
Airb ag syst em
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu
pants .
Fig. 131 Location of driver airbag : in steering whee l
Fig. 132 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the instru
ment panel
Your vehicle is equ ipped with an "Advanced Air
bag System" in compliance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicab le at the time your veh i
cle was manufactured. The safety belts for the
seats have "pretensioners" that help to take s lack
out of the belt system . The pretensioners are also
activated by the electronic control unit for the
airbag system .
The front safety belts a lso have load limiters to
help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steer ing wheel
hub
¢ fig. 131 and the airbag for the front pas
senger is in the instrument panel¢
fig. 132. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR
BAG".
1 32
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detailed
i nformation about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children .
,&_ WARNING -
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supp lemental protection.
- Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn safety belts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety be lts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
,&_ WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe
cially infants and small ch ild ren, will rece ive
serious i nju ries and can even be killed by be
ing too close to the airbag when it inf lates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a sma ll child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un
der these special condit ions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the "low risk" option under
the U .S. Federal Standard if a chi ld that is
heav ier than the typical one-year old child is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that ch ildren
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position .
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, sho uld a lways ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size .
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detail below . Because the front passenger seat
contains important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System, yo u must take care to prevent it from be
ing damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent
the Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat
from do ing its job in a crash .
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sis ts
of the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure veh icle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors . T he control un it also "de
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
sho uld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve inside the instrument panel for
t h e front passenger.
- A weig ht-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that meas ures the tota l weight on the seat. The
information registered is sent contin uous ly to
the electronic control unit to regulate deploy
ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the pas
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
¢ page 138.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis
tance between the respect ive seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor
mation registered is sent cont inuously to the
elect ron ic cont ro l unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the i nstrument
pane l¢
page 138, fig . 134 and tells you when
the front Advanced Ai rbag on the passenger
side has been turned
off .
-A sensor below the safety belt la tch fo r the
front seat passenge r to measure the tension on
Airbag syste m
the sa fe ty belt. The tens ion on the safety be lt
and the weight registered by the weight -sens
ing mat he lp the control unit "decide" whether
the front a irbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not¢ page 129, Child
restraints on the front seat- some important
things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transm its this informat ion to the elect ro nic
cont ro l unit.
A WARNING
D amage to the fron t passenger seat can pre
vent the fron t air bag from working prope rly.
- Imp roper repai r or d isassembly of the front
passenger and driver sea t will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly .
- Repairs to the front passenge r seat must be
performed by qualified and p roperly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upho lstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sh arp objects in yo ur po ckets or
p la ce them on t he seat.
If the weight-sens
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work properly .
- Never carry things on yo ur lap or carry ob
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase the we ight registe red by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in
formation to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys
tem from wo rking prope rly.
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement up
holstery that have not been specifically ap
p roved by Aud i on the front seats.
- Seat cove rs can prevent the Advanced Air
bag Sys tem from recogniz ing child
1 3 5

Airb ag syst em
-Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing wheel, instru
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These obje cts
could cause injury in a crash, e specially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objec ts . Items can also move into
t h e area of the side airbag or the front air
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu·
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The f ine dust created when a irbags dep loy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi
tions .
- To reduce the r isk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other resp iratory con
ditions should g et fr esh air r ight away by
get ting out of the vehicle o r opening w in
dows or door s.
- If you are in a col lision in w hich a irbags de
p loy, wash your hand s and fa ce wi th mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be caref ul not to get the dus t into you r eyes,
or into any cuts or s cratches.
- If the residue should get into you r eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separa te indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the elec· tronic control unit, sensor circuits and system
w iri ng) is monitored cont inuous ly to make sure
that it is funct ion ing properly whenever the ign i·
138
tion is on . Each time you t urn on the ignit ion, the
fl airbag monitoring indicator light wi ll come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The sy stem must be inspected when th e II
indicator light :
-does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on t he ignit ion, or
- comes on wh ile driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, t he
i ndic ator light will fi rst s tart flashing to catch the
dr ive r's at ten tion and the n stay on con tinuou sly
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys
tem inspected immediately .
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front air
bag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignit ion is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop
erly cannot provide supp lemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
c> page 19
comes when the vehicle 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.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 134 Sec tion fro m t he in strument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF ligh t
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is loca ted in
the center of the inst rument panel
c> fig . 134. ..,.

