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The system must be inspected when the indicator light
II :
- does not come on w hen the ignitio n is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, or
- comes on w hile d riving .
I f an airbag system malfunct ion is de te cted, the
indic ator lig ht w ill first st art flas hing to catch the
driver's attent ion and then stay on continuously
to serve as a cons tan t reminder to have the sys
tem i nspecte d immed iate ly .
If a m alf unc tio n oc curs tha t t urns th e front air
b ag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght will come on and stay on
wheneve r the ign it io n is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct io ning prop
er ly cannot provide s upplementa l protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light¢
page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system i nspected immed iate ly by yo ur
au tho rized Au di dealer . It i s possible that
the a irbag wi ll infla te w hen it is not s up
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen i t should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 160 Sect ion from th e in str umen t pa nel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t is loc ate d in
the center o f th e i nstr umen t pane l
<=> fig. 160.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on t o tell you w hen t he front Advanced
Ai rb ag on t he passe nger side has been turned o ff
Airbag system
by the e lec tronic control unit . If the bulb fo r the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light bu rns out, the
airbag indicator light
fl will come on to signal a
malfunction in the Advanced Airbag System. Al
t h ough the burned -out bu lb w ill not change the
way t he front passenger's fro nta l airbag works, it
will no longer be possible to use the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light to mak e sur e that the a irbag
o n/off sta tus is co rrec t for the oc cupant o n the
fro nt p assenger se at. H ave t he air bag sy st em in
s p ecte d i mme diate ly by your au thorized A udi
dealer.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
- t he igniti on is sw itched on and
- the capaci tive passenger detec tion system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron
tal Advanced Airbag o n and off, detects a
change in the status of t he front passenge r
s ea t.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make su re that the a irbag
status ( on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light i s proper for the age, s ize an d
ele ctr ical ca p aci ta nce of the pe rs on occupying
t h e fro nt passen ger sea t. Always ma ke su re that
t h e safety be lt for the front passenge r seat is
proper ly fastene d.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni
tion is switched on and the airbag indicator
light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light:
- will stay on if t he front passenge r seat is not
occu pied ;
-w ill stay on i f th e e lec trica l ca pacitan ce meas
ure d by the ca pacitive passenger detection sys
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
comb ined capac itance of an infant up to about
o ne year of age and one of the rearward-facing
o r forwa rd -facing c hild restra ints listed in Fed
er al M otor V ehicl e Safety Sta ndard 2 08 with
which the Advan ced A irbag System in yo ur vehi
cle w as ce rtified; For a list ing of the chi ld re
s tra in ts that we re use d to certify yo ur vehicle 's ..,.
155
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
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N \!) ,....,
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of s lack in the safety be lt web
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that m ight cause the ca
pacit ive passenger detection system to miscal
culate electrical capac itance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adva need A irbag System
has changed while the vehicle is mov ing, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
about S seconds to catch the driver's atten
t ion . If th is happens, always 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 adult who is not very
small is si tting on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained 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 ioning prop
erly cannot provide supplementa l protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light c::;, page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by your
au thori zed Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the a irb ag will inflate when it is not s up
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
Airbag syste m
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing chi ld
safety seat, or in a forwa rd-fac ing child re
straint that has not been proper ly installed
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed .
- Even though you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make ce rtain
that al l children, especially 1 2 years and
younge r, al ways ride on the back seat prop
erly restra ined for their age and size.
- Always install forward o r rear-facing child
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad
vance d Ai rbag System.
- If you must ins tall a rearwa rd-fa cing c hild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
stay on, immediately install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
install a forwa rd-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat , always move the
seat into i ts rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and a ft ad justmen t range, as fa r away
fr om the airb ag as possib le. The b ackrest
m ust be adjus ted to an upr ight position.
Make sure t hat the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- I f the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is s itting on the
front passenger seat after tak ing the steps
described above, make su re the adult is
p roperly seated and restrained a t one of the
rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r before t ransporting anyone on
the front passenger seat.
157
Airbag syste m
(D Tips
If the capaciti ve passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side w ill be turned off, and the
PA SSEN GER
AIR BA G OFF
light w ill stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d iffe rent p laces on your Audi. Insta lling, remov
ing, servicing or repa iring a part in an area of the
veh icle can damage a part of an ai rbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important thi ngs you have to
know to make sure that the effect iveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that d isca rded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an a irbag from de
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in
strument pane l or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or te lephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the ho rn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois
tened with plain water. So lvents or cleaners
c ould damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness o r strength of the ma ter ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly .
- Never repa ir, adjust, or change any parts of
the a irbag system.
- All work on the stee ring wheel, inst rument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
158
who has the training and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that yo u see your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never install seat covers or rep lacement
u pholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags in
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the are a of the side ai rbag
module mus t always be repaired immedi
ate ly by an autho rized Aud i dealer.
