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-Occ upants who are unbelted, out of posi
t ion or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye
¢ page 132.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag in flates - even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w il l hit the child
sa fety sea t or infant carrier w ith g reat
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest , cente r
armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -facing child sa fety
seats on the rear seat .
- 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 come on and stay on, im
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position a nd
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
authori zed Au di dealer .
A WARNING
Objects betwee n you and t he a irbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a crash by in
t erfering wi th the way the air bag un folds
or by being pushed into you 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 i tems on or in the area
of the front passenge r seat . Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air
bags dur ing braking or other s udden ma
neuver and become dangerous projec
t il es 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, large, heavy or b ulky ob -
-
Airbag system 141
jects) on the doors, ove r o r near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could cause in ju ry in a c rash , es
pecia lly when the airbags infla te .
- Never recline the front passenger 's sea t
to transport objects. Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra king or in a
sudden maneuve r. O bje cts ne ar the air
bags can become projec tiles and cause
in jur y, partic ula rly when the seat is re
clined .
A WARNING
The fine dust create d when air bags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath ing cond itions .
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory conditions shou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting o ut o f the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, was h your hands and face with
mild soap and wate r before ea ting.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the resid 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 ( incl uding the
electron ic co ntro l unit , se nsor circu its and sys
tem wir ing) is mo nitore d continuously to
m ake su re that it i s fu nc tioni ng properly •
•
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make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on continuous ly whenever the
i gnit ion is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light does not appear and not stay on all
the t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate 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 correct ly
routed around the child restraint as descr i
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 o r have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
¢ page 162 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the chi ld 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 b locked. 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 we ight than is actually on the seat.
If the PA SSEN GER AIR B AG OFF light st ill
do es not come o n
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 pos itions. Have the a irbag system
inspected by your author ized Audi dealer
i mmediately .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat posit io n and
make sure that the child is properly restrain
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
A irbag system 143
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignitio n is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un
der these c ircumstances, 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
¢ page 113, Proper occupant seating posi
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door o r support
ing thei r weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly wo rn and
tha t the re is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accesso ry sea t covers or cushions o r other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or imp ression 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 be lt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will 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 airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It i s
-
•
•
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-Never attach any objects such as cu
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instru
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment , cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- 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
inflate.
- 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.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace-
Airbag system 145
ment parts designed and approved espe
cially for your Audi model version . Re
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per-
ch lorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi ,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control unit. Some suspension changes can, for
•
•
146 Airbag system
example, increase the force levels measured
by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if the changes had not been made. Other
kinds of changes may reduce the force levels
measured by the sensors and prevent the air
bag from deploying when it should.
A WARNING ,.
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved by Audi.
~ WARNING
-
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air
bag System from working properly .
- Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 153 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig. 153, the knee airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
panel underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
¢ page 140, More important things to
know abou t front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec
tion.
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 airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly . This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
r::!;> page 123, General notes. ..,.
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"' rl
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are a lways there to offer protec
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al
ready deployed, for example when your vehi
cle str ikes or is struck by another afte r the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Therefore, always wear your
safety bel ts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental knee a irbag system is des igned
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther in juries , fo r example, swel ling , bruising,
and minor abras io ns and frict ion bu rns ca n al
so occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of :
-The elec tronic control mod ule
- T wo inf latab le airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erato r), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- T he airbag ind icator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ign ition is turned off
- in frontal collisions w hen the decelerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers
- in the event of a system malfunct io n (wa rn -
i ng/indicator ligh t is on)
r::!> page 19.
& WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can
only p rov ide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
c::>page 140.
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 19
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
A irba g sy stem 14 7
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is pos
sib le that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to , or will not inflate
when it should .
How knee airbags work
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fi g. 154 In flated a irbags protect ing in a fronta l co lli·
s ion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collisions.
If the front airbags dep loy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal co llisions when the de
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When the system deploys, the ai rbags fill
with a propellant gas, and inflate between the l ower part of the instrument pane l and the
driver and t he lower part of the instrument
panel and the front passenger
c::> page 140,
fig . 151 .
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
cush io n the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremit ies .
All of th is takes place in the blin k of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
i nfla te with a g reat dea l of fo rce and it is im
po rtant for occupant safety that no thing
sho uld be in their way when they deploy.
II>-
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 ..,.
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-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.