Airbag syste m
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and
PASS ENGE R AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent places on your Audi . Install ing , remov
ing, servicing or repa iring a part in an area of the
veh icle can damage a part of a n airbag system
and p revent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effect iveness of the
sys tem w ill not be impaired and that d iscarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly :
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer
ing wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in
strument panel or modify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois
tened with plain water. So lvents or cleaners
could damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness o r strength of the mater ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly .
- Never repa ir, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, inst rument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
142 who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that yo u see your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate w ithout interference :
- Never install seat covers or rep lacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags in
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the are a of the side ai rbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi
ate ly by an authorized Aud i dealer.
- The a irb ag sys tem can be activated only
once . After an airbag has inflated, it mus t
be rep laced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualif ied technic ian who has the technical
information, training and specia l equipment
necessary.
- The a irbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement parts des igned and approved espec ially for
your Aud i model version. Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo
nents must be perfo rmed by qualified work
shops only. Ma ke s ure tha t any airbag serv
ice action is entered in yo ur Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the vehicle electrical sys
tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechn ic
circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inte rrupt
er must on ly be performed by a qua lified
dealer -risk of an acc iden t!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter is
scrapped, all app licable safety precautions
must be followed .
~
Airb ag syst em
by being pushed into you as t he airbag in
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Su ch ob jects and ac cessories can become
dangerous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de
p loys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de
p loyment space between them and the
airbags or allow chi ldren or other passen
gers to trave l in this position .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing . Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be ing
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
o r hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be rep laced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (c racks, deep scratches etc.) to the
o riginal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must a lways
be repaired immedia tely by an authori zed
Audi dealer .
-If children a re seated improperly, their risk
of injury i ncreases in the case of an a ccident
~ page 151, Child safety .
-Never a ttempt to modify any com po nents of
the a irbag sys tem in any way .
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags w il l not fu nc
t ion prope rly if sensors canno t correc tly
measure increas ing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r doo r tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the ins ide door panel and the
open ings they leave hav e not bee n prope r
ly closed.
148
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker ho les have bee n properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or f illed if add itiona l speakers or
other equipment is installed i n the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
autho rized Aud i dea le r or q ualified work
shop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup
plemental protection to properly restrained oc
cupants .
Fig. 1 40 Sid e curt ain system , driver's s ide : side c urtain ai r
bag loca tion
The side curtai n airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win
dows
~ fig. 140 . They are identif ied by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windsh ield frame and the cen
ter roof pi llar.
The side curtai n airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk o f in
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll i
s io n. The side curtain ai rbag inflates in side im
pacts and only when the veh icle acceler ation reg
istered by the cont ro l unit is high enough . If t his
rate is below the reference value prog ram med in
to the control un it, the side a irbags w ill not be
trigge red, even thoug h the ca r may be bad ly
damaged as a resul t of t he coll is ion. It is no t po s
s ible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since .,._
Airbag syste m
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
f ire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
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 wear ing safety belts and improper
seating posit ions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a veh icle
is being used.
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur
ta in a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curta in a ir
bags can inflate witho ut interference. Un
s u itable accessories fit ted inside the expan
sion range of a head ai rbag can dangerous ly
interfere with its function. A deploying head
airbag develops enough force to catapu lt
any piece of add-on component out of its
path of inflation and into the passenger
compartment . An occupant hit by such a
project ile can suffer ser ious injury or death
¢ page 246, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if yo u have any objects clipped onto them (fo r
example pens).
If the airbag should deploy,
yo u could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built-in coat hoo ks only for light
weight cloth ing. Neve r leave a ny heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pocke ts that m ay
in terfere with airbag deploymen t and can
ca use pe rsonal injury in an accident.
150
- Never use hangers to hang cloth ing from
the hooks.
- On ly use factory-installed sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle leaves the factory, on ly Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be used
¢ page 246, Addi
tional accessories and parts replacement.
- Always sit in prope r seat ing pos ition and
wear safety belts wh ile traveling so that the
side curta in airbags can help provide protec
tion .
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been tr iggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Aud i dea le r o r q ualified works hop.
- Always have work involving the side cu rtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag component s, or other repai rs per
formed by an au thorized Aud i dealer or
qualified workshop . Othe rwise the ai rbag
system may not wo rk cor rectly.
- Never attempt to mod ify any components of
the airbag system in any way .
M N
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N 1.1'1 ,....,
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c:> page 122, 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 seri
ous injury in crashes than adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully developed,
they require restraint systems especially de
signed for their size, weight, and body structure.
Many countries and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children.
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-3S 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
chi ld would suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg). Under the se cond itions, only an appro
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury. Child 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 in
structions to be sure the seat is right for your
child's size
c:> page 154, Important safety in
structions for using child safety seats.
Please be
sure to read and heed all of the important infor
mation and WARNINGS about child safety, Ad
vanced Airbags, and the installation of child re
straints 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 restraints are
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
Child safety
information in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small children .
,&. WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag .
-A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of protection
for infants and small children in most acci dent situations.
,&. WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in
flates.
