M N
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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
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. .,,.
M N
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exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear
ward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat
ing position and have the airbag system in
spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
- Always
move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible before installing the child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
Always replace child restraints that were in
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
Child safety
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 ai rbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the "suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a
very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight-sensing mat in the seat cushion and the sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight of
the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint offered
by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes
and models of child restraints that the NHTSA
has specified in the Safety Standard together
with the weight ranges of typical infants and typ-
ical 1 year-old child have been stored in the ...,
151
Child safety
control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a chi ld restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-o ld chi ld, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight measured by the weight sensing mat with the in
formation stored in the electron ic control unit .
The electronic control unit a lso registers the ten
sion on the front passenger safety be lt. The ten
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be d ifferent for an adult w ho is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tens ion
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re
s traint to the seat. The senso r below the latch fo r
t he sa fety belt for the fron t se at passenge r
meas ures the tension on the be lt . T he inp ut from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de
cide", whether there is a c hild restraint with a
typical 1 year -old chi ld on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
t urned off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet Un it
ed States Fede ral Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
and h as been ce rtified by its manufac turer for
use w ith an airbag . A lways be sure tha t the child
restraint is p roperly ins talled at one of the rear
seating positions . If i n exceptiona l circumstances
you must use it on the front passenger seat, care fully read all of the informat ion on child safety
and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the appli
cable WARNINGS . Make certain that the ch ild re
straint is correctly recognized by the weight-sens
ing mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenge r airbag is t urned
off and t hat the
air bag s tatus is a lways cor re ctly s ignaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght .
M any types and models of child restra ints have
been ava ilable ove r the yea rs, new models a re in
t roduced regu larly incorporat ing new and im
p rove d des igns and o lder models are taken out o f
prod uction. Child restraints are not standardized .
Ch ild restrai nts of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and s izes and different 'foot
prints,' the si ze and shape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that sits on the seat, w hen they
152 are
insta lled on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtua lly impossib le to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every chi ld restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the usefu l life of your vehicle.
Fo r th is reason, the United States National High
way Traffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has published a
li st of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to cert ify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i
cle w ith the s uppression requirem ents of Federal
Motor Veh icle Safety S tanda rd 208. These child
rest rain ts are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guar d Angel Septe mber 2S, 200 7
Ride AA 2403FO F
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century Smart Fit 4 S4 3 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 2S, 2007
22-013PAW and bas e
22-999WHO
E venflo Discove ry Ad -December 1, 1999
just R ight 212
E ven flo Firs t Choi ce De cembe r 1, 1999
2 04
Graco Infant 84S7 December 1, 1999
Graco Sn ug ride Se
ptember 2S, 2 007
Peg Perego Pr imo Viag- September 2S, 2007
gio SIP I MUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
B ritax Round about September 2S, 200 7
E 9 L0 2xx
Cosco Tou riva 02Sl9 December 1, 1999
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Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
3S2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.&, WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The ch ild seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi on ly for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right child safe ty seat for each
child and a lways use it properly
¢ page 155 . Child
sa fety
.,. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructio ns on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe
ty seat.
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convert ible lock ing retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
r::) page 159 .
.,. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with yo ur 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).
.,. 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
weight -sensing mat to measure more we ight
than is actually on the seat .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::)page 155 .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, especially those 12 years and younge r,
shou ld a lways r ide in the back seat prope rly re
stra ined for their age and size.
A WARNING
=
Not using a child sa fety seat, us ing the wrong
chi ld safety seat or improperly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
must always be restrained properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrest rained or improperly restrained
ch ild can be injured or killed by being
thrown against the ins ide of the vehicle o r
b y being ejected from it du ring a s udden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly res trained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air
bag.
- Commercia lly available child safety seats
are req uired to comply with U.S. Federa l Mo
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213). .,_
153
Child safet y
-When b uying a ch ild restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
- On ly use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat port ion of the seat cush
ion. The ch ild restra int must not tip or
lean to either s ide. Audi does not recom
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs o r tube-like frames . They do not pro
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements pe r
taining to the installat ion and use of ch ild
safety seats and carefully follow the in
struc tions prov ided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow ch ildren under 57 inches
(1.45 me ters) to wear a normal sa fety belt .
They m ust always be rest rained by a proper
child restra int system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu
vers or acc idents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Ho ld ing a child in your arms is neve r a sub
stit ute for a child rest raint sys tem.
- The strongest person co uld not hold the
child with the fo rces that ex ist in an acci
dent. The child will s tri ke the inte rior of
the vehicle and can a lso be str uck by the
passenger.
- The ch ild and the passenger can a lso in
jure each other in an acc ident .
- Never ins tall rea rward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front passen
ger seat. A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safe
ty seat or infant carrier w ith g reat force
and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the bac krest, center arm
rest, door or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld safety
seats or in fant ca rr ie rs on the rear seat .
154
-Forwa rd-facing child safety seats insta lled
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
w ith the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install fo r
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- If except ional circumstances require the use
of a fo rward-facing child restraint on the
front passenge r's seat, the child's safety
and well-be ing require that the following
speci al precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its manu
factu rer for use on a front seat w ith a pas
senger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
i nst ructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rea rmost pos ition of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as fa r away from the a irbag as poss ible be
fo re insta lling the child rest raint.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
the front passenge r's seat from being
moved to the rearmost posit ion in its fo re
and aft adjus tment range .
- Always make sure tha t the backres t is in
the up right pos ition.
- Always buckle the child sa fety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around d uring
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNI NGS when
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used¢
page 120, Safety belts,
¢page 128, Airbag system
and
¢ page 150, Child safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of ser ious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
comes on and stays on whenever a ch ild re
straint is installed on the front passenge r seat
and the ign ition is switched on . ..,.
"' N
0:: loo
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
-Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
F ig . 141 Schemat ic overview : keep un used sa fety be lts
away from child ren in child safety seats. @-oute r rear
sa fety belt
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especia lly with LATCH universal lower anchorag
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,& .
-Gui de the safety belt webbing @ behind the
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed
c:> fig. 141. When do ing so,
do not engage the convertible locking retractor!
You should not hear a "clicking " sound when
winding up the safety belt .
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LA TCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rea r seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
co uld cause the chi ld serious personal inj ury
and even death.
- Always secure un used rear seat safety belts
o ut of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
Child safety
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tractor when routing the safety be lts around
the head restraints.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 142 Schematic overv iew: re arward -fac ing infant seat ,
proper ly in stalled on the rear seat
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convert ible locki ng retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
c:> page 159 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm) .
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::>page 155.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best p rotected in spec ial infant carriers and ch ild
safety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
c:> fig . 142. ll>
155
Child safety
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child seat. It is a very
dangerous place 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 installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal inju ry and death in a crash.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front passen
ger seat -even w ith an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem . A child will be seriously injured and can
be killed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof¢
page 129, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rearward -facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rearward-facing child re
straint in the forward-facing direction. Such restraints are designed for the special needs
of infants and very small children and can
not protect them properly if the seat is for
ward-facing .
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of 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 by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
~ page 120, Safety belts,
~ page 128, Airbag system and
¢ page 150, Important information.
156
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash .
Fig. 143 Schem atic ove rview: instal la ti on of the attach
ments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 144 Sc hematic ove rview : instal lat ion of the seat using
t he vehicl e's sa fet y bel t system
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢
page 159 or install the seat using the LATC H
attachments.
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm)
~ page 159.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 165.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 155.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in
fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg) .
IJJ,,