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@ Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air
bag on the passenger side will 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 on your Audi. Installing, remov ing , servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and prevent that system from working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in
strument panel or modify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the airbag units .
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois
tened 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 deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airbag system
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- 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 replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi
ately 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 replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag components must be performed by qualified work
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the vehicle electrical sys tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt
er must only be performed by a qualified
dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
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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 ...,
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shared, please see your contract with the
wireless telecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI*:
IMENU I button> Audi connect > About
Audi connect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid
ding and loss of vehicle control. It works only
when the engine is running. ESC detects certain
d ifficu lt driving situations, including when the ve
hicle is beginn ing to spin (yaw) out of control and
helps you to get the vehicle back under control by
selectively braking the whee ls, and/or reducing
engine power and prov iding steer ing ass istance
to help hold the vehicle on the driver's intended
course. The indicator light
Bl in the instrument
cluster blinks when ESC is taking action to help
you control the veh icle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not always be able to help out under all con
ditions you may come up against. For example, ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudden change in the
coefficient of frict ion of the road surface . Whe n
there is a section of dry road that is suddenly cov
ered with water, slush or snow, ESC cannot per
form the same way it wou ld on the dry surface. If
the vehicle hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of wa
ter instead of the road surface), ESC will not be
ab le to he lp you steer the vehicle because contact
with the pavement has been interrupted and the
vehicle cannot be braked or steered . During fast
cornering, particularly on winding roads, ESC
cannot always deal as effectively with difficult
driving situations than at lower speeds. Whe n
tow ing a trailer, ESC is not able to help you regain
con trol as it wou ld if you were no t towing a trail
er .
A lways adjust your speed and dr iving sty le to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC cannot
override the vehicle's physical limits, increase the
Smart Technology
available traction, or keep a vehicle on the road i f
road departure is a result of driver inattention.
Instead, ESC improves the possibility of keeping
the vehicle under control and on the road dur ing
extreme maneuvers by using the driver's steering
inputs to help keep the vehicle go ing in the in
tended direction. If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
can prov ide any assistance, you may not expe ri
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC is switched on all the time . In certain situa
t ions when you need less traction, you can switch
off ASR by pressing the button
[ru ~ page 170,
fig. 152 or ~page 170, fig . 153. Be sure to
switch ASR on again when you no longer need
less traction.
T he following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up when braking. The vehicle can still be steered even dur
i ng hard braki ng. Apply steady pressure to the
brake pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in
the brake pedal indicates that the system is he lp
ing you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake ass ist system can decrease braking dis
tance . It increases braking power when the driver
presses the brake peda l quickly in emergency sit
u at ions. You must press and hold the brake pedal
until t he situat ion is over. In vehicles with adap
tive cruise control*, the brake assist system is
more sensitive if the distance detected to the ve
hicle ahead is too sma ll.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR red uces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin to spin and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acce le r
ate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
T he EDL brakes whee ls that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other wheels.
T his function is available up to about 60 mph
(100 km/h).
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Smart Technology
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating. EDL will switch on again automati
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque.
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
he lps to stabilize the steering in critical situa
tions .
Selective wheel torque control
Select ive wheel torque control is used when driv
ing on c urves . The front wheel on the inside of
the curve or both whee ls on the inside of the
curve are braked selectively as needed. This al
lows more precise driving in curves . Th e applica
b le system may not activate when driving in wet
or snowy conditions .
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the laws of physics. This is espe
c ially important on slippery or wet roads. If
the systems beg in acting to stabilize your
vehicle, you should immediately change
your speed to match the road and traffic
Switching on/off
conditions . Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt you to
take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of a
loss of vehicle control, collision and serious
personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of losing con
trol of the vehicle increases when dr iving
too fast, especially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when driv ing too
close to vehicles up ahead. The ESC and its
integ rated systems cannot always prevent
collisio ns -there is sti ll a risk of accidents!
- Always accelerate with special care on even,
smooth surfaces such as those that are wet
or covered with ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even with these assistance
systems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle control.
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR only work correctly when all
four wheels are equ ipped w ith identical
t ires. Different tire s izes can lead to a reduc
t ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 152 Version A : lower center console,~ OFF button
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend
ing on the level that is selected, the stabilization
function of the ESC is limited or switched off. The
170
Fig. 153 Version B: upper center console,~ OFF butto n
amount of sta bilization control will differ de
pending on the level.

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The following situations are exceptions where it may be useful to switch on sport mode to allow
the wheels to spin:
Smart Technology
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode on ESC/ASRoff Sport mode off or
ESC/ASR on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization funct ion is The full stabilization func-
t ion funct ions are limited not available
¢ &.. ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢&_ . ASR are switched off. available again.
Operation Press the I!> OF FI button Press and hold the I.!> OFFI Press the I.$ OF F! button
briefly. button longer than
3 sec- again .
onds .
Indicator II turns on. • and lf'll•U~ turn on . II turns off or. and
lights lf'll•l~~ turn off .
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC ): Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization control
sages Sport. Warning! Restricted off. Warning! Restricted (
ESC) : On
stability stability
A WARNING -
You should only switch sport mode on or
sw itch ESC/ASR off if your driving ab ilities and
road conditions permit.
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is switched on. The dr iving
wheels could spin and the vehicle could
swerve, especially on slick or slippery road
surfaces.
- There is no vehicle stabilization when ESC/
ASR are sw itched off.
(D Tips
- ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or sport
mode cannot be sw itched on when cr uise
control or adaptive cruise control* is switch
ed on.
- Malfunctions in the rear spoiler may make it
i mpossible to switch the ESC/ASR off or to
switch sport mode on.
Rear spoiler
Applies to vehicles: with retractable rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling and
enhances driver control.
Fig. 154 Center console: button fo r the rear spo ile r
The rear spo iler deploys and retracts. Spoiler op
eration can be set for automat ic or manual oper
ation.
Automatic mode (normal operation)
-Extends automatically: when the vehicle speed
exceeds approx imately 75 mph (120 km/h).
- Retracts automatically: when the vehicle speed
drops below approx imately 50 mph (80 km/h).
Manual mode
- Manual deployment: Tapping briefly on the
switch ~ fig. 154 deploys the rear spoiler.
171