
118 Airbag sys te m
- The inflating airba g will hit the child
safety seat or infant carri er w it h great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
arm r est, door or ro of.
- Ne ver install a r earward facing child
sa fety seat on the fro nt passenger seat
unl ess the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t co me s on and stays on. If the PA S
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t does no t
come on and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car
rier with great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of injury in a crash by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you 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
c ou ld move into the area of the front air
bags dur ing braking or other s udden ma
neuver and become dange rous projec
tiles that can cause serious personal in
jury if the airbags inflate.
- Never place o r attach accessories or oth
er objects (such as cup ho lders, tele
phone brackets, large, heavy or b ulky ob
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be
tween those a reas and yourself. These
objects co uld cause injury in a crash, es
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects. Items can also
move in to the area o f the side airb ag or
the front airbag dur ing braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air -
-
bags can become projectiles and cause
inju ry, 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 o r othe r respiratory
conditions shou ld get fresh air righ t
away by getting o ut of the ve hicle or
open ing win dows or doors.
- I f you are i n a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and fa ce with
mild soap and wate r before ea ting.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or s cratches.
- If the res id ue should get into your eyes,
flush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
tii Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advan ced Airbag Sy stem: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag Sys tem ( incl uding the
ele ctron ic cont rol unit, sensor circ uits and sys
tem wir ing) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignition is on. Eac h time you
turn on the ignition, the a irbag monitoring in
dicator light . will come on for a few sec
onds (self diagnostics).
The system must be inspected when the
i ndicator light•=
-does not come on when the ignition is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignit ion, or

- comes on while driving.
I f an airbag system malfunct io n is dete cted ,
the ind icator light will firs t start flashing to
catch the driver 's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immed iately.
If a malfunction occurs tha t tur ns the fron t
ai rbag on the passenger side off, the
PA SSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght wi ll come on and stay
on wheneve r the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that the re may be somet hing
wrong with the Adva nced Airbag System .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
w hen it is not s upposed to, or w ill not in
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme
diately by your Aud i dealer .
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 11 3 Section fr om the inst ru men t pa nel: PASS EN
G ER AIR BAG O FF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
i n the cen ter of the instrument panel
c:> fig. 113 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad
vanced A irbag on the passenger side h as been
turned off by t he e lectronic control u nit. Each
time you tu rn on the ign ition, the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OF F
light will flash for a few
seconds and:
A irba g sy stem 119
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
-w ill stay on i f there is a small ch ild or child
restraint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the fron t passenger seat is oc
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat .
T he
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
com e on and sta y on
if t he igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat , or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward -fac ing ch ild restra int has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg istered on the front passen
ger seat is equal to or less than the com
bi ned weight of a typical 1 year-old restra in
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac
ing infant restra ints listed in Federal Motor
Ve hicle Safety Standa rd 208 wi th which the
Advanced Airbag System in you r veh icle was
certified.
If t he fron t passenger seat is not occupied,
the fro nt airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS
SENGER AIR BAG O FF
light will stay on . Nev
er install a rearward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat
c:> page 109 , Child
res train ts on the front sea t-some important
things to know
and c:> page 129, Child Safe ty .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light come s
o n
when one of the cond itions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on continuously wheneve r the
ignition is on .
If the PASSENGER A IR BAG
OFF
light does not appear and not stay on all
the time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turn ing the ign ition
off and then turn ing it on again;
- remove and reinstall the ch ild restra int .
Make s ure that the ch ild restraint is proper ly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenge r seat has been correc tly
rou ted aro und t he chi ld restraint as

-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan ces and the
PA SSE NGER AI R BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on have
the a irbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear
ward-fac ing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adu lt were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed caus ing serious or
even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptional circ umstances, you
must install a forward-facing child re
st raint 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 range, as far away from the airb ag
as possib le . The backrest m ust be adjust
ed to an upright position. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the t ime 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 taking
the steps described above, have the air
bag system inspected by your Aud i deal
er before transporting anyone on the
front passenger seat.
(Di Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the pa ssenge r side will be
t urned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
w ill stay on .
Airbag system 12 1
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are i nstalled at
many diffe rent p laces o n your Aud i. Insta llin g,
removing, servicing or repa iring 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 coll is ion.
T he re a re some important t hings you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness o f
the system wi ll not be impaired and that dis
carded components do not cause injury or pol
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv ic ing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal in
jury and death by preventing an a irbag
from deploying when needed or deploying
an a irbag unexpec tedly:
- Never cover, obst ruct, or change the
steer ing whee l horn pad or airbag cover
or the inst rument panel or mod ify them
in any w ay .
- Never attach any objects s uch as c up
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the a irbag un its .
- For cleaning the horn pad or instr ument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
mo istened with pla in water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the st iffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the a irbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru
ment panel, front seats or e lectr ica l sys
tem (including the installation of audio
equ ipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technic ian who has the training
and specia l equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work-
shop.
~
•
•

130 Child Safety
8_ WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install 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 side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in
structions 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 airbag 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.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam
age 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 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 Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk " re
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to 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 airbag inflates. In addition , the system has been certified to comply with the "sup
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, a child should al
ways ride in the seat properly restrained for
its age and size. The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dan
gerous 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 dan
gerous 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
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush
ion 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 design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re
straints 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 in
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a .,..

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.

-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 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 .
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each another in an accident.
- 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
come on and stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car
rier with great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal
led on the front passenger's seat can in-
Child Safety 133
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious 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 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 .
- 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 100, Safety
belts,
<=> page 108, Airbag system and
<=> page 129, 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 .
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
•
•

A WARNING ,~ ~
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos
ter seat improperly, incorrectly install ing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri
ous pe rsonal injury and death in a co llision
or other emergency s ituation. To help re
duce t he risk of serious persona l injury
and/or death:
- T he shoulder be lt mus t lie as close to t he
center o f the child's co llar bone as poss i
ble 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 belt to t ighten if
necessary .
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a ch ild's body will cause severe inju
ries in an acc ident or other emergency
situation
¢ page 100 .
-Children on the front seat of any car ,
even with Adva nced A irbags, can be seri
o usly injured or eve n killed when an a ir
bag inf lates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on the
sea t.
- Never let a child ride in the ca rgo a rea of
yo ur vehicle .
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forwar d, sit tin g s ideways o r out of posi
tio n in any way during an a ccident ca n be
stru ck by a deploying airbag. This will re
s u lt in serious personal injury or deat h.
- If you mus t inst all a b oos ter sea t on the
front passenger seat because of excep
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
¢page 118, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on whenever
Child Sa fet y 137
the ignition is switched on the inflating
airbag w ill hit the child safety seat or in
fant carrier wit h great force and will
smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, door o r roof . Have
the airbag system ins pected immed iately
by your Audi dea ler.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave
hicle is being u sed
¢ page 100, Safety
bel ts,
¢ page 108, Airbag system and
¢ page 129, Important things to know .
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the front passenger can be
Locked with the conver tible Locking retractor
to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts eme rgency locking retracto rs
for t he front passenger's seat safety belt h ave
a conver tible locking re trac to r f or c hild re
stra ints. The safety be lt must be locked so
that belt webb ing cannot unree l. The retrac
tor can be act ivated to lock the safety belt and
prevent the safety be lt webb ing from loosen
i ng up duri ng normal dr iv ing . A child safety
seat can only be properly insta lled when the
safe ty belt is locked so that the chi ld and child
safety seat w ill stay in place.
Always remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
c hi ld should always ride in the seat prope rly
r est rained for its age and s ize .
A WARNING
Im properly installed chi ld safety seats in
cre ase the risk of serious personal injury
and deat h in a co llision.
- Always ma ke sure tha t the safe ty belt re
tr act or is lo cked w hen insta lling a chil d
safety sea t. An unlocke d safety bel t re
tracto r cannot hold the child safety seat
•
•

138 Child Safety
in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- 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
- 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, door or
roof.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or in
fant carriers installed on the front pas
senger's seat may interfere with the de
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
~page 129. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
~ page 109, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
A WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
~ page 118, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on the inflating
airbag will hit the child safety seat or in
fant carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, door or roof . Have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi dealer . -
Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec
tion .
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- 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.
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- 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 side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re
straint up, against or very near the in
strument panel.
- 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 installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on .
A WARNING ~
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be seriously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates - even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
Ill>