148 Airbag system
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al
ways wear safety belts correctly 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 ir bags to provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad
justing their seat positions, it is impor
tant that both the driver and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following minimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru
ment panel.
- T he risk of personal injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing your safety belt. The risk in
creases even more should the airbag de
ploy.
-Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter
fering with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenger seat. If the airbag de
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air bag deploys and injure you or your pas
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air
bags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
~page 152, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 155 Sid e airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests¢
fig. 155. They are iden
tified by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic contro l module and external
side impact sensors ..,.
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ica lly
to make certain that it is functioning prope rly
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 s ide a irb ag system supplements the safe
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury to the drive r's and front passenger's up
per torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side co llision. The airbag deploys
only in s ide impacts and only when the vehicle
accelera tion regis tered by the con trol unit is
h igh enough . If this rate is below the refer
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered , even
though the ca r may be badly damaged as a re
sult of the collision.
It is not possible to de
fine an a irbag trigger ing range that will cover
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,
veh icle speed, etc .
c=;, page 1 SO, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, sa fe
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a side
coll is ion so that the side a irbags can provide
p rotection.
T he airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is pa rt of the overall oc
cupa nt restraint system in your veh icle. Al
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to p rotect you if yo u are wear ing
your safety bel t and wear ing it prope rly. This
is another reason why you sho uld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just beca use the law re
qu ires you to do so
c=;, page 123, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental side airbag system is designed
A irbag system 149
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising ,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
s ide airbags will dep loy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are always there to offer p rotection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of veh icle damage are not necessarily an indi
cation of over -sensitive or failed airbag activa
t ion. In some col lisions, both fro nt and side
airbags may i nflate. Remember too, that ai r
bags will deploy only once a nd only in ce rtain
ki nds of col lis ions -yo ur safe ty belts a re al
ways there to offe r protec tion in those acc i
dents i n which airbags are no t supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ignit io n is tu rned off
- in side co llisions when the accele ration
meas ured by t he sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear- end collisions
-in rollovers.
In some types of accidents t he front airbags
and side airbags may be tr iggere d together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 150.
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your au thorized Audi dealer .
It is pos
sible t hat the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should . •
•
150 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.
Fi g. 1 56 Inflated s ide airbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with prope llant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG". It expands between the side trim pane l
and the passenger . In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
ve ry hig h speed and with great force. The sup
plemental side airbag could i njure you if your
seating position is no t proper or upr ight or if
items are located in the area where the sup
p lemental side airbag expands. This applies
especial ly to children
Q page 152, Child Safe
ty.
Supplementa l side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door pane l on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col
lision
Q fig . 156.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the risk 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 vehicle. Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags ore only
supplemental restraints. Al
ways properly wear safe ty belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
The re is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro
vide supplementa l protect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side ai rbag can cause serious
or fata l injury. Improperly weari ng 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 inj ury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright posi tion and
never lean aga inst the area whe re the
s u ppleme nta l side air bag is located .
- Never let a child or a nyone e lse rest
t h eir head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
in the area where the supplementa l
side airbag inflates.
-Always make sure tha t safety be lts a re
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the fron t
seat put t heir hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the win dow.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Neve r install seat covers or rep lace
ment upholstery over th e front seat
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Neve r use additional seat c ushions that
cove r the areas where the side a irbags
deploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to t he seam in the area of the si de a ir
bag module mus t always be repaired
i mmediately by a n author ized Audi
dealer.
152 Child Saf ety
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 124, 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 deve l
oped, they require restra int systems especial
l y designed for their size , weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the United States and p rovinces 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 ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Ch ild restra ints 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 manufactu rer's
instructions to be sure the seat is right for
your chi ld's size
q page 155, 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 .
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 manua l 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 chi ld could be
injured by str ik ing the interior or by be
ing ejected from the vehicle dur ing a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre
strained or improperly restrained ch ild is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly instal
led and used at one of 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 airbag 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 h it the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the back rest, center
armrest or door .
- Always install rearward-facing child safe-
ty seats on the rear seat.
IJi,,,
-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.
@ 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
M N United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety er
~ Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the ,....,
~ time your vehicle was manufactured .
,....,
"' ,....,
Child Safety 153
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 ..,. •
•
M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Model Manufactured on or
after
Grace Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo V i- September 25, 200 7
aggio SI P IMUN00US
Subpart C - Forward-facing and
con vertible child r estra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
E venflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 200 7
352xxxx
Grace Comfort5port September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Grace Platinum Ca rgo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
T o reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the fro nt pas
senger seat and install it properly at one of the rea r seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate
ly.
Child Sa fet y
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been statically tested by A udi on ly for
the Advanced A irbag function.
' Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are responsib le for the safe
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially ch il
dren:
... Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
¢page 158 .
... Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
... When using the veh icle safe ty belt to install
a child safety se at, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 162.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with yo ur
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
sideways mo re than one inch (2.5 cm) .
... If a strap or tethe r is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the fron t passenger
s eat, make sure tha t it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
... Sec ure unused safety be lts on the rear seat
¢page 157.
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all c h il dren, especially those 12 years and young
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper -
ly restra ined for the ir age and size. .,_
155
•
•
156 Child Safety
&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death .
-All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle.
-
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain
ed child can be injured or killed by be
ing thrown against the inside of the ve
hicle or by being ejected from it during
a sudden maneuver or impact .
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
- 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 allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo
men and neck areas during sudden brak
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- 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 other in an accident.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas
senger seat. A child will be seriously in
jured and can be killed when the passen
ger airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- 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 arm rest, door or roof.
= Always install rearward-facing child
safety seats or infant carriers on the
rear seat.
- 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. Al
ways install forward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- 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
~
"' N
a: LL co
rl I.O
"' ,....,
"' rl
range, and as far away from the airbag
as poss ible before instal ling the child
restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre
vents the front passenger's seat from be ing moved to the rearmost position
i n its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upr ight position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a coll is ion .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
c:::;,page 123, Safety
belts,
c:::;, page 131, Airbag system and
¢ page 152, Child Safety.
.8, WARNING
To reduce t he risk of serious injury, make
sure tha t t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child rest raint is installed o n the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Aud i dealer immediate
ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
F ig. 157 Schematic overview: kee p un used safety be lts
away fro m children in child safety seats. @-oute r rear
safety be lt
.
Child S afety 15 7
If a child safety seat is used on the rea r bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower ancho
rages, the unused safety belts
must be se
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
c:::;, &,.
- Guide the safety belt webbing @behind the
head restra int o f the seat where the child re
straint is installed ¢
fig. 157. When doing
so, do not engage the convertib le locking re
tractor ! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when wind ing up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wi nd up the safety belt
webbing.
.8, WARNING
A child in a chi ld safety seat installed with
the LA TCH lower a nc ho rages or with the
stan dard safety be lt or a child in a boos ter
se at o n the rea r seat co uld play with un
used rea r seat safety belts and become en
tang led . This cou ld cause t he chi ld ser ious
personal injury and even death.
-A lways secure unused rear seat sa fe ty
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by proper ly rout ing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the ch ild restraint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tracto r when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.