Page 129 of 244

The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you turn on the igni
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supp lements the safe
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up per torso on the side of the veh icle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys in
side impacts and only whe n the vehicle accel
erat ion reg istered by the contro l unit is hig h
e nough. If t his rate is below the reference val
ue programmed into the control u nit, the s ide
airbags w ill not be triggered, even tho ugh the
car may be badly damaged as a res ult of the
col lision . It is not possible to define an airbag
tr igger ing range that will cover every poss ible
angle of impact, since the circumstances w ill
vary cons iderably between one coll is ion and
another. Important factors include, fo r exam
ple, the natu re ( hard o r soft) of the impacting
object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. Q page 128, Important safety instruc
tions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe
ty belts work to he lp keep the d river or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a side
coll is ion so th at the s ide airb ags can provide
p rotec tion.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc
cup ant res traint system in your veh icle. Al
ways remember tha t the side airbag system
can only he lp to protect you if yo u are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you sho uld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re
qu ires you to do so
Q page 101, General
notes .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental s ide a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other i njuries, for example, swel ling, b ruising,
and minor abras io ns can also be assoc iated
with deployed side a irbags . Remember too,
side ai rbags will deploy on ly on ce and on ly in
A irbag system 127
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are a lways the re to offer p rotection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even t he lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessa rily an in di
cation o f ove r-sensitive or failed airbag activa
tion . In some collisions, both fro nt and side
airbags may inflate . Remember too, t hat air
bags will deploy only once and on ly in certain
k inds of col lis ions -yo ur safety belts are al
ways the re to offer p rotection in those acc i
dents in which a irbags a re not supposed to
deploy or wh en they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ignit ion is turned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollove rs .
In some types of accidents the front airbags
and s ide airbag s may be triggered toge ther.
.&_ WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide pro tection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
Qpage 128.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the ve hicle ac
c e leration in a side collis ion is high
e nough to activate t he a irbag .
-
•
•
Page 130 of 244

128 Airbag system
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and con help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who ore properly restrained.
Fig. 119 Inflated s ide airbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and 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
this additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force. The sup plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup
plemental side airbag expands. This applies
especially to children
Q page 130, Child Safe
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col
lision
Q fig . 119.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de
ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle. Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags ore 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 airbags do their job to pro
vide supplemental protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
-Always make sure that safety belts are worn 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 without interference.
- 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.
Page 131 of 244

-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 cup holders, tel
ephone 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
c> page 130, 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
Airbag system 129
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 132 of 244

130 Child Safety
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c::> page 102, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, 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
ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure . Many countries and all states of the
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. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate child restraint properly used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your child's size
c::> page 133, Impor
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re
straints are on the front passenger seat. Be
cause of the large amount of important infor- mation, we cannot repeat it all here. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's 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
-
All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must be restrained properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child could be in
jured by striking the interior or by being
ejected from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child is also at great
er risk of injury or death through contact
with an inflating airbag.
_& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag in
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen
ger seat will be seriously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- 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, door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on, have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
.
Page 133 of 244

A 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 an "Advanced
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
Child Safety 131
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, a child should al
ways ride in the seat properly restrained for
its age and size . The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dan
gerous place for a child to ride. The front seat
is not the safest place for a child in a forward
facing child safety seat .
It can be a very dan
gerous 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 individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a
ll-
•
•
Page 134 of 244

132 Child Saf ety
typical 1 year -old chi ld, the Advanced Airbag
Syst em compares the weight meas ured by the
weight sensing mat with the in format ion stor
ed in the electron ic contro l unit.
The electron ic contro l unit a lso registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt.
The tens ion on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d ifferent for an adult
who is properly using the safety belt as com pared to the tension on t he be lt whe n it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat .
The senso r below the latch fo r the safety be lt
fo r the front seat passenger measu res the
tension on the be lt. T he inp ut from this sen
sor is then used with the we igh t to "decide",
whether there is a chi ld restraint with a typica l
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whether or not the airbag must be turned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure tha t it has been ce rtified to meet
Un ited States Fede ral Motor Vehicle Safety
S tanda rds a nd has been cer tified by its manu
facture r fo r u se wit h an air bag. If i n excep
tional circumstances yo u m ust use it on the
front passenge r seat, caref ully read all of the
info rmation on c hild safety an d Advanced Air
bags and heed a ll of the app licable WARN
INGS. Make certai n that t he child restraint is
correctly recogni zed by the weig ht-sensing
mat i nside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenge r airbag is tur ned off and that
the airbag status is a lways correctly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restra ints
have been ava ilable over the years, new mod
e ls ar e introduced regularly incorporat ing new
a nd improved designs a nd older models are
taken out of p ro du ction. Child res traints are
not stan dardized . Ch ild restra ints o f the same
type typically have different weights and s izes
a nd d ifferent 'footprints,' the s ize and s hape
of the bottom o f the child restraint that sits
on the seat, when they are installed on a veh i
cle seat. These differences make it virtually impossible to certify compliance wi
th t he re
quirements for a dvanced airbags with eac h
and every ch ild restra int 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 t his reason, the United States National
Hig hway Traffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has
published a list of spec ific type, ma kes and
m odels of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle w ith the su ppr ession
r equirem ents of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These chi ld restraints a re :
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard A ngel September 25, 2007
Ri de AA 2403FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury Smart Fit December 1, 1999
454 3
Cosco Ar riva September 2S, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
E venflo Discove ry Ad -December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E ven flo First Ch oic e De ce m be r 1, 1999
2 04
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
G raco Sn ug ride September 25
, 2007
Peg Perego Pr imo Vi -September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMU NOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and
convertible child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
B rit a x Round about S
eptember 2 5, 2007
E 9 L02xx
Cosco To uriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Page 135 of 244

Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High 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 Sa fety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
_& WARNING
To 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.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat o r infant car
rie r wi th great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof . Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
@ Tips
The ch ild seats listed in categories A to C
have been statically tested by Audi only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
Child Sa fet y 133
Important safety instructions for us ing
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are responsible for the safe
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il
dren:
.. Always use the right child safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
r=;, page 135.
.. Always carefully fo llow the child safe ty seat
manufact urer's inst ruct ions on how to ro ute
the sa fe ty belt properly through the c hild
safety 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 mov ing
¢ page 138.
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move fo rward o r
sideways more th an one inch
(2.5 cm).
Always remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle is
equipped with an Advan ced Airbag system, a
ch ild should always ride in the sea t properly
restrained for its age and s ize .
_& WARNING ,-= ~
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stalling a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding i n a vehicle.
- An unrest rained or imp roper ly restrain
ed ch ild ca n be injured or killed by be
i ng th rown against the ins ide of the ve
hicle or by being e jected from it during
a sudden maneuve r or impact.
- An unrest rained or improper ly res train
ed ch ild is at much greater risk of inj ury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
•
•
Page 136 of 244

134 Child Safety
-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 let more than one child occupy a child safety seat .
- 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 another in an accident.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car
rier with great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
- 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.
- 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
range, and as far away from the airbag
as possible before installing the child
restraint .
- Always make sure that nothing pre
vents the front passenger's seat from
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range .
-Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
¢ page 101, Safety
belts,
¢ page 109, Airbag system and
¢ page 130, Child Safety.
A WARNING
-To 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.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF