2014 AUDI S4 airbag

162 Airbag system
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors
include, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. c::>
page 163, 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
coll is io n so that the side a irbags can provide
protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your ve hicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you a re wearing
your safety be lt and wear ing it prope rly . T his
is another reason why you should a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re ­
quires you to do soc::>
page 138, General
notes.
I t is important to remember that while the
supp lemental side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
othe r injuries, for example, swell ing, bruising,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
wi th deployed side airbags. Remember too,
side airbags will deploy on ly once and on ly in
certain k inds of acc idents -your safety belts
are a lways there to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessari ly an indi ­
cation of over-sensit ive or failed airbag activa­
tion . In some co llisions, both front and s ide
a irbags may inflate. Remember too , that air­
bags will deploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acci­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed.
The side airbag syst em will not depl oy:
- when the ign ition is turned off
- i n s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low
- i n front-end co llisions -
in rear -end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
t rigge red togethe r.
_&. WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system wil l
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
c::> page 163.
-If the airbag indicator light r:!:> page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by y our authorized A udi dealer . It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
How supplemental side 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. 158 In flated side a irbags o n left s ide of ve hicle
When the system is trigge red, the a irbag is
filled wi th propellan t gas an d breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG". It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In order to help provide
t h is addit ional protec tion, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very h igh speed and with great force . The sup ­
plementa l side airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or up right or if
items are located in the area where the s up­
pleme ntal side airbag expands. This applies
especially to ch ild ren
c::> page 16 7, Child ..,.

Safety. Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain s ide
collis ion¢
fig. 158 .
Although they a re not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ p loys. This is norma l 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 belts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and a irbags do the ir job to pro­
vide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause ser ious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In orde r to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates :
- Always sit in an upright pos ition and
never lean against the area where the
supp lemental s ide a irbag is located.
- Never let a chi ld or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supp lemental
side ai rbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
wo rn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate witho ut interference.
A irbag system 163
-Never install seat covers or rep lace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags
deploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to the seam in the area of the side a ir­
bag module must always be repaired
i mmediately by an author ized Audi
dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag ca n
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by inter fer ing with the way the airbag
unfo lds o r by being pushe d in to yo u as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessor ies or
othe r objects (such as cupho lders, tele­
phone brackets, or even large, bu lky
objects) on the doo rs, over or near the
area marked "A IRBAG" on the seat
bac krests.
-Such objects a nd accessories can be­
come dangerous project iles and cau se
i njury when the s upplementa l side air­
bag deploys .
- Never carry any ob je cts o r pe ts in the
deployment space be twee n them and
the airbags or allow ch ild ren or other
passengers to trave l in t his position.
- Always use the b uilt-in coat hooks on ly
for lightweight clo thing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere w ith side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an acc ident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­ ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
aga inst 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 dealersh ip.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the o rig inal seat cove rs or to the seam i n
the area of the side airbag module must .,,. •
•

164 Airbag system
always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Aud i dealer.
- If children are seated improper ly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
acc ident¢
page 167, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way.
- In a side co llision, side a irbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rect ly 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
e ls removed .
- Never drive w hen 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 equ ipment is installed in the
ins ide door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an author ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemen tal prote ction to properly restrain­
ed occupan ts.
Fig . 159 Side curtain system, dr ive r's s ide: s ide curtain
a irbag locat ion
T he side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 159. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar .
T he side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in jury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll ision . The side cu rtain airbag in ­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­ cl e acceleration registered by the control un it
is h igh eno ugh . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value p rogrammed in to the co ntrol uni t,
the side ai rbags wi ll not be triggered, even
though the car may be bad ly damaged as a re­
s ul t of the co llision. It is not possib le to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover every possib le ang le of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary cons iderably between
one collis ion a nd another . Important factors
i nclude, fo r example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 165, How side cur­
tain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help k eep the drive r or front
passenge r in position in t he event of a coll i­
s io n so that the s ide cur tain airbags can pro ­
vide protection.
T he airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
c u pan t restra int system in yo ur vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
only he lp to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 138, General
notes .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
side curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
i njur ies, for example , swelling, bru is ing, and
minor abrasions can also be assoc iated with
these a irbags. Remember too, these airbags
will deploy only once and on ly in ce rtain kinds
lill>

