M N
-Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
ins tructions prov ided with the ch ild seat or
carrier.
- Always make sure that t he re is no thing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occ upied by some
one who is heav ier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of addi
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it should
be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a
way that is different from the way it wou ld
have worked without the object on the seat.
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu
pants.
F ig . 157 Locat ion of d river a irbag: in stee ring wheel
Fig . 158 Locat ion of front passenger's a irbag: in the instru
ment pa nel
Your vehicle is equipped w ith an "Advanced Air
bag System" in compl iance with Un ited States
Ai rb ag system
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehi
cle was manufactured. The safety be lts for the
seats have "pretensioners" that help to take slack
out of the belt system. The pretensioners are also
activated by the electron ic control unit for the
airbag system .
The front safety belts also have load limiters to help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash .
The airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel
hub
c:> fig . 157 and the airbag for the front pas
senger is in the instrument pane l
c:>fig. 158. The
general location of the airbags is marked ''AIR
BAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the a irbags
in your vehicle. We urge you to read the detailed
information about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapte rs that make
up the owner's literature . Please be sure to heed
the WAR NINGS - they are extremely importa nt
fo r yo ur safety and the safety of you r passengers,
especially infants and small children .
_& WARNING
=
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supp lemental protection.
- Airbag work most effective ly when used
with p roperly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wea r you r safety belts and
make sure tha t everybo dy in your vehicle is
properly rest rained.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith both
hands on the outside of the steering wheel
rim at the 9:00 o'clock and 3:00 o'clock po
sitions to help reduce the risk of persona l in
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never ho ld the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands any
where inside the steering wheel or on the
steer ing wheel hub. Holding the steering
wheel the wrong way increases the risk of
severe injury to the arms, ha nds, and head if
the dr iver airbag deploys .
~
147
Airbag system
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢page 169 .
-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 installed on the front pas
senger seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a fo rward -facing child restraint has been instal
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectrica l capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year
o ld infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing chi ld restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po
sitions on the rear seat ¢
page 144, Child re
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 167, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on contin uously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear on and does not stay on all the t ime,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint . Make
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
156
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the chi ld restraint
manufacture r's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertib le locking retractor
on the safety be lt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight .
- make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop,
CD player, electron ic games dev ice,
power inverter or seat heater for ch ild seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the cigarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
seat;
- make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towe l) and no water or other liquids on
the fron t passenger 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 not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint
off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it p roperly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect
ed by your Audi dealer immed iately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is pro pe rly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its siz e
and age .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignit ion is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
S seconds while dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan
ces, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with ..,.
M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
N \!) ,....,
~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety seat , you must first activate th e
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 177.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 172.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children , especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re
strained for their age and size.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
mus t be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal Mo
tor 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 cush
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro
vide 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 in-
Child safety
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using .
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
They must always be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu
vers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the child with the forces that exist in an acci
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in
jure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear -facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat.
A child will be seriously injured and can be
killed when the passenger 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 and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause serious injury to the child. Always install for
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
Ill>
171
Child safety
-Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer 's
instructions provided with the child sa fety
seat or carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be
fore installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys
tem on this seat .
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion .
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a laptop, CD player, electronic games device ,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats) . These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection system and can also
fly around in an accident and cause serious
personal injury.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::> poge 135, Safety belts,
172
c::> page 143, Airbag system and
c::> page 167, 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 re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fig. 167 Schem ati c o verview: keep unused safety belt s
away fro m childre n in child safety seats. @ -ou te r rear
s a fe ty belt, @ -center rea r sa fety belt*
If a child safety sea t is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> _&. .
- Guide the safety belt webbings @and ®* be
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
c::> fig . 167. When do
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking "
sound when winding up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
"' N I.O rl
_& WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash .
Fig. 168 Schematic overview: rearward-facing infa nt seat,
prope rly instal led on t he rear seat
"When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
r::;,page 177 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
"Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
Child safety
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::;, page 172.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle . These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
¢ fig. 168.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child seat. It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
_& WARNING
-
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious personal injury and death in a crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat -
even with an Advanced Airbag System. A
child will be seriously injured and can be kil led when the inflating airbag hits the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great force
and smashes the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof
r::;, page 144, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
173
Child safety
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat .
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
r::!;> poge 135, Safety belts,
r::!;> page 143, Airbag system and
~ page 167, Important information .
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety sea ts con
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 169 Schema tic ov ervi ew: installatio n of th e atta ch
m ents app lica ble to a LATCH seat
174
Fig. 170 Schem ati c ove rview : instal la ti on of the sea t using
t he vehicle' s sa fet y bel t system
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢
page 177 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2 .5 cm)
r::!;> page 177.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 183.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 172.
A toddler o r child is usually too large for an in
fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) .
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be
properly restrained in a child safety seat certified
for their size and weight¢
fig. 169 and
¢fig. 170 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat . It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat.
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
Child safety
airbag system inspected by your authorized
Audi dealer.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats con help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who ore less than 4
ft. 9
in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall .
Fig. 171 Rear seat: ch ild prope rly restrained in a booster
seat
"' ,-.
i i
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in . (57 in
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
• Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat.
• The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and
must lie flat 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 flat and snug . Pull on the belt to tight
en if necessary.
• If you must transport an older child in a boos
ter seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
176
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r=;, page 172 .
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de
signed for their age and weight . Experts say that
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appro
priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child 's body in the right places. The routing of
the belt over the child 's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts . Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how big the
child is. Always remember that childr en do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve
hicle 's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag . When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violently and will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury. .,..
M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N \!) ,....,
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children, who must be in the front seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
possible . By keeping room between the child's
body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions .
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se
rious personal injury and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat 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 that the belt lies flat and snug.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢ page 135.
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints : adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif
ficult to install the child seat with the head restraint in place¢
page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically .
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat,
for example the front seat.
-
Child safety
-Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described ¢
page 154, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢ page 135, Safety belts,
¢ page 143, Airbag system and
¢ page 167, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas
senger's seat safety belt have a convertible lock
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat will stay in place .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
177