- The a irb ag sys tem can deploy on ly on ce. Af
ter an airbag has been deployed, i t m ust be
rep laced with new replacement parts de
signed and approved especially fo r your A udi
model version. Replacement of complete
airbag systems or a irbag components must
be performed by qualified workshops only.
Ma ke sure that any airbag serv ice action is
e ntered in your Aud i Warranty
& Ma inte
nance booklet unde r
AIRBAG REPLAC EM ENT
R ECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
al ternator and starte r are separated from
the vehicle batte ry w ith a pyrotec hni c circ uit
interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic c ircuit interrupt
er must on ly be performed by a qua lified
techn ic ians who have the experience, in
fo rmation and specia l tools necessa ry to
perfo rm the wor k safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter is
scrapped, all app licable safety precautions
must be followed.
~
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@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Mater ial
- 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 pretens ioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa
miliar with these requirements and we recom
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for yo u.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the su spension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control un it. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy
ing when it should.
_& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac
teristics as the components originally instal
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 161 D river 's knee a irbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel
¢fig.161, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional 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 dep loy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 152 , More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe
ty belts help keep the driver 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 wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly. This is why you should a l
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requires you to do so¢
page 135, General in-
formation .
IJI>
159
Airbag system
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
be lts 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 collision .
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 correctly .
It is important to remember that while the sup
plemental knee airbag system is des igned to re
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control modu le
- 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 s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunct ion (warning/
indicator light is on) ¢
page 18.
.&, WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢page 152.
-If the airbag indica tor lig ht ¢page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inf late when it is not sup
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
160
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehicles: wi th kne e airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 162 Inflated airbags protect ing in a frontal collis ion
The 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 collisions 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 lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger ¢
page 152, fig. 159.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"c ushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex
tremities .
A ll of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they dep loy .
F ull y inflated airbags in combination with proper
l y worn safety belts s low down and limit the oc
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury .
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Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with k nee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraint s. 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 belts and airbags
to prov ide supplementa l protection.
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrect ly and im
proper seating positions increase the risk 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 a irbag locat ions . When adjust ing their
seat positions, it is important that both the
dr iver and the front passenger keep the ir
upper bod ies and knees at the followi ng
mi nimum safe distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instr ument
panel.
- at least 4 inc hes (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if yo u
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly pos it ioned and you are not wear
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy .
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without inte rference . Objects be
tween you and the a irbag can increase the
risk of i nju ry i n an accident by inte rfe ring
w ith the way the ai rbag dep loys o r by be ing
pushed into you as the airbag dep loys.
- Never let anybody, especially ch ildren o r
animals ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat . If the airbag deploys, th is
can result in ser ious or fatal injuries .
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot
well area in front of the driver's or pas
senger's seat . Bul ky objects (shopping
-
Airb ag system
bags, for examp le) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the airbag .
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure the re are no cracks , deep scratch
es o r other damage in the area of the instru
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo
cated .
- I f chi ldren are inco rrectly seated, their ris k
of injury increases in a coll is ion
c::> page 167, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 163 Sid e airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
c::> fig. 163 and the rear back
rest facing the doors . They are ident ified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags insta lled for the front seat ing
pos it ions have been des igned and certified to
help reduc e the r isk of injury that can be caused
by a irbags when they inflate, particularly when
t h e occ upant s itting next to it is not seated p rop
erly. The s ide a irbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly insta lled child re
straints. P lease be sure to read the important in
formation and warn ings whenever using a ch ild
restraint in a vehicle : Safety be lts
c::> page 135,
Airbag system c::> page 143, Child safety
<=>page 167.
The side airbag sy stem basi cally consi st s of: ..,.
161
Airbag syste m
-the e lectronic 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 ai rbag warning light in the inst rument cl us-
ter .
The a irbag system is monitored electron ica lly to
make certa in that it is function ing properly at a ll
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 a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can he lp 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 collision. The airbag deploys only in side im
pacts and on ly when the vehicle accelera tion reg
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in
to the contro l unit , the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision.
It is not pos
sible to def ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible angle of 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
t he impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 163, Important safety in
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir norma l safety function, safety
be lt s work to help keep the dr iver or front pas
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protect ion.
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Ra ther, it is part o f the overall occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re
member that the s ide a irbag system can only
he lp to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
be lt and wearing it p roperly. This is another rea
son why you shou ld always wea r you r safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires you to do
so ¢
page 135, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup
p lemental side airbag system is des igned to re-
162
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other inju
ries , for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abrasions can a lso be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certain
k inds of accidents -your safety belts are always
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are no t necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some collis ions, both front and side ai rbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill deploy
o nl y once and on ly in certa in kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts a re a lways there to offer p rotec
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not s u pposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is swit ched off
- in side co llisions when the accele rat ion meas-
ured by the senso r is too low
- in front-end collisions
-in rear-end collisions
- 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
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 163.
-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 in flate when i t is not sup
posed to, or will not infla te when it should.