of accidents - your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consi sts of :
- The electronic control mod ule and externa l
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- T he airbag ind icator light in the ins trument
panel
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ica lly
to make certa in it is f unct ion ing properly at a ll
times. Eac h time you t urn on the ign ition, the
ai rbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the igni tion is turned off,
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear -end collisions,
- in ro llovers.
_&. WARNING
- Safety belts and the a irbag system will
only p rov ide p rotection whe n occ upants
are in the p roper seating posit ion
~ page 58, Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicato r light~ page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the sys tem inspected immediately
by your aut ho rized Aud i dea le r.
It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or wi ll not inflate
when it sho uld .
A irba g sy stem 165
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. 1 60 Illus trati on of pr in cip le: Inflat ed s ide curtain
airbags o n the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
vehicle that is struck in a side coll is ion
~ fig . 160.
When the system is trigge red, the side curta in
airbag is filled with prope llant gas and breaks
t hr ough a seam above the front and rear side
windows iden tified by the AIRBAG labe l. In or­
der to he lp prov ide this additional protection,
the side curtain ai rbag m ust inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain a irbag co uld in­
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curta in a irbag
inflates . This applies especially to ch ild ren
~ page 167.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain a irbags can "cushion " the impact and i n
th is way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head and the uppe r part of the
body .
A f ine dust may deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys . T his is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle.

166 Airbag sys te m
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
a irbags do the ir job to prov ide s upplement al
protection.
_&. WARNING
-
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used.
- Never let occ upants p lace any parts of
their bodies in the area from wh ich the
side curtain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate w ithout interference.
Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a head a irbag can
dangerously interfere w ith its function . A
deploying head a irbag develops enough
force to catapult any piece of add-on
component out of its pa th of inflation
and into the passenger compartment. An
occupant hit by such a projectile can suf­
fer serio us injury or death
¢ page 2 78,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
yo u have any objects clipped onto them
(for example pens).
If the a irbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight cloth ing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause pe rsonal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hange rs to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
vehicle leaves the fac to ry, only Audi roll­
up sunsc reens m ay be used~
page 277,
Additional accessories and parts re­
placement.
-Always sit in p roper seating position and
wear safety belts wh ile traveling so that
the side curtain airbags can help prov ide
protection.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
-Always have work involving the side cur­ tain airbag system, removal and installa­
tion of the airbag components, or other repairs performed by an authorized Audi
deale r o r qualified workshop. O therwise
the air bag system may not work co rrec t­
ly.
- Never attempt to mod ify any compo­
nents o f the ai rbag system in any way.

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 139, 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 devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especial ­
l y designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of th e
United States and provinces 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 . Th is means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Ch ild restraints 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 manufacturer's
instructions to be sure the seat is right for
your chi ld's size
q page 170, 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.
T here 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-
Child Sa fet y 167
mation, we cannot repeat it all here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner 's manual 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 child could be injured by str iking the interior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. A n un re­
strained or improperly restrained child is
a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly instal­
led and used at one o f 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 a irbag 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 hit the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest or door .
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld safe-
ty seats on the rear seat .
~
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168 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 .,.

same kind of child restraint offered by child
restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the ind iv idual types,
makes and models o f ch ild 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 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 informat ion s to r­
ed i n the electron ic cont rol unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenger safety be lt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe rent 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 belt
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-old child on the front passenger seat
and whether or not 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 installed at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep­
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger seat, caref ully read all of the
information on ch ild safety and Adv anced A ir­
bags and heed a ll of the applicable WARN­
I NGS . Make certain 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 169
the ai rbag status is always cor rect ly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restraints
have been available over the years, new mod­
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r models are
taken 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 diffe rences make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify compl iance wi th the re­
quirements for advanced airbags with each
and every ch ild restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For th is reason, the United S tates National
Highway Traffic 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 vehicle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208. These child restraints are :
Subpart A - Car bed child restra ints
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
Century Smart Fit Decembe r 1, 1999
4543
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
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