..... N
0 ::..:: co .....
ger seat contains important parts of the Ad
vanced A irbag System, you must take care to pre
vent it from being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for the front
passenger seat from doing its job in a crash .
The front Adv anced Airb ag Sy stem con sist s
of the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle accelerat ion/decelerat io n to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors fo r front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also "de
cides" whether the safe ty be lt pretens ioners
sho uld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag wi th gas generato r and
contro l valve for the driver ins ide the steer ing
whee l hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A weight -sensing mat under t he upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that meas ures the total weight on the seat . The
information registered is sent continuously to
the electron ic control unit to regulate dep loy
ment of the front Adva need A irbag on the pas
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light i n the instrument cluster
¢ page 148.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor
mation reg istered is sent cont inuous ly to the
electroni c control unit to regulate deployment
of the fro nt Adv a need A irbags.
- T he
PASS EN GE R AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l¢
page 148, fig . 155 a nd tells you when
the fron t Advan ced Airbag on the passenge r
side has been turned off.
- A se nsor below the safe ty bel t lat ch fo r th e
front seat passenger to meas ure the tens ion on
Airb ag sys tem
the sa fe ty belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight-sens
ing mat help the contro l unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned off or not¢
page 139, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched o r not and
t ransmits this information to t he electronic
cont rol un it.
_& WARNING
Da mage to the front passenge r seat can pre
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Imp roper repair or disassembly of the fro nt
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unct ioning
p roperly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified an d properly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenge r or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat o r disconnect w ires from it.
- Never ca rry sharp objects in your pocke ts or
p la ce them on the seat. If the weight-sens
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob
jects on the passenge r seat. S uch items can
increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in
formation to the a irbag control unit.
- Never store items unde r the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys
tem from worki ng p roper ly.
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up
holstery tha t have not been specifically ap
p roved by A udi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir
bag Sys tem from recognizing chi ld
145
Airbag syste m
restraints or occupants on the front passen
ger seat and prevent the side airbag in the
seat backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from accu
rately reg istering the ch ild restraint or per
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from funct ioning prope rly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenge r seat and the child restraint man
ufact urer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the chi ld restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in
stall child restrai nt in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
you r authorized Aud i deale r.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
ai rbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head re
stra ints to help reduce the r isk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to
read the important information about safety and heed the WARNINGS in th is chapter .
Dep loyment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel
era tion as we ll as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object invo lved in the crash.
On the passenger s ide, regardless of safety belt
use, the a irbag will be t urned off if the weight on
the passenge r seat is less than the amount p ro
g rammed in the e lectron ic cont rol unit . T he front
146
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the child safety seats that has been
certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recogn ized on the seat.
The
PAS SEN GER AI R BA G OFF light comes on
and stays on to te ll you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 139, Child restraints on the front seat
some important things to know .
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in
f lates, always wear safety belts properly.
- I f you are un restrained, leaning forward, sit
ting sideways or ou t of position i n any way,
your ris k of injury is much highe r.
- You will a lso receive ser ious injuries and
could even be killed if yo u are up against the
airbag or too close to i t when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
r::!;>page 138.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 154 Inflated front a irbags
-,... N 0 :i: ;;i;
Safety be lts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfo ld properly and prov ide sup
plemental protection in a fronta l co llision.
The front airbags a re designed to provide addi
tional protection for the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- t he seats have been positioned so that t he oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possib le
from the airbag,
Ill-
..... N
0 ::..:: co .....
the center of the instrument panel
¢ fig. 155 .
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a sma ll child or child re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go out if the front passenge r seat is occu
pied by an adult as registered by the weight
sensing mat.
