2016 AUDI A6 airbag

restraints that were used to certify your vehi­
cle's compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢ page 168.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on if the ignition is on and .. .
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front pas ­
senger seat, or
- a rearward- facing child restraint has been in ­
sta lled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectr ica l capacitance reg istered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year­
old infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing chi ld restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front a irbag w ill not deploy, and the P A SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward -fac ing ch ild restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child rest ra int is at one of the seat ing po­
sitions on the rea r seat
¢ page 143, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ~ page 166, Child safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t 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
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF lig ht
stays on cont inuous ly whenever the ign ition is
on. If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ign ition
off for more than 4 seconds and then turning it
on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restra int. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly instal-
Airb ag sys tem
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been correct ly routed through
the child restraint as described in the c hil d re­
straint manufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no e lectr ica l device (such as a
laptop, CD player, e lectron ic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for ch ild seats) is
placed or used on the fro nt passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
t he c igarette ligh ter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been ret ro­
fitted o r othe rw ise added to the front passen­
ge r seat;
- make sure that not hing can inte rfere wi th the
safety belt buckles and t hat they are not ob­
s t ructed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towe l) and no wa ter or other liquids on
t he front p assenge r seat cushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does
not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on and does no t stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restra int off the front passenge r
seat and insta ll it properly at o ne of the rear
seat pos itions. Have the airbag system i nspect­
ed by yo ur Audi dealer immed iately .
- move the child to a rear seat pos ition and ma ke
sure that the chi ld is p roperly rest rained in a
child restra int that is app ropr iate for its s ize
and age .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adu lt is
sitting in a prope r seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while dr iv ing, under these circumstan-
ces, make sure that :
Ill-
155

Airbag syste m
-the adu lt on the front passenger seat is proper ­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the ad u Lt is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca ­
pacit ive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late electrical capacitance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adva need A irbag System
has changed wh ile the vehicle is mov ing, the
PASSENGE R AIR B AG OFF light blinks for
about 5 seconds to catch the driver's atten­
t ion. If this happens, a lways stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri­
bed above.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adul t who is not very
small is sitt ing on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adult is properly seated and
restra ined at one of the rear seating posi­
t ions. Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer before trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger seat.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop­
erly cannot p rovide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
r:::;, page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by yo ur
authorized Aud i dealer. It is possible that
156
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inf late when it should.
A WARNING
If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
stra int that has not been properly instal led
will be ser iously injured and can be killed .
- Even though you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that a ll children, espec ia lly 12 years a nd
younge r, always ride on the bac k sea t prop­
erly rest rained for thei r age and s ize.
- Always install fo rwa rd o r rea r-facing child
seats on the re ar seat -even w ith an Ad­
vanced Ai rbag System.
- If you must install a rea rwa rd-facing child
seat on the fron t passenge r seat bec ause o f
except ional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
stay on, immediate ly install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dea ler.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the a irbag as poss ible. The back rest
m ust be adjus ted to an upr ight position.
Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever 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 afte r taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restra ined at one of the
rear sea ting posit ions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r before transporting anyone on
the front passenge r seat .

(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
PA SSENGER
A IR BAG OFF
light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Installing, remov­
ing, servic ing o r repa iring a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and p revent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make su re t hat the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repa ir proce­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­ ing wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument panel or mod ify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or te lephone mountings to the su rfaces cov­
er ing the airbag units.
- For cleaning the ho rn pad or instrument
pane l, use on ly a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the mater ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in ­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellu lar telephones and CB rad ios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airb ag sys tem
who has the t raining and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see yo ur au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never ins tall seat covers or replacement
u pholste ry ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi.
- Never use addi tional seat cushions that
cove r the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal se at cove rs or to
the se am in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorize d Aud i dealer.
- The airb ag system can deploy on ly on ce. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approve d espec ially for your
Aud i model version. Replacement of com­
p lete airbag systems or airbag components
m ust be performed by qualified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in you r A udi Warranty
&
Maintenance boo klet under AIRBAG R E­
PLAC EM ENT R ECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starte r are separated from
the vehicle ba tte ry with a pyro te chnic cir cui t
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic c ircuit interrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qualif ied
technic ians who have the exper ience, in­
format ion and specia l tools necessa ry to
perfo rm the wor k safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upte r is
scrapped, all applicable safety p recautions
must be followed.
157

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 and
safety belts w ith pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend 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 prevent 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.
158
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
App lies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 160 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering whee l
¢fig. 160, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additiona l protection to
the driver 's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags a lso
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
c> page 151, More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the dr iver or front passenger in
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety belt
and wearing it p roperly. This is why you shou ld
always wea r your safety be lt, not just because
the law requires you to do so
c> page 134, Gener-
al information. ..,..

