144 Airbag sys tem
possible that the airba g will inf late when
it is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
A WARNING
If t he 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
straint 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 c ertain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always instal l forwa rd or rear-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward -fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan
ces and the
PASS ENG ER 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 deale r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear
wa rd-facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat 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
work 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 raint on the front passe nger seat, a l
ways move the seat into its rearmost po
sit io n in the seat's fo re and aft adjust
me nt range, as f ar away from the airbag
as possib le. The b ackrest m ust be adjus t
ed to an upr ight position. Make sure that the
PA
SSEN GER 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 taking
the ste ps described above, make su re the
adu lt is prope rly seated and restra ined at
one o f the rea r sea ting pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans
port ing anyone on the front p assenger
se at.
(D Tips
If the weig ht-sensing mat in the front pas
senger seat de te cts an empty seat, the
front air b ag on the p assenger side wi ll 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 places o n your Aud i. Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the veh icle can damage a part of an
airbag system and p revent that system from
working p roperly in a coll is io n.
There are some important t hings you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system w ill not be impaired and that dis
ca rded components do not cause inju ry or pol
lute the environmen t.
A WARNING
Imprope r care, serv ic ing and repair p roce
dur es can increase the risk of personal in
ju ry and death by prevent ing an a irbag
from deploying when needed or dep loying
an a irbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct , or change the
steer ing whee l horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or mod ify them
in any way .
"' N
a: LL co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' 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>-
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 . •
•
-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 ..,. •
•
154 Child Saf ety
same kind of child rest raint offered by child
restraint manufact urers.
The weight ranges fo r the ind ividual types,
makes and mode ls o f chi ld restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem compa res the we ight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the informat io n sto r
ed i n the ele ct ron ic cont ro l uni t.
The electron ic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe ren t for an ad ult
who is prope rly using the safety belt as com
pared to the tension on the be lt whe n it is
used to attach a chi ld restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger meas ures the
tension on the be lt. The input from this sen
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restraint w ith a typ ical
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whe ther or not the ai rbag must be tu rned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless o f the child restraint t hat you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu
f acturer for use with a n airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly instal led at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger sea t, caref ully read all of the
i n format ion on c hild safety and Advanced A ir
bags and heed a ll of the app licab le WAR N
I NGS . Ma ke certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenger airbag is turned off and that the a
irbag sta tus is always cor rect ly signa led
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child res traints
h ave been available over the yea rs, new mod
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r mode ls are
ta ken out o f product ion . Ch ild restra ints are
not standard iz ed . Child restraints of the same
type typically have different weights and sizes
and different 'footpr ints,' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they are insta lled on a vehi
cl e seat. These d iffe rences make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify compl ian ce wi th t he re
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with eac h
and every chi ld restraint that has eve r been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
F or t his reason, the United S tates National
Highway T raffic Safety Adm inist ration has
published a list of specific type, ma kes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These ch ild restraints a re :
Subpart A - Car bed child re straints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard A ngel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury Smart Fit December 1, 1999
4 543
Cosco Arriva September 2S, 2007
22-013PAW and base 22 -999WHO
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E venflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
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
•
•
"' 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.
158 Child S afet y
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-fac
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
-- /
Fig . 158 Sche matic overview: rearward- facing infant
seat, properly installed o n the rear seat
> When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a ch ild safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ¢
page 162 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments.
> Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly 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 157.
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 spec ial re
straints in which the chi ld faces the back of
the vehicle . These infant seats support the ba
by's back, neck and head in a crash ¢
fig. 158.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
fro nt seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide . The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forwa rd-facing child seat.
I t is a very dangerous p lace for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
-Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stalling a ch ild restra int increases the risk
of ser ious personal in ju ry and death in a
crash.
- Never install rearwa rd-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr ie rs on the front pas
senger sea t -even with an Advanced Air
bag Sys tem. A c hild will be ser iously in
jured and can be killed whe n the inflat
ing ai rbag hits the child safety seat or in
fant carrier with great force and smashes the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof
c:> page 132, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe
ty seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Never install a rearward-facing ch ild re
straint in t he forward-facing direction .
Such rest ra ints are des igned for the spe
cial needs of infan ts and very sma ll chil
d ren and cannot protect them p roperly if
the seat is forward -facing.
- If you m ust ins ta ll a rearwa rd fac ing
chi ld safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install t he rearward-fac ing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect
ed by your authorized Aud i dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever us ing a child restrained in ave
h icle is being used
¢ page 123, Safety
belts, ¢ page 131, Airbag system
and
c> page 152, Importan t things to know.