160 Airbag sys te m
on the front passenger seat that might
cause the capacitive passenger detection
system to miscalcu late electrical capac i
tance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
_&. WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need Airbag Sys
tem has changed while the vehicle is
moving, the
PA SSE NGER AIR BAG O FF
light blinks for about 5 seconds to catch
the driver's attent ion. If this happens, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the steps described above.
- If the
PA SSE NGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is sitting on the front passen ger seat after taking the steps descr ibed
above, make sure the adult is properly
seated and restrained at one of the rear
seating positions. Have the a irbag sys
tem inspected by your authorized Audi dealer before transporting anyone on the
front passenger seat.
_&. WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro
tect ion in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator light
c:> page 19
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r.
It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should.
_&. WARNING
If the front air bag infla tes, a ch ild witho ut
a child restra int, or in a rearward -fac ing
child safety seat, o r in a forward-facing
child restraint that has not been properly
installed will be serious ly injured and can
be killed. -
Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced A irbag System, make
certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, always ride on the
back seat p roperly restrained for their
age and size .
- Always install forward o r rear-facing
child seats on the rear seat -even with
an Advanced A irbag System.
- If you must install a rearwa rd-facing
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of ex ceptional circumstan ces
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and s tay on, immediate
ly install the rear -facing child seat in a
rea r seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by you r Audi dealer.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust install a forward-facing child re
straint on the front passenger seat, al
ways move the seat into its rearmost po sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust
ment range, as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be adjust
ed to an upright pos ition. Make su re that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when
eve r the ignit ion is swit ched on.
_&. WARNING
=
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea ler before t ransporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capac itive passenger detection sys
tem determ ines that the front passenger
seat is empty, the fronta l airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight will stay
on.
M N
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, 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 dis
carded components do not cause injury or pol lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal in
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders 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.
Airbag system 161
-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 deploy 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. Replace
ment of complete airbag systems or air
bag components must be performed by
qualified workshops only . Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE
CORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified technicians who have the ex
perience, information and special tools
necessary to perform the work safely.
- 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
•
•
M N
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision.
The physical principles of what happens when
your ve hicle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~ page 13 7, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts?.
But unlike adu lts and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed . In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
ad ults.
Because children's bod ies a re not f ully deve l
oped, they require restraint systems especial l y designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many co untries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requ iring the use of approved ch ild re
straint systems for infants and small chi ldren .
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-po und
(6 kg) infa nt w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child . T his means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds ( 120 kg). Under these conditions,
on ly an appropr ia t e chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Ch ild restra ints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp
erly, they can increase the risk of ser ious in
jury in an accident.
Consult the ch ild safety seat manufacture r's
instr uctions in order to be sure the seat is
right fo r you r ch ild's size ~
page 175, Impor
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the impo rtant informat ion and WARNINGS
about ch ild safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
i nstallation of child rest raints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced A irbags in your vehicle and how t hey
wo rk when infants and children in child re-
Child Sa fet y 1 71
stra ints are on the front passenge r seat . Be
ca use of the large amount of impo rtant infor
mation, we cannot repeat it a ll here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in t his
owner 's man ua l about a irbags and the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport
ing children on the front passenge r seat .
Please be sure to heed the WARN INGS -they
are ex tremely importa nt for yo ur safety and
the safety o f you r passengers, especially in
f ants and small chi ldren .
.A, WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that c hil
dren a re generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un der in the rea r.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must be restrai ned p roperly when
eve r riding in a vehicle . An unr est rained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
in ju red by str iking the interio r or by be
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuve r or impac t. An un re
straine d or improper ly restrai ned ch ild is
also at greater risk of injury o r death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly insta l
led and used at one of the rear seat ing
positions p rov ides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Ch ildren on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags ca n be ser iously in
ju red or even kil led when an a irbag in
fla tes. A child in a rearwar d-fac ing ch ild
safety seat installed on t he front passen
ge r seat will be ser iously injure d and ca n
be killed i f the front airbag inflates .
- T he infla ting air bag will h it the ch ild
safety sea t or i nfan t carrie r wi th great
force an d will smash the child safe ty seat
an d child against the bac krest , center
armrest, or door .
•
•
172 Child Safety
-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 in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the air
bag system inspected immediately by
your Audi dealer.
_&, WARNING
- Forward-facing child seats installed on
the front passenger seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and
cause serious personal injury to the
child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger 's seat, the child's
safety and well-being require the follow ing special precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the forward-fac
ing seat has been designed and certi
fied by its manufacturer for use on a
front passenger seat with a front and
side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac
turer's instructions provided with the
child seat or infant carrier.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if
the child restraint manufacturer's in
structions require the top tether strap
to be used.
- Never put the forward-facing child re
straint up against or very near the in
strument panel.
