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position in a frontal co llision so that the airbags
can provide supp lemental protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt. Rathe r, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety belt
and wearing it properly. This is why you should al
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requ ires you to do soc::>
page 120, General in
formation.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
be lts are a lways there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when yo ur vehicle str ikes or is struck by
anothe r after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
sys tem works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety bel ts correctly.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup
p lemental knee a irbag sys tem is designed to re
d uce the likelihood of serious i njur ies, other inj u
ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising, and mino r
abrasions and friction b urns can a lso occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consist s of:
- T he elec tronic control mod ule
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the dr ive r and one fo r the front
passenge r
- T he airbag ind icator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airb ag system will not deploy:
- when the ign ition is turned off
- in frontal collisions when the dece lerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear -end collisions
- in ro llovers
Ai rb ag system
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
c::>page 19.
A WARNING
-
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c::> page 136.
-If the airbag indicator light c::>page 19
comes w hen the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
Applies to veh icles: w it h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully deployed knee airbags.
F ig . 1 36 Inflated airbags protecting in a frontal collision
T he knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions .
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee airb ags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
t h reshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the a irbags fill with a
propellan t gas, and inf late be tween the lower
part o f the instr ument pane l and the driver and
the lowe r part of the instrument pane l and the
front passenger
c::> page 136, fig. 133.
Although they are not a soft p illow, they can
cus hion the impact and in this way they can help
to reduce the risk of injury to the lower extremi-
ties.
1111>
143
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Airb ag syst em
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy .
Fully inflated airbags in comb ination with proper
ly worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
A pp lies to veh icles : w ith k nee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
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 airbags
to prov ide supplemental protection.
,&. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im proper seating positions increase the risk 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 adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep the ir
upper bodies and knees at the following
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering whee l/instrument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy.
144
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate w ithout interference. Objects be
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfering
w ith the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the a irbag deploys .
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can resu lt in serious or fatal injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot
well area in front of the driver's or pas
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for examp le) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the airbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch
es o r other damage in the area of the instru
ment panel where the knee airb ags a re lo
cated.
- I f ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury in creases in a coll is ion
~ page 150, Child safety.
S ide airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 137 Side airbag location in the driver 's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 137. T hey a re ident i
fied by the word "A IRBAG" .
Q)
~ ~ •
"' Q) m
The si de airbag system b asically con sists o f: ll>-
Page 147 of 254

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-the e lectronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides o f the
front backrests
- the a irb ag warning light in the inst rument cl us-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ica lly to
make certa in th at it is func tioning properly at all
times. Each time you t urn on the ign ition, the a ir
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide a irbag system supp lements the safety
be lts and c an he lp to reduce the r is k of i njury to
the dr iver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a s ide col
lision. The airbag dep loys only in side impacts
and only when the veh icle acce leration registered
by the control unit is high enoug h. If th is rate is
below the refe rence value programmed into the
control un it, the side a irbags will not be t rig
gered, even though the car may be bad ly dam
aged as a result of t he coll is ion. It is not poss ible
to define an airbag trigge ring range that will cov
e r every possib le ang le o f impact , since the c ir
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between one
collision and another . Important factors include,
for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the im
pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 146, Impor tant safety in
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their norma l safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas
senger in posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide protect ion.
T he airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu pant res traint system in your veh icle. Always re
membe r th at the s ide a irbag system can only
h elp to p rotect you if yo u are wear ing your safety
be lt and wea ring it p roperly . T his is ano th er rea
son why you s hou ld always wea r yo ur safety
b e lts, no t just because the law req uires you to do
so ¢
page 1 20, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup
p lemental s ide a irbag sys tem is designed to re
d uce the likelihood of serious i njuries, other inju-
Airbag syste m
ries, for example, swell ing, bruising, and minor
abrasions can a lso be associated with dep loyed
s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide a irbags w ill de
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci
dents -your safety belts are always there to offer
protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessari ly an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some collisions , both front and side airbags may
infla te. Remembe r too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o n ly onc e and on ly in certa in ki nds of co llisions -
yo ur safety belts a re a lways the re to offer p rotec
t io n in those accidents in wh ich airbags are not
s u pposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is tu rned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas -
ured by the senso r is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollove rs.
In some types of ac cidents the front airbags, side
c ur tain airbags and s ide airbags may be triggered
togethe r.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 146.
- If the airbag ind icator light ¢ page 19
comes when the ve hicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate wh en it is not sup
posed to, or will not infla te when it shou ld.
145
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Airb ag syst em
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig . 138 Infl ated s id e airbag s on left side of ve hicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is f illed
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG" . It ex
pands between the side trim panel and the pas
senger . In order to help provide th is add itional
protection , the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at ve ry high speed and with
g rea t force. The supplemental side airbag cou ld
inj ure you if yo ur seating pos ition is not prope r or
up right or if items a re located in the area where
the s upplemental side airbag expands . This ap
plies especially to children ¢
page 150, Child
safety .
Supplemental side airbags inflate be
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collis ion ¢
fig. 138 .
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this 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 deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire in the veh icle.
146
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that yo u and your passengers must
k now and act accordingly to help the safety bel ts
and airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
protection.
_& WARNING
-
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fata l injury. Improperly wear ing safety be lts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an uprig ht posi tion and never
l ean again st the area where the supple
mental s ide airbag is located .
- Neve r let a child or anyone else res t the ir
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the supplemen tal side airbag
inflates .
- Always make sure tha t safety be lts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the fron t seat
pu t their h and or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always m ake sure that the s ide airb ag can
inflate without 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 de
ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module mu st always be repaired immedi
ate ly by an autho rized Au di dealer .
- Ob jects between you and the a irbag can in
crease the risk of inj ury in an a cciden t by i n
t erfer ing wi th the way the airbag unfolds or ..,_
Page 149 of 254