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light mu st c ome
on and sta y on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat,
o r
- a rearward-facing child restrai nt has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg istered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the comb ined
weight of a typical 1 yea r-o ld restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re
strain ts listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced A irbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is no t occupied, the
fron t air bag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Never inst all a
rearward -fac ing child restraint on the front pas
senger seat, the safest p lace for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po
sitions on the rear seat
¢page 139, Child re
strain ts on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 158, Child safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the condit ions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF light
stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition is
on . If the
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF lig ht does
Airb ag sys tem
not appear and not stay on all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- react ivate the system by tur ning t he ignit ion
off and then t urn ing it on again ;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restrain t. M ake
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly ins ta l
led and that the safety belt for the front pas
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed around
the child restraint as desc ribed in the c hild re
straint manufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac
tor on the safety belt for the front passenge r
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the seat can do
its job
¢ page 167.
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passenger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is
not b locked . Shake the safety belt la tch on the
front passenger seat bac k and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight t hat i t causes the
weight-sensing mat to me asu re more weight
than is actua lly on the sea t.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still do es
not come on
and does not stay on co nti nuously
(whe n the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenge r
seat and install it p roper ly at one of the rear
seat pos itions . Have the airbag system inspect
ed by yo ur au thori zed Audi deale r immedi ately .
- move the child to a rear seat pos ition and ma ke
sure that t he chi ld is proper ly rest rained in a
child restra int that is appropr iate for its s ize
and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht should NOT
come on when the ignit io n is on and an adu lt is
s itting in a prope r seat ing pos ition on the front
passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds whi le dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan-
ces, make sure that :
Ill-
149
Airbag system
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re
straint system including airbag modules safe
ty belts with pretens ioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regulat ions must be ob
served. 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
cha nge the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preven t the airbag from deploy
ing when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac
teristics as the components originally insta l
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim comb inations that have
not been approved by Audi.
152
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic control module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from working
properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inte rfe re
w ith the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 156 S ide ai rbag locatio n in the dr ive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢ fig . 156 and the rear back
rest facing the doors. They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags" located in the
rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly to
make certain that it is functioning proper ly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics). .,,.
,....,
N
0
""' CX) ,....,
I.Cl U"I ,....,
I.Cl ,....,
The side airbag system supplements the safety be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col
lision . The airbag deploys on ly in side impacts
and only when the vehicle acceleration reg istered
by the control unit is h igh enough. If this rate is
be low the reference va lue programmed into the
control unit, the s ide airbags will not be tr ig
gered, even though the car may be badly dam
aged as a result of the collision.
It i s not possib le
to define an airbag triggering range that wi ll cov
er every possible angle of impact, since the cir
cumstances will vary considerably between one
coll is ion and another. Important factors include,
for example , the nature (hard or soft) of the im
pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed , etc .
r::;;, page 154, Important safety in
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas
senger in pos it ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide p rotection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system i n your veh icle . Always re
member that the s ide airbag system can only
he lp to p rotect yo u if you a re wea ring your safety
be lt and wea ring it properly. This is another rea
son why you shou ld always wear your safety
be lts, not just because the law requi res you to do
so
r::;;, page 130, General information.
It is important to remember that while the s up
p lemental side ai rbag system is designed to re
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other inju
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can a lso be associated with deployed
side airbags. Remember too , side airbags will de
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci
dents -your safety belts are always t here to offer
p rotection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive o r failed airbag activation . In
some coll is io ns, both front and s ide a irbags may
in flate. Remember too, that airbags will deploy
only once and only in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions -
Airb ag sys tem
your safety belts are always there to offer protec
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
s u pposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system w ill n ot deploy:
- when t he ignit io n i s t urned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end coll is io ns
- in rear-end col lisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
--Safety belts and the airbag system will only
p rov ide protect ion when occupants are in
the prope r seat ing pos ition
r::;;, page 154 .
- If the ai rbag ind icator light r::;;, page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
a uthor ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le th at
the airbag will inflate when i t is not sup
posed to, or w ill not inf late w hen it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy ins tantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who ore properly restrained.
F ig. 157 In fla ted s ide airba gs on left side of vehicle
-,..
