122 Airbag sys te m
- Never modify t he front bumper or parts
of the veh icle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment upholstery ove r the front seat
backs that have not been spec ifi cally
approved by A udi.
- Never use add itiona l seat cushions that
cover the areas whe re the side airbags
inflate .
- D amage to the o rigina l 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 . Afte r an airbag has inf lated, it
must be replaced by an author ized Audi
dealer or qualified technic ian who has
the techn ica l information, tra ining and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an a irbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced w ith new replace
ment parts designed and approved espe
cially for your Aud i model version. Re
placement of complete a irbag systems
or airbag componen ts must be per
formed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service act ion
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE
MENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the a lternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic cir cuit inter
rupter must on ly be performed by a
qua lified dealer - risk of an accident !
- If the vehicle or the c ircuit interrupter
is sc rapped, all applicable safety pre
cautions must be followed.
{® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten
s ioners might be classif ied as Perchlorate
Materia l -special handling may app ly, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per
ch lorate . When the veh icle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modu les
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scra pped, all applicab le laws and regu la
tions must be obse rved. Your authorized
A udi dealer is familia r with these require
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service fo r you .
· Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the veh icle's suspens io n system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem perfo rms in a c rash. For examp le, using
t ir e- rim combinat ions not approved by A udi ,
lower ing the veh icle, c hanging the st iffness of
the suspens ion, including the spr ings, suspen
sio n struts, shock absorbers etc . can change
the forces that ar e measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic contro l
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
senso rs and make the airbag system deploy in
c rashes in which it wou ld no t deploy if the
c h anges had not been made. Other kinds of
c h anges may reduce the fo rce leve ls meas
u red by the sensors and p reven t the airbag
from dep loying when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ
i ng use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
fo rmance and increase the r isk of serious
personal injury in a crash .
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characterist ics as the components origi
na lly installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have no t been approved by Audi.
-Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter
fering with the way the airbag deploys or by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children
or animals ride in the footwell in front
of the passenger seat.
If the airbag de
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air
bag deploys and injure you or your pas
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air
bags are located.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
Q page 129, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig . 116 Side airbag location in the driver 's seat
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢ fig. 116facing the
Airbag system 125
doors. They are identified by the word "AIR
BAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
- the electron ic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioni ng properly
at all times. Each time you turn on the igni
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safe
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up
per torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys in
side impacts and only when the vehicle accel
eration registered by the control unit is high
enough. If this rate is below the reference val
ue programmed into the control unit, the side
airbags will not be triggered, even though the
car may be badly damaged as a result of the
collision . It is not possible to define an airbag
triggering range that will cover every possible
angle of impact, since the circumstances will
vary considerably between one collision and
another. Important factors include, for exam
ple, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting
object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc.
¢ page 127, Important safety instruc
tions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is another reason why you should always wear
IIJJ,
126 Airbag system
your safety belts, not just because the law re
quires you to do so¢
page 100, General
notes.
It is impor tant to remember that while the
supp lemental side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
side airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain k inds of acc idents -your safety belts
are a lways there to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessari ly an indi
cation of over-sensit ive or failed airbag activa
tion . In some co llisions, both front and s ide
a irbags may inflate. Remember too, that air
bags will deploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of co llisions -your safety belts are al
ways there to offer protection in those acci
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed.
The side airbag system will not depl oy:
- when the ign ition is turned off
- i n s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low
- i n rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags
and side airbags may be triggered together.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system will
only prov ide protection when occupants
are in the p roper seating posit ion
~page 127.
-If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the veh icle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
au thori zed Audi dealer. The a irbag may
not work properly when the vehicle ac
celeration in a side co llision is h igh
enough to activate the airbag.
-
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig . 1 17 Inflated side airbags on left side of veh icle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In order to help provide
th is additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate w ithin a fraction of a second at
very h igh speed and with great force. The sup
pleme nta l side airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos it ion is not proper or upright or if
items are loca ted in the area where the s up
plementa l side airbag expands. This applies
especially to children¢
page 129, Child Safe
ty .
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col
lis ion ¢
fig. 117.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may deve lop when the airbag de
ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The physical principles o f what happens when
your ve hicle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
c::> page 101, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are no t
fully developed . In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adu lts.
Because children's bod ies are no t fully devel
oped, they require restra int systems especial
l y designed for the ir size, weight, and body
structure . Many count ries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
l aws req uiring the use of approved ch ild re
straint systems for in fants and small chi ldren.
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/ h) the fo rces acting on a 13-po und
(6 kg) inf ant will be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds ( 120 kg) . Under these conditions,
only an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
C hi ld 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
ju ry in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's i nstructions in order to be sure the seat is
right fo r you r ch ild 's s ize
c::> page 132, Impor
tant safety instructions for using child safety
sea ts.
P lease be su re to read and heed all of
the impo rtan t informat io n a nd WAR NINGS
about child safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child rest raints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know abou t the Ad
vance d Airbags in yo ur vehicle and how they
wo rk when infants and children in child re
straints are o n the front passenger seat. Be
cause of the large amount of important infor -
Child Safet y 129
mation, we cannot repeat it a ll here . We urge
yo u to read the detai led information in this
owner 's man ua l about ai rbags and the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport
ing ch ildren on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
ar e extremely importa nt for your safety and
the safety of you r passenge rs, especially in
f an ts a nd small chi ld ren.
A WARNING
-
A ll vehicle occupants and especially chi l
d ren must be restra ined properly w henev
er riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restra ined child could be in
jured by str iking the interior or by being
e jected from the vehicle dur ing a sudden
maneuve r or impact. A n unrestra ined o r
improperly restr ained child is also at great
e r r isk of inju ry or d eath thro ugh contact
wi th an inflat ing a irbag.
_& WARNING
C hildren on the front seat of any car even
wi th Advanced Airbag s can be ser io usly in
j ur ed or even kil led when an a irba g in
flates. A child in a rearwar d-fac ing ch ild
safety seat insta lled on t he front passen
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smas h the child safety seat
a nd chi ld agai nst the bac krest , door or
roof.
- Never i nstall a rearward faci ng child
safety seat on the front passenger s eat
un less the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes o n and stays on. If the PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does no t
come on and st ay on, have the air bag
sys tem inspected immediately by your
Aud i dea le r.
•
•
132 Child Saf ety
Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 2S, 2007
Booster 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 2S, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
2S4
Evenflo Generations September 2S, 2007
3S2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 2S, 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
PA SSENGER 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.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PA S
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating airbag
wi ll hi t the child safety seat o r infant car
rier with great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roo f. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
@ Tips
The ch ild seats listed in categories A to C
have been statica lly tested by Aud i only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are respons ible for the safe
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il
dren:
.,. Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
~page 134.
.,. Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufac turer's inst ruct ions on how to ro ute
the sa fety 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 mov ing
r=> page 137 .
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
s o that t he seat canno t move fo rward o r
sideways more th an one inch
(2.5 cm).
Always remember : Even though you r vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
c hi ld shou ld always ride i n the seat properly
r estrained for its age and s ize.
_& WARNING ,..___
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat o r improperly in
stalling a ch ild restra int increases the risk
of ser ious personal in jury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever rid ing i n a vehicle.
- An un rest rained or imp roperly restrain
ed ch ild ca n be injured or killed by be
ing t hrown agains t th e ins ide of the ve
hicle or by being e jected from it during
a sud den mane uver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improper ly res train
ed ch ild is at much greater risk of injury
or death by be ing struck by an inflating
airbag.
136 Child Safet y
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster s eats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and
80 lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall.
Fig . 120 Passenger seat: child proper ly rest ra in ed in a
booster seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 mete rs) tall and weigh about
80 lbs . (36 kg). Booster seats ra ise these chil
dren up so that the sa fety belt will pass p rop
erly over the stronger pa rts of their bodies
and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
.. Do no t use the co nvertible locki ng retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re strain a chi ld on a booster seat .
.. The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
center of the child 's collar bone as possible
and must lie and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck . The
lap belt must
lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure
the belt lies f lat and snug . Pull on the be lt
to t ighten if necessary.
Ch ildren up to at least 8 years old (over 40
l bs. or 18 kg) are best protected in ch ild safe
ty seats designed fo r their age and weight . Ex
pe rts say that the ske leta l structure, pa rticu
larly the pelvis, of these ch ildren is not ful ly
developed , and they m ust not use the vehicle
safety belts without a suitab le child restraint.
It is us ually best to put these childre n in ap
propriate booster seats . Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicab le safety standards. Booster seats raise the seating position of the
c
h ild and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the ch ild's body in the right p laces. The
ro uting of the belt over the child's body is very
important for the child's protect ion, whether
o r not a booster seat is used .
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts .
Never use the lap belt port io n of the vehicle's
safety belt alone to restrain any ch ild, regard
less of how big the chi ld is. A lways remember
that children do not have the prono unced pel
vi c structure required for the proper funct ion
of lap be lt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shou lde r belts . T he child 's safety ab
solutely requires that a lap belt port ion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of the safety be lt pass over the
c hi ld 's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink
of a n eye and wi th considerable force. In order
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be the re to protect t he occupant
as the occupant moves forwa rd into the a ir
bag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of posit ion and
too close to the a irbag gets in t he way of an
inflating airbag . When an occupant is too
cl ose, he or she w ill be struck v iolently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in
Jury .
In order for the airbag to offer prote ction, it is
importan t that a ll vehicle occupa nts, espe cial
ly any childre n, who m ust be in t he front se at
because of exceptiona l circumstances , be
proper ly restrained and as fa r away from the
airbag as possible. By keeping room between
the chi ld's body and the front of the passen
ger compartment, the airbag can inf late com
pletely and prov ide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions .
..
and child against the backrest, door or
roof.
- Always be especially caref ul if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception
al circumstances.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
c ome on and stay on have the airbag sys
tem inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer .
Activating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se
cure a child restraint.
A lways heed the child sa fety seat manufactur
er's instructions when installing a chi ld re
straint in your vehicle . To activate the conver
tible locking ret ractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat.
.,. Slow ly pull the be lt
all the way out.
.,. Route it around or through the chi ld re
stra int be lt path
c:> &_ .
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really t ight.
.,. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.,. Gu ide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the chi ld
safety seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt . You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con
vertib le locking retractor is now act ivated.
Child Sa fet y 139
.,. Make sure that the red release button is fac
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled qui ck ly.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2 . S cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child res traint o r an im
properly installed chi ld restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is loc ked when insta lling a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during norma l driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a chi ld is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright pos ition. Otherw ise, the seat
back with the ch ild safety seat attached
to it could fly forward in the event of an accident or other emergency situation .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave hicle is being used
c:> page 129. Special
precautions apply when insta lling a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c:> page 109, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
Deactivating the convertible locking
, retractor
-
The convertible locking retractor for child re
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back in to
the retractor.
.,. Press the red button on the safety belt buck
le . The belt tongue will pop out of the buck
le .
.,. Guide the safety belt all the way back into
its stowed position . •
•
142 Intelligent technology
switched on all the time. In certain situations
when you need less traction, you can switch
off ESC by pressing the button
l!l . Be sure to
switch ESC on again when you no longer need
less traction.
Anti -toc k brak ing system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from lock ing up
when braking . The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard brak ing . Apply steady pres
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal ind icates that
the system is he lp ing you to brake the vehicle .
Brake assist sy stem
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presse s the brake pedal quickly in emer
gency si tuations. You must press and hold the
brake peda l until the situation is over .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to the road conditions . This makes it easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills.
E lectronic differential lock (EDL )
The ED L brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is available up
to about 60 mph (100 km/h) .
In extreme cases, EDL a utomatica lly switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked whee l
from overheating. EDL will switch on aga in au
tomatically when conditions have returned to normal.
A WARNING
- ESC, ABS, ASR and ED L can not ove rcome
t h e laws of phy sics. This is espe cial ly im
por tant on slip pery or wet ro ads .
If th e
sys tems begin a ct in g to stab ilize your ve
hicle, you shou ld imme diately change
yo ur speed to match the road and traffic
condit ions. Do not let the inc reased safe
ty provided by these systems tempt you to take risks. Do
ing so w ill increase the
risk of a loss of veh icle control, co llision
and serious pe rsonal injuries .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions. The risk of los
ing control of t he vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippe ry or wet roads, and
wh en dr iv ing too clos e to vehicl es u p
ahead. ESC, A BS, the brake ass ist sys
tem, ED L and ASR cannot p reven t coll i
si ons .
- Always acceler ate wi th sp ecial c are on
even, smoo th s urfaces such as those th at
are wet or covered with ice and snow .
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al ways he lp to reduce the risk of loss of ve
h icle co ntrol.
(D Tips
- ABS an d ASR only wo rk correct ly when
all four whee ls are equipped with identi
cal tires . D ifferent tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine powe r.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working.
- If the ind icator light Ii) or II (USA
mode ls)/ Ei] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 18,
¢ page 17.
Switching on and off
£SC turns on automatically when you start
the engine.
Fig . 12 1 Ce nte r conso le: ESC OFF b utto n