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by being pushed into you as the airbag in
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
b rac ke ts, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near t he area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests .
- Such ob jects and accessories can become
dangerous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplementa l side airbag de
ploys .
- 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 travel 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
or hitt ing the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the a irbag has been triggered, the
system must be rep laced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
o rigi nal seat cove rs or to the seam in the
area o f the side airbag module must always
be repaired immedia tely by an authorized
Audi dealer .
- If children a re seated improperly, their risk
of inj ury in crea ses in the case of an a ccident
c;, page 150, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any compo nents of
the a irbag sys tem in any way.
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags will not func
t io n properly if senso rs ca nnot correctly
measu re increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door pane l.
- Never drive w ith inter ior door trim pane ls
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the ins ide door panel and the
open ings they l eave have not been p rope r
ly closed.
Ai rb ag system
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if add itiona l speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dea ler or qualified work
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup
plemental protec tion to properly restrained oc
cupants.
F ig. 139 S ide curta in system, driver's s ide : side c urtain ai r
bag loca tion
The side c urta in airbags are loc ated on bot h sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side w in
dows
c;, fig. 139 . They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windsh ield frame and the cen
ter roof pi llar.
T he side c urtain airbag system supplements t he
sa fety belts and can help to reduce the risk o f in
jury for occupants ' heads and upper torso on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll i
s ion. The side curtain airbag inflates in side im
pacts and only when the vehicle acce leration reg
istered by the contro l unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference va lue programmed in
to the control un it, the side a irbags w ill not be
t riggered , even thoug h the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It is not pos
s ible to define an airbag t riggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since .,,.
147
Page 150 of 254

Airbag system
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 148, How side curtain air
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it prope rly. Thi s is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 120, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curta in air bag system is designed to help red uce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and minor abra
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these a irbags w ill dep loy only
once and only in certa in kinds of acc idents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protect ion.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control modu le and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and rear side w indows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is turned off,
-in sid e collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
148
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
& WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 53,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicator light¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re
strained .
E
Fig. 140 Illustra tion of princ ip le: Inflated side curtain a ir
bags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i
cle that is struck in a side collision¢
fig. 140.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate w ithin the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The side curtain airbag cou ld injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple
mental s ide curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to children
¢ page 150. .,,.
Page 151 of 254

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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
fire 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 wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur
tain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air
bags can inflate without interference. Un
suitable accessories fitted inside the expan
sion range of a head airbag can dangerously interfere with its function. A deploying head
airbag develops enough force to catapult
any piece of add-on component out of its
path of inflation and into the passenger
compartment . An occupant hit by such a
projectile can suffer serious injury or death
¢ page 238, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if you have any objects clipped onto them (for
example pens). If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
Airbag system
-Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be used
¢ page 238, Addi
tional accessories and parts replacement.
- Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the
side curtain airbags can help provide protec
tion.
- The airbag system can only be triggered once .
If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Always have work involving the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag components, or other repairs per
formed by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop. Otherwise the airbag
system may not work correctly.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
149
Page 152 of 254

Child safety
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
¢ page 121, 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 bod ies are not fully developed,
they requ ire restraint systems especially de
signed fo r their size, weight, and body structure.
Many countries and all states of the United
States and prov inces of Canada have laws requi r
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children.
I n a frontal crash at a speed o f 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -po und
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the
child would sudden ly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg). Under these conditions, only an appro
priate ch ild 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 ch ild safety seat manufacturer's in
structions to be sure the seat is right for your
child's size¢
page 153, Important safety in
structions for using child safety seats.
Please be
sure to read and heed all of the important infor
mation and WARN INGS about child sa fety, 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
150
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 chi ldren .
&_ 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
m ust be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained chi ld could be injured by striking
the interior or by be ing ejected from the ve
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestra ined or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating posit ions
provides the highest degree of protect ion
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 serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in
f lates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest or
door .
-Always install rearward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in