehicle leaves the factory, only Audi roll-
-
up sunscreens may be used c::, page 266, .,_

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 129, Safety
belts, c::>page 137, 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. 1 42 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 . 142. 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 . 143 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 retractor on the
safety belt 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 . 143.
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 child in a rearward-facing seat.
Child Safety 16 7
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
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 rrie 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 can 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 138, 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 rear seat .
- Never install a rearward -facing ch ild re
straint in the forward-facing direction .
Such rest ra ints are designed for the spe
cial needs of infants and ve ry sma ll chil
dren and cannot pro tect them properly 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 exceptional c ircumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install th e rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect ed by your authorized Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave
h icle is being used ¢
page 129, Safety
belts,
Q page 13 7, Airbag system and
¢ page 161, Impor tan t things 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 . 144 Schematic overv iew: installat ion of the at
t a chments appl icable to a LA TCH seat
Fig. 145 Schematic overview: in stalla tion of t he sea t
using the vehicle'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 forwa rd or
s ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c::> page 171.
.. If the child safety seat is eq uipped w ith a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 177.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 166.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in
fant restra int if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) . T
oddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weig h more
than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
always be properly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for their size and weight
c::>fig . 144 and c::> fig . 145 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly dangerous place for a
child 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 a n in
fant or a larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
_&. WARNING
No t using a child safety seat, us ing t he
wrong child safety seat o r imprope rly in
stalling a chi ld restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situat ion .
- Chi ldren on the front seat of any ca r,
-
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri
ously injured or even killed when an air
bag inflates . A ch ild in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be serious ly injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in
f lates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrie r with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center
armrest, doo r or roof.
- Always ins tall rearward-fac ing ch ild safe
ty seats on the rear seat.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd fa cing
child safe ty seat on the fro nt passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on 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 Audi dealer .
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possib le ..,.