2015 AUDI S4 seats

148 Airbag system
-Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 153 L ocation of driver airbag: in steer ing wheel
Fig. 154 Locatio n of fro nt passenger's airbag: in the in ­
st rument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "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 safety belts
for the seats have "pretensioners" that help
to take slack out of the belt system. The pre­
tensioners are also activated by the electronic
control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
in a crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel hub
¢ fig. 153 and the airbag for the front
passenger is in the instrument panel
¢ fig. 154 . The general location of the airbags
is marked "AIRBAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the air­
bags in your vehicle . We urge you to read the
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and child safety in this and the other
c h apters 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 in­
fants and small children.
_&. WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide
only supplemental protect ion.
-Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts
and make sure that everybody in your ve­
h icle is properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
-A pe rson on the front passenger seat, es-
pecially infants and sma ll children, will re­
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil­
led by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the
front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
that deployment under these special conditions is imposs ible in all conceiva­
ble situat ions that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy
in accordance with the "low risk" option
under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child
that is heavier than the typical one-year
old child is on the front passenger seat
and the other conditions for airbag de­
p loyment are met .

150 Airbag sys te m
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of
the child safety seats listed
q page 167),
-a chi ld who has outgrown child restraints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off , the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center
of the instrument panel wi ll come on and stay
on.
The front ai rbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small ad ult or teenager is on the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upr ight w it h
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the vehicle floo r in front
of the seat is on the front passenger seat .
I f the front passenge r airbag deploys, the
F ederal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the " low risk" deployment criteria to help re ­
duce the risk of injury through interact ion
with the airbag. " Low risk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de­
celerations as defined in the electronic control
un it .
q page 154
Al way s remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle
is equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest
p lace for children is properly restrained on the
back seat . Please be sure to read the impor­
tant information in the sect ions that follow
and be sure to heed a ll of the WARNINGS .
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury whe n an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
s itting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of in jury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serio us inju ries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
fla tes - even with an Advanced Airbag
q page 144.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be seriously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
van ced A irbag System.
- Altho ugh the Advanced Airbag System in
your veh icle is designed to tur n
off the
front airbag when a rea rward-facing
chi ld res traint has been instal le d on the
front passenger seat, nobody can abso ­
lutely g uarantee that dep loyment is im­
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen dur ing the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and chi ld aga inst the backrest, center
armrest, doo r, or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild re­
straints in the back seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
ces and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and s tay on, im­
mediately inst all the rear -fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you m ust
i nsta ll 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 s ide a irbag .
- Never p ut the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible, before installing

152 Airbag system
-Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
driver seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­ senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­ ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­ straint manufacturer's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install child restraint in a rear seat­
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adva need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­ sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the amount programmed in the electronic control
unit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will also be turned off if one of the child safe­
ty seats that has been certified under Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
~ page 145, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know.
1111>

_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher .
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
fla tes - even with an Advanced Airbag
~ page 144.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fig. 155 I nf lated front a irba gs
Safety belts are impo rtant to help keep front
seat occupants in the p roper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfo ld properly and pro ­
v ide supp lemental protection in a fronta l col­
lision.
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l prote ction for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenge r when:
- safety belts are worn prope rly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the
occupant is proper ly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag ,
- and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force , things you have on your lap
or have placed on the seat could become dan -
~ gero us projectiles, and be pushed into you if
~ the airbag inflates.
rl
:5: When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released.
rl ~ This is normal and is not caused by a fire in
A irba g sy stem 153
the vehi cle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy. It could irr itate skin.
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for example swelling, br uis ing and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body . Front a irbags
o nly supp lement the three point safe ty belts
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
decelera tion is h igh enough to deploy the air­
bags.
Front airbags will not deploy :
- if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
occu rs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
-when the crash deceleration measured by the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for airbag dep loyment as
reg istered by the electronic contro l unit .
The front pa ssenger ai rbag will also not
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu ­
pied ,
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem ind icates that the front airbag on the
passe nger side has to be turned off by the
electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light comes on and stays o n).
_& WARNING
-S itting in the wrong pos ition can in creas e
the r is k of se rious inj ury i n crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the drive r and passenge rs
m ust always s it in an upr igh t positi on,
m ust not lean against or pla ce any part
of their body too close to the area whe re
the airbags a re located. .,.

