2015 AUDI A4 warning light

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th e forward-facing child res traint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AI R BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a
l ot of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sens ing ma t, sensors, wiring, brack­
ets, and more. The function of the system in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
e lectronic control unit when the ignition is on .
The control unit monitors the Advanced Air­ bag System and turns the airbag indicator
light on when a malfunction in the system
components is detected. The function of the
airbag ind icator light is described in greater
deta il below. Because the front passenger
seat contains impo rtant parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to
p revent it from being damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash.
The front Advanc ed Airbag Syst em
con sis ts o f th e following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­
bag System about the severity of the crash.
-An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts .
The contro l unit "decides" whether to fire
the front airbags based on the information
r eceived from the c rash sensors. The control
unit a lso "dec ides" whet her the safety be lt
pretensione rs should be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steer­
i ng wheel hub.
A irbag system 15 1
- An Advanced Ai rbag with gas gene rator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger .
- A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat.
The informat ion reg istered is sent continu­
ously to the electronic control unit to regu­
late deployment of the front Advanced Air­
bag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and ind icator
light in the i nstr ument cluster ~
page 154 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance betwee n the respective seat and the
steer ing whee l or inst rument panel. The i n­
formation register ed is sent cont inuous ly to
the ele ct ron ic cont ro l uni t to regulate de­
ployment o f the front Advanced A irbags .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center o f th e instr u­
ment panel
~page 155, fig. 156 and tells
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned off .
- A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to meas ure t he tension
on the safety be lt . T he tension o n the safety
be lt and the weight registered by the
weight-sensing mat help the control unit
"decide" whether the front airbag for the
front passenge r seat should be turned off or
not~
page 145, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch fo r the driv­
er and fo r the front sea t passe nger that
senses w hethe r that s afety belt is latched or
no t and transmi ts this information to the
electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
p revent the front airbag from work ing
properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenge r and dr iver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning p roperly .
-
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152 Airbag system
-Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
driver seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­ senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­ ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­ straint manufacturer's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install child restraint in a rear seat­
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adva need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­ sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the amount programmed in the electronic control
unit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will also be turned off if one of the child safe­
ty seats that has been certified under Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
~ page 145, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know.
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_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher .
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
fla tes - even with an Advanced Airbag
~ page 144.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fig. 155 I nf lated front a irba gs
Safety belts are impo rtant to help keep front
seat occupants in the p roper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfo ld properly and pro ­
v ide supp lemental protection in a fronta l col­
lision.
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l prote ction for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenge r when:
- safety belts are worn prope rly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the
occupant is proper ly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag ,
- and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force , things you have on your lap
or have placed on the seat could become dan -
~ gero us projectiles, and be pushed into you if
~ the airbag inflates.
rl
:5: When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released.
rl ~ This is normal and is not caused by a fire in
A irba g sy stem 153
the vehi cle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy. It could irr itate skin.
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for example swelling, br uis ing and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body . Front a irbags
o nly supp lement the three point safe ty belts
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
decelera tion is h igh enough to deploy the air­
bags.
Front airbags will not deploy :
- if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
occu rs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
-when the crash deceleration measured by the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for airbag dep loyment as
reg istered by the electronic contro l unit .
The front pa ssenger ai rbag will also not
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu ­
pied ,
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem ind icates that the front airbag on the
passe nger side has to be turned off by the
electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light comes on and stays o n).
_& WARNING
-S itting in the wrong pos ition can in creas e
the r is k of se rious inj ury i n crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the drive r and passenge rs
m ust always s it in an upr igh t positi on,
m ust not lean against or pla ce any part
of their body too close to the area whe re
the airbags a re located. .,.

154 Airbag sys te m
- Occupants who are unbelte d, ou t of p osi­
t ion or too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds wi th grea t force i n the blink of an
ey e
~ pag e 145 .
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward -faci ng child safety
s e at insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and wi ll smash the chi ld safety seat
and child against the backrest , center
armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im ·
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
authori zed Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of inj ury in a crash by in­
terfering wi th the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into yo u as the a irbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on
yo ur lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenge r seat . Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other s udden ma­
neuver and become dangerous projec­
t iles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate .
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, te le­
phone brackets, la rge, heavy or b ulky ob -
-
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing whee l,
instr ument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could cause in jury in a crash, es­
pecia lly when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects . Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide airbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra kin g or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects nea r the air­
bags can become projec tiles and cause
inj ury, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined .
A WARNING ~
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ i ng cond itions .
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory conditions shou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors .
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and wate r before eating.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the res id ue should get into your eyes ,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
T wo separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag System (including the
electron ic cont ro l unit , sensor circu its and sys­
tem wiring) is mon ito red continuously to
make su re that it is funct io ni ng properly