- 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, center armrest or
door.
-Always install rearward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
151
Child safety
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear
ward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat
ing position and have the airbag system in
spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall 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 man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions 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 air
bag 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 in
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage 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 "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" require
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
152
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
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger 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 forward-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 de
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight-sensing mat in the seat cushion 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 de
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re
straint as it sits on the seat . The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints 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 infants and typ-
ical 1 year-old child have been stored in the .,..
M N
i? co ,...., \!) Ll'I
N Ll'I ,....,
control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a child restraint is being used on the front passenger seat with a typical 1 year -o ld chi ld, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight measured by the weight sensing mat with the in
formation stored in the electron ic contro l unit .
T he electronic control unit a lso registers the ten
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be different for an adult who is properly
usi ng the safety belt as compared to the tens ion
on the belt w hen it is used to attach a chi ld re
straint to the sea t. The senso r below the latch fo r
the safe ty belt for the fron t seat passenger
measures the tension on the be lt. The inp ut from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de
cide", whether the re is a child restraint wit h a
typical 1 year-old chi ld on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned
off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the chi ld restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet Un it
ed States Fede ral Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
and has been certified by i ts manufac turer for
use w ith an airbag . A lways be sure tha t the child
restra int is properly installed at one o f the rear
seating positions . If in exceptiona l circumstances
you must use it on the front passenger seat, care fu lly read all of the information on child safety
and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the appli
cable WARNINGS . Make certain that the ch ild re
straint is correctly recognized by the weight-sens
i ng mat i nside the front passenge r seat, that the
fr ont passenger airbag is tu rned
off and that the
air bag status is always corre ct ly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght .
Many types and models of ch ild rest ra ints have
b een ava ilable over the yea rs, new models are i n
t roduced regul arly incorpo rat ing new and im
p roved des igns and o lder models a re taken o ut o f
p ro du ction. Child rest raints a re not standardized.
Child restra ints of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and s iz es and different 'foot
prin ts,' the si ze and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat , when they
Child sa fety
are insta lled on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtua lly impossib le to certify compliance
with t he requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every chi ld restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the usefu l life of your vehicle.
For t his reason, the United States National High
way Traffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has published a
li st of spec ific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to cert ify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your ve hi
cle w ith the s uppression r equirements of Federal
Motor Veh icle Safety S tanda rd 208. These child
rest rain ts a re:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Gua rd A ngel September 2S , 200 7
R ide AA2403FOF
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century Smart Fit 4543 Decembe r 1, 1999
Cosco Ar riva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
E venflo Discovery Ad -December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E venflo First Choi ce De cembe r 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 Decembe r 1, 1999
Graco Sn ug ride September 25, 200
7
Peg Perego Pr imo Viag- September 2S, 2007
g io SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
B rit a x Roundabout September 2S, 200 7
E 9L02xx
Cosco To uriva 02519 December 1, 1999
153
Child safety
Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tr ibute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace To ddler Sa fe ty Sep
tember 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
G race Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the ris k of serious injury, make sure
t ha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re
st raint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Take the child rest raint off the front passen
ger seat and insta ll it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by yo ur
autho rized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The ch ild sea ts listed in catego ries A to C have
been statica lly tested by Audi only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in on occident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, espec ially children:
... Always use the right child sa fety seat for each
c h ild and a lways use it properly
¢ page 156.
154 ...
Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufact urer's instructions on how to ro ute
the sa fety belt proper ly through the c hild safe
ty seat.
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first act ivate the
convert ible lock ing ret ractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 160.
... Push the ch ild safety sea t down wi th yo ur fu ll
weigh t to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
... If a strap or tether is be ing used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensi ng mat to measure more we ight
than is actually o n the seat .
... Secu re unused safety belts on the r ear seat
¢ page 156.
Always remember : Even tho ugh you r vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, espe cially those 12 years and younge r,
shou ld always r ide in the back seat prope rly re
stra ine d f or t heir age an d size.
.&_ WARNING
-
N ot using a child safe ty seat, using t he wrong
chi ld safety seat or improper ly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
m ust always be restrained properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle.
- An un rest rained or imp rope rly res trained
chi ld ca n be inju red or killed by being
t h rown ag ains t the i nsid e of the vehicle or
b y being ejected from it du ring a s udden
mane uver o r impact.
- An unrestrained or im properly res trained
ch ild is at much greater risk of i nju ry or
death by being struck by an inflating air
bag.
- Commercially available ch ild safety seats
are req uired to comply with U.S. Federal Mo
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213). .,_
Child safety
-Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately .
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fig. 142 Schemat ic overview : keep unus ed sa fety belt s
away from chil dren in chil d safety seats .@ · outer rea r
sa fety belt
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them ¢,& .
- Guide the safety belt webbing @ behind the
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed
¢fig. 142. When doing so,
do not engage the convertible locking retractor!
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 child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
156
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs . or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 143 Sc hem atic ove rview: rearward-facing infant seat,
prope rly installe d on the rea r 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 160 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really 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 156.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
¢ fig. 143. .,.