.... N
0 CJ - M I.Cl ......
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correct ly .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental knee air bag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries , for example, swelling, bruising and minor
ab rasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
-in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
cf;> page 18.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
cf;> page 151.
- If the airbag indicato r light c:::> page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing us ed, have
the system inspected immed iately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inf late when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
Airbag system
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehic les : with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 161 Inflated airbags protecting in a fronta l co llision
T he knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­ ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal coll isions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a
propellant gas, and inflate between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
c:;> page 151, fig. 158.
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 lower ex­
tremities.
All of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fa st that many people don't even real ize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc ­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
159

Airbag syste m
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
A pplies to veh icles: w ith knee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in­
jury . Wearing safety belts incorrect ly and im­
proper seating pos it ions increase the r isk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the dr iver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies and knees at the following
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the a irbag deploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfer ing
with the way the a irbag dep loys 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 a irbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fatal injuries.
- Never carry objects of any k ind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat . Bulky objects (shopping
1 6 0
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the a irbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch­
es or other damage in the area of the i nstru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated .
-If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a coll ision
c::;, page 166, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 162 Side airbag location in the driver"s seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
c::;, fig. 162 and the rear back­
rest fac ing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
help reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by a irbags when they inflate, particu larly when
the occupant sitting next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat can be used with properly installed child re­
straints . Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts
c::;, page 134,
Airbag system c::;, page 142, Child safety
c::;, page 166 .
The s ide ai rbag sys tem basica lly c onsi st s of: ..,.

-the e lectron ic control modu le and externa l 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 inst rument clus-
ter.
The a irbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that i t is functioning properly at all
times . Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safe ty
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side coll is ion. The a irbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control un it is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the cont rol un it, the side a irbags w ill not be
tr iggered, even thoug h the car may be bad ly
damaged as a resul t of the collision.
It is not pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le o f impact, since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc .
q page 162, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can prov ide protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
h e lp to protect you if you are wea ring your safety
be lt and wea ring it p roperly. This is ano ther rea­
son why you s hou ld always wear yo ur safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires yo u to do
so
q page 134, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup­
p lemental side a irbag sys tem is designed to re-
Airb ag sys tem
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other in ju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
k inds of accidents -your safety belts are a lways
there to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens it ive or fa iled a irbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nl y once and only in certa in kinds of collisions -
yo ur safe ty belts are alw ays there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in fro nt-end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents t he front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side ai rbags may be triggered
together.
A WARNING
-- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition ¢
page 162.
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen it should.
161

Airbag syste m
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 .
------
Fig . 1 63 In fla ted side airbags o n lef t s ide of vehicle , rear
side a irbag
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area ma rked "AIRBAG". It ex ­
pands between the side trim pane l and the pas­
senger. In order to help provide th is additiona l
protection, the side ai rbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very h igh speed and with
great force . The supplementa l side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands . This ap ­
plies especially to children
~ page 166, Child
safety .
Supplemental side a irbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
coll is ion
~ fig. 163.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the uppe r part
of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
162
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
k now and act according ly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to prov ide supplemental
protect ion .
_& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upr ight position and never
l ean agains t the area where the supple­
mental s ide airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyo ne e lse rest their
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the s upplementa l side airbag
inflates .
- Always make s ure t hat safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the front seat
p ut their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not bee n specifical ly approved by
A udi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de­ ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an autho rized Aud i dealer .
-
-Objects between you and the a irbag can in­
crease the r isk of injury in an acc iden t by in­
t erfering wi th the way the airbag unfolds or .,._