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whenever the ignition is on. Each time yo u
turn on th e ignition , the
fl airbag monitoring
indicator light w ill come on for a few seconds
( s elf diagnostics) .
The system mu st be in spect ed wh en the
II indicat or light:
- does not come on w hen the ignit ion is
switched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have sw itched on the ignition, or
- com es on whi le driving .
I f an a irbag system malf unct ion is de tected,
the ind icator light will firs t start flashing to
catch the driver 's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately .
If a malfunc tion oc curs that turns the fron t
ai rbag on the passenger side off, the
PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght wi ll come on and stay
on wheneve r the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator light¢
page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by you r authorized Aud i dea le r. It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inf late when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 156 Sect ion fr om t he instr umen t pa nel: PASSEN ­
GER A IR BAG O FF ligh t
-
Airba g sy stem 155
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center of the instrument pa ne l
¢ fig. 156 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electron ic contro l unit. Each
time you turn on the ignit ion, the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few
s econds and:
- will stay on i f the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small chi ld or child
r estraint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat.
T he
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and sta y on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the fron t
se at, or
- a rearwa rd-facing child restra in t has been
installed o n the front passenger seat, o r
- a forward-fac ing c hild restra int has been in­
s talled on the fron t passenger seat, or
- t he we ight reg istered on the front passen­
ge r seat is equal to or less t han the com­
bi ned weight o f a typical 1 year-o ld restr ain­
ed in one of the rear -facing or forwa rd-fac­
i ng infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced A irbag System in your veh icle was
certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occup ied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG O FF
light will stay on. Nev ­
er install a rearward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger sea t, the safest p lace for
a child in any k ind of child restrai nt is at one
of the seating posit ions on the rear seat
¢ page 145, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 165 , Child Safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on
when one of the cond itions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regu larly to
IJi,,-

156 Airbag system
make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on continuous ly whenever the
ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear and not stay on all
the time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint.
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correctly
routed around the child restraint as descri­
bed in the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking re­
tractor on the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been act ivated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job
c::> page 175 .
-make su re that things that may increase the
weight of the child and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen­
sor is not blocked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the we ight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actua lly on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the chi ld restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions . Have the a irbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer
immediately .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat pos it io n and
make sure that the child is properly restrain­
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
it s size and age. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
should
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these cir cumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
c::> page 12 7, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- t he safety belt is being properly worn and
t hat there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webb ing,
- accesso ry seat covers or cushions or other
t hings that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
t h e message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear
in the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An a irbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal c rash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
c::> page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer .
It is
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possible that the airbag will inflate when
it is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restra int, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing child re­
st raint that has not been properly insta lled
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12
ye ars and younge r, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained fo r their
age and size.
- Always instal l forw ard or rea r-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you mus t install a rearward -facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme ­
diately install the rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r au­
tho riz ed Aud i dea le r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
wa rd-fac ing child restra int attached to
t h e fro nt passenger sea t can put too
much pressure on the weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register mo re weight
than is ac tually on the seat. The heavier
weight registe red can make the system
wor k as though an adu lt were on the seat
and dep loy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed caus ing serious or
even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward -facing child re ­
st rain t on the front passenger seat, a l­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sit ion in the seat's fo re and aft adjust­
ment r ange, as far away from the airb ag
as possib le. The backrest m ust be adjus t­
ed to an upr ight position. Make sure that
A irbag system 157
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after tak ing
the steps described above, make su re the
adu lt is prope rly seated and restra ined at
one o f the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front pas senger
seat.
@ Tips
If t he weig ht-sensing mat in the front pas ­
senger seat detects an empty sea t, the
front airbag on the p assenger side will be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different p laces on your Aud i. Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
a irbag system and p revent that system from
working p rope rly in a coll is ion.
There are some important t hings you have to
k n ow to make sure that the effectiveness of
t h e system w ill not be impaired and that d is­
ca rded components do not cause inju ry o r pol­
l ute the environment.
A WARNING
Im proper care, serv icing and rep air proce­
d ur es can increase the risk of personal in ­
ju ry and death by preventing an a irbag
from deploying when needed or deploying
an a irbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obst ruct, or change the
steer ing whee l horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or mod ify them
in any way. •
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example, increase the force levels measured
by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it wo uld not deploy
if the changes had not been made. Other
kinds of changes may reduce the force levels
measured by the sensors and p revent the air ­
bag from deploying when it should.
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag pe r­
formance and increase the risk of ser ious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never ins tall suspe nsio n components
that do not have the same per formance
characteristics as the components origi­
nally insta lled on your vehicle .
- Never use ti re -rim combinations that
have not bee n approved by A udi.
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 informat io n to the electronic con­
trol modu le and prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from work ing proper ly.
- Always make sure that noth ing can inter-
fere w ith the safe ty belt buckles and that
they are not obst ructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 157 Side a irbag locat ion in the driver' s seat
A irba g sy stem 159
The side airbags are located in the sides o f the
front seat backrests
r=> fig . 157 and the rear
backrest facing the doors . They are ident if ied
by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system b asically con sis t s o f:
- the electron ic cont rol module and external
side impa ct sensors
- t he two a irbags located in the s ides of the
front backrests and the two a irbags* loca ted
in the rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrumen t
cluste r.
The airbag system is mon itored electronically
to make ce rtain that it is f unctioning p roperly
at all times. Each time you turn on the ign i­
ti on, the airbag system ind icator light will
come on for a few seconds (se lf diagnostics).
T he side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts a nd can help to reduce the risk of i n­
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up­
per torso on the s ide of the vehicle th at is
struck in a s ide collision . The airbag deploys
only in side impacts and only when the vehicle
acce lerat ion reg istered by the control unit is
high enough. If this rate is be low the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered,
even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­
sult of the co llision .
It is not possib le to de­
fine an airbag trigge ring range that will cover
every possib le ang le of impact, s ince the c ir ­
c u mstances will vary cons iderably be tween
one collis ion and another . Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc.
r::!> page 161, 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
collision so that the side airbags 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 vehicle. Al-
ways remember that the side airbag system
IIJJ,