154 Airbag sys te m
- Occupants who are unbelte d, ou t of p osi­
t ion or too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds wi th grea t force i n the blink of an
ey e
~ pag e 145 .
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward -faci ng child safety
s e at insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and wi ll smash the chi ld safety seat
and child against the backrest , center
armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im ·
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
authori zed Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of inj ury in a crash by in­
terfering wi th the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into yo u as the a irbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on
yo ur lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenge r seat . Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other s udden ma­
neuver and become dangerous projec­
t iles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate .
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, te le­
phone brackets, la rge, heavy or b ulky ob -
-
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing whee l,
instr ument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could cause in jury in a crash, es­
pecia lly when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects . Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide airbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra kin g or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects nea r the air­
bags can become projec tiles and cause
inj ury, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined .
A WARNING ~
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ i ng cond itions .
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory conditions shou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors .
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and wate r before eating.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the res id ue should get into your eyes ,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
T wo separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag System (including the
electron ic cont ro l unit , sensor circu its and sys­
tem wiring) is mon ito red continuously to
make su re that it is funct io ni ng properly

'"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
possible that the airbag will inflate when
it is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
A WARNING
If the 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
st raint 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 certain that a ll children, especially 12
ye ars and younge r, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained fo r their
age and size.
- Always instal l forw ard or rea r-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you mus t install a rearward -facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not 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 dea le r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
wa rd-fac ing child restra int attached to
t h e fro nt passenger sea t 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
wor k 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 rain t on the front passenger seat, a l­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sit ion in the seat's fo re and aft adjust­
ment r ange, as far away from the airb ag
as possib le. The backrest m ust be adjus t­
ed to an upr ight position. Make sure that
A irbag system 157
the PASSENGER 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 tak ing
the steps described above, make su re the
adu lt is prope rly seated and restra ined at
one o f the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front pas senger
seat.
@ Tips
If t he weig ht-sensing mat in the front pas ­
senger seat detects an empty sea t, the
front airbag on the p assenger 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 p laces on your Aud i. Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
a irbag system and p revent that system from
working p rope rly in a coll is ion.
There are some important t hings you have to
k n ow to make sure that the effectiveness of
t h e system w ill not be impaired and that d is­
ca rded components do not cause inju ry o r pol­
l ute the environment.
A WARNING
Im proper care, serv icing and rep air proce­
d ur es can increase the risk of personal in ­
ju ry and death by preventing an a irbag
from deploying when needed or deploying
an a irbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obst ruct, or change the
steer ing whee l horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or mod ify them
in any way. •
•

158 Airbag system
-Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system .
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace -ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version . Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­ rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten ­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for

M N
~ co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
-The airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The airbag system is monito red ele ct ro ni ca lly
t o make certain it is f unct ion ing properly a t all
times. Each time you tu rn on the ign ition, the
ai rbag sys tem indicator light w ill come on for
a few seconds (se lf d iagnost ics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignit io n is turned off,
- i n s ide collisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- i n rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the a irbag system will
o nly p rov ide protection whe n oc cupants
are in t he p roper sea ting posit io n
c::> page 60, Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicato r light c::> page 20
comes whe n the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immedia tely
by you r aut ho rized Audi dea le r. I t is pos ­
sible that the airbag will inf late when it
is not s upposed to, or wi ll not inflate
when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly res trained.
-
Fi g. 160 Ill ust rat ion of princip le: In fl ated side cu rt a in
airbags on t he left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
A irba g system 163
vehicle that is struck in a side col lision
c::> fig. 160 .
When the system is t riggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
th ro ugh a seam above the front and rear side
w indows identified by the AIRBAG labe l. In or­
der to he lp provide this additional protection,
the side curtain a irbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force . The side curtain a irbag could in ­
jure you if your seating pos it io n is not prope r
o r upright or if items are located in the area
whe re the supplemen tal side curta in a irbag
infl ates. This applies espe cially to ch ildren
c::> page 165 .
Although they are not a soft p illow, side cur­
ta in a irbags can "cushion" the impact and in
th is way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head a nd the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may deve lop w hen the ai rbag de­
ploys . Th is is qui te no rma l and does not mean
t h ere is a fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways 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 he lp the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection .
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
p roper seating posit ions increase the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death when­
eve r a vehicle is being used .
- Never let occupants place any parts of thei r bod ies in the area from which the
side curta in a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the s ide curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
-
Unsuitable accessor ies fitted inside the ..,