- Always set the safety belt upper an
chorage to the adjustment position
that permits proper installation in ac
cordance with the child restraint manu
facturer's instructions.
-Always move the passenger seat into
its rearmost position in the seat's fore
and aft adjustment range, as far away
.
from the airbag as possible before in
stalling the child restraint. The back
rest must be adjusted to an upright po
sition .
- Always make sure that nothing pre
vents the front passenger's seat from
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Never place objects on the seat (such
as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) . These may in
fluence the electrical capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger
detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious
personal injury.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas
senger seat if the device is connected
to the 12 -volt socket or the cigarette
lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passen
ger seat, never install any child re
straint system on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger
seat cushion .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi
ately install the forward-facing child seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your
authori zed Audi dealer.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
~
M N
0 <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
-Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate
ly.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correc t use of child safety sea ts subs tantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident !
As the driver, you are responsible for the safe
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially chil
dren:
~ Always use the right child safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
¢ page 177.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
~ 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 182.
~ Push the child safety seat down with you r
full weigh t to get the safe ty 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
¢page 177.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young
er, should always ride in the back seat proper
ly restrained for their age and size.
_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death.
-
Child Safety 175
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must be restrained properly when
ever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained child could be
injured by striking the interior or by be
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre
strained or improperly restrained child is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion . The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames. They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo
men and neck areas during sudden brak
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an
other passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger .
•
•
176 Child Safety
-The child and the passenger can also
injure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas
senger seat. A child will be seriously in
jured and can be killed when the passen ger airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal
led on the front passenger's seat can in
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the child. Al
ways install forward-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require that the
following special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac
turer's instructions provided with the
child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat
into the rearmost position of the pas
senger seat's fore and aft adjustment
range, and as far away from the airbag
as possible before installing the child
restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre
vents the front passenger's seat from
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position .
- Never place or use any electrical device (such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater for child seats) on the front pas
senger seat if the device is connected
to the 12-volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passen
ger seat, never install any child re
straint system on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger seat cushion .
- Never place objects on the seat (such
as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) . These may in
fluence the electrical capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger
detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious
personal injury.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around during a sudden stop or in a collision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
¢ page 136, Safety
belts,
¢ page 145, Airbag system and
¢ page 171, Child Safety.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASS EN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate
ly.
M N
0 I.J ""'. rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
Fig . 167 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from chi ldren in child safety seats. @-outer rear
safety belt,
@-center rear safety belt*
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower ancho rages, the unused safety belts
must be se
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
Q ,&. .
- Guide the safety belt webbings@and @*
behind the head restraint of the seat where
the child restraint is installed
Q fig . 167.
When doing so, do not engage the converti ble lock ing 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 LATCH lower anchorages or with the
standard safety belt or a child in a booster
seat on the rear seat could play with un
used rear seat safety belts and become en
tangled. This could cause the child serious
personal injury and even death.
-Always secure unused rear seat safety
belts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by properly routing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the child restraint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tractor when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear
seating position if the center rear safety
Child Safety 177
belt has been routed around a rear head
restraint.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-fac
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash .
Fig. 168 Schematic overview: rearward -facing infant
seat, properly installed on the rear seat
~ 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
Qpage 182 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments.
~ Push the child 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
Qpage 177.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infant car riers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infants and
small children should ride only in special re
straints in which the child faces the back of
the vehicle. These infant seats support the ba by's back, neck and head in a crash ¢
fig. 168.
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 . ..,_
1 78 Child Safety
It is a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong chi ld safety seat or improperly in
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
crash .
- Never install rear-facing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas senger seat -even with an Advanced Air
bag System. A child wi ll be seriously in
jured and can be killed when the inflat
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in
fant ca rrier with great force and smashes
the chi ld safety seat and chi ld aga inst
the backrest, center armrest, door or roof
c:> page 147, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the forward-facing direction. Such re
straints are des igned for the spec ial
needs of infants and very small children
and cannot protect them properly if the
seat is forward-fac ing.
-If you must 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 come on and stay on, im
mediately install the rear -facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electron ic
games dev ice, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas
senger seat if the device is connected to
the 12-volt socket or the cigarette light
er soc ket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwis e added to the front passenger seat, never install any chi
ld restraint sys
tem on th is seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Never p lace objects on the seat (such as
a laptop, CD player, electronic games de
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the
electrical capacitance measured by the
capacitive passenger detection system
a nd can also fly around in an acci dent
and cause serious persona l injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
¢page 136, Safety
belts,
¢ page 145, Airbag system and
c::> page 171, Important things to know .
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 . 1 69 Sc hemat ic overview: installat ion of the at
tac hmen ts applicab le to a LA T CH seat
Fig. 170 Schemat ic overv iew: installa tion of th e seat
using the vehicle 's safety belt syste m
Iii-