"' -~ a, Cl)
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat s urface area marked "AIRBAG" .
It ex-
pands between the side trim panel a nd the .,.
153
...... N
0
""' CX)
...... I.Cl U"I
...... I.Cl ......
-Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side a irbag module must always
be repaired immed iately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
¢ page 158, Child safety .
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, s ide airbags will not func
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
doo rs when air escapes through larger, un
closed open ings i n the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pane ls
removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper
ly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker ho les have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are covered or fi lled if additiona l speakers or
other equ ipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
Airb ag sys tem
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup
plemental protection to properly restrained oc
cupants.
F ig . 158 Side curta in system, driver 's s ide: side curtain a ir
bag locat ion
T he side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side w in
dows ¢
fig. 158. They a re identified by the word
"A IRBAG" on the windshie ld frame and the cen
te r roo f pilla r.
The side c urtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
j u ry for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
s ide of the vehicle that is str uck in a side colli
s ion . The s ide curta in airbag inflates in s ide im
pacts and only when the vehicle acce leration reg
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is be low the reference va lue programmed in
to the control unit, the side airbags will not be
t riggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision . It is not pos
s ible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover eve ry poss ible angle of impact, since
t h e circumstan ces will vary conside rably betwee n
one collis ion and anothe r. Importan t factors in
clude, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, veh icle
speed, etc. ¢
page 156, How side curtain air
bags work.
Aside from their no rma l safety funct ion, safety
belts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can prov ide protec-
t ion.
II>-
155
Airbag system
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re member that the 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 your safety belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 130, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain airbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and m inor abra
sions can also be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these airbags will dep loy o nly
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make ce rta in it is fun ction ing p roperly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignit ion , the air
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignit ion is tu rned off,
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat ion meas-
ured by the senso r is too low,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system w ill only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position<>
page 59,
Seats and storage.
-If the airbag indicator light ¢page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
156
author ized Audi dealer . It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly re
strained.
Fig. 159 Illustration of principle: Inflated sid e curtain air
bags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc
cupant and the windows on the side of the veh i
cle that is struck in a side collision
¢ fig . 159 .
When the system is triggered, the s ide curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
s ide curta in airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with g reat fo rce .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if yo ur
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple
mental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to chi ldren
¢ page 158.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the r isk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle.
..... N
0 :,,:: co .....
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear
ward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat
ing posit ion and have the airbag system in
spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and s ide airbag .
- Always follow the manufac turer 's instruc
tions provided with the chi ld safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possib le before installing the child
restra int. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upr ight position.
-Always make sure that the
PA SSENGER AIR
B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
Always replace ch ild restraints that were in
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visib le could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your veh icle is equipped with a front "Advanced
A irbag System" i n compliance w ith United States
F edera l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard ( FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Ve hicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in your ve hicle has
been ce rtified to meet the " low-risk" requ ire
ments for 3 -and 6-yea r old children on the pas
senger side and sma ll adults on the driver side .
Child safety
The low risk deployment criteria a re intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the a irbag that can occur, for example, by be ing
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the "suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand·
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas
senger seat in ch ild rest raints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your veh icle is equipped with an Ad·
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
those 12 yea rs and you nger, sho uld a lways ride
in the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous p lace for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
' Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced A irbag System in you r vehicle de
tects the presence of an infant or chi ld in a chi ld
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tens ion on the
safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight of the child and the chi ld safety seat and a child
blanket on the front passenger seat . The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de
s ign of the child restra int and its "footprint", the
s ize and shape of the bottom of the ch ild re-
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a ch ild
restra int and its "footprint" va ry for different
k inds of child restra ints and for the different
models of the same kind o f chi ld rest raint of -
fered by chi ld restraint manufacturers.
T he we igh t ranges for the indiv id ual types,
makes and mode ls of ch ild restraints that the
NH TSA has specified in the Safety Standard to
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants .,.
159