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ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined
9page 113, Correc t
passenger seating positions,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assis t handle
above the front passenger door or suppor ting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety bel t is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading or
impression on the weight-sensing mat under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latch for the front passenger seat.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or PASSEN
GER AIR BAG ON
will briefly appear in the instru
ment cluster display . This is to inform the driver
of the current front passenger airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator light
9 page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, in a rearward-facing child safe
ty seat or in a forward-facing child restraint
that has not been properly installed will be
seriously injured and can be killed.
Airbag system
-Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certain
that all children, especially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop erly restrained for their age and size .
- Always install forward or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat -even with an
Advanced Airbag System .
- 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
appear and stay on, immediately install the
rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating
position and have the airbag system in
spected by your authorized Audi dealer.
-A tight tether or other strap on a rearward
facing child restraint attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat . The heavier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adult
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child.
- 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 adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
-- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restrained at one of the rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat .
141
Airbag system
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing , remov
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and prevent that system from working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
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 airbag 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 panel or modify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust , or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
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
142
who has the training and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you 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 without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . After an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical
information, training and special equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag compo
nents must be performed by qualified work
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the vehicle electrical sys
tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt
er must only be performed by a qualified
dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
llll-
Airbag syste m
by being pushed into you as the airbag in
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupho lders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause in ju ry
when the supplemental side airbag de ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen
gers to travel in this position.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing . Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere w ith side airbag deployment
and can cause personal i njury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an author ized
Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side a irbag mod ule m ust always
be repa ired immed iate ly by an authorized
Audi dealer .
- If children are sea ted improperly, their r is k
of injury increases in the ca se of an ac cident
~ page 151, Child safety .
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side a irbags w il l not fu nc
t ion properly if sensors cannot correct ly
measure increasi ng a ir pressure ins ide the
doo rs when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with inter io r door tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the inside doo r panel and the
open ings they leave have not been proper
ly closed.
148
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Aud i dealer or q ualified work
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup
plemental protection to properly restrained oc
cupants .
Fig. 139 Sid e curt ain system , drive r's s ide : side curtai n air
bag loca tion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the fro nt and rear side win
dows ~
fig. 139. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshie ld frame and the cen
ter roof p illar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll i
sion. The side curta in a irbag inf lates in side im
pacts and only when the vehicle accelera tion reg
iste red by the control unit is high enough. If th is
rate is be low the refere nce value prog rammed in
to the control unit, the side airbags will no t be
trigge red, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a resu lt of the co llision .
It is not pos
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since ..,.
Airbag system
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk 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.
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain 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
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to provide supplemental protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur
tain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air
bags can inflate without interference. Un
suitable accessories fitted inside the expan
sion range of a head airbag can dangerously
interfere with its function. A deploying head
airbag develops enough force to catapult
any piece of add-on component out of its path of inflation and into the passenger
compartment. An occupant hit by such a
projectile can suffer serious injury or death
¢ page 246, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for example pens).
If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
150
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be used
¢ page 246, Addi
tional accessories and parts replacement.
- Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the side curtain airbags can help provide protec
tion .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Always have work involving the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag components, or other repairs performed by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop. Otherwise the airbag
system may not work correctly.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
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Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c:> page 122, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults their
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In
many respects ch ildren are at greater risk of seri
ous injury in crashes than adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully devel
oped, they require restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight, and body struc
ture. Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20-3S mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the
child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restraints must be
used properly to be effective. Used improperly,
they can increase the risk of serious injury in an
accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in
structions to be sure the seat is right for your
child's size
c:> page 154, Important safety in
structions for using child safety seats.
Please be
sure to read and heed all of the important infor
mation and WARNINGS about child safety, Ad
vanced Airbags, and the installation of chi ld re
straints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Ai rbags in yo ur vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in chi ld restraints are
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
Child safety
information in this owner 's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe
ty of you r passengers, especially infants and
small ch ildren.
,&. WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by be ing ejected from the ve
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater r isk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inf lating a irbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the h ighest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acci
dent situations.
,&. WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates . A child in
a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously
i njured and can be killed if the front airbag in
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest or
door .
- Always install rearward-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
151
Child safety
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear
ward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat
ing position and have the airbag system in
spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions provided with the child safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible before installing the child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
152 The low risk deployment criteria are intended
to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the "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 child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride
in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. 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 can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
· Advanced Airbags and the weight -sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
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 tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight of the child and the child safety seat and a child
blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de
sign of the child restraint and its ' 'footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re- straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of-
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard to
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants .,.
.... N
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the control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a child restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight measured by the weight sensing mat with the in
formation stored in the electronic control unit .
The electronic control unit also registers the ten
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be d ifferent fo r an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re
straint to the seat. The senso r below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de
cide", whether there is a child restraint with a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restra int that you use,
make sure that it has been cert ified to meet Safe
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu
facturer for use wi th an airbag. A lways be sure
that the child restraint is properly insta lled at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception
al circumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa
tion on chi ld safety and Advanced Airbags and
heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer
tain that the child restra int is correctly recog
n iz ed by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger air bag
is t urned off and that the airbag status is always
corre ct ly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light.
Many types and models of child rest raints have
been available over the yea rs, new mode ls are in
troduced regularly incorporating new and im
proved designs and older mode ls are taken o ut of
production . Chi ld restraints are not standardized .
Ch ild restraints of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and s izes and different 'foot
prints,' the s ize and shape of the bottom of the
Child safety
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat . These differences
make it virtua lly impossib le to certify comp liance
with the requirements for advanced a irbags w ith
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States Nationa l High
way Traffic Safety Admin istrat ion has published a
list of spec ific type, makes and mode ls of ch ild
restraints that must be used to certify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i
cl e w ith the suppress ion requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These chi ld
restra ints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 2S , 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4S43 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 2S, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E venflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 84S7 December 1, 1999
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
153
Child safet y
Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -
September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 200 7
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety Sep tember 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
Graco P latinum Cargo September 25, 2007
,& WARNING
T o red uce the risk of serio us i njur y, m ake s ure
t ha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht
comes o n and stays on wheneve r a child re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is sw itche d on.
- Take the ch ild rest raint off the front passen
ger seat and insta ll it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspecte d by your
autho rized Aud i dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The ch ild seats listed in catego ries A to C have
been statica lly tested by Au di only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in on occident!
As the driver, you are respons ible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially chi ldren:
... Always use the r ight chi ld safety seat for each
c h ild and a lways use it properly
¢ page 156.
154 ...
Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufact urer 's instructions on how to route
the sa fety be lt properly thro ugh the ch ild safe
ty seat.
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first act ivate the
convertib le lock ing retracto r o n the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
¢ page 160.
... Push the ch ild sa fety sea t down wi th yo ur fu ll
weigh t to get the safety belt rea lly tight so tha t
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm).
... If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenge r seat, make
sure that it is not so tight t hat it causes the
weight -sensing mat to measure more weight
t han is actually o n the seat .
... Secu re unused safety belts on the rear s eat
¢ page 156.
Always remember : Even though your veh icle is
equipped wi th an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, especially those 12 yea rs and you nger,
s h ould always ride in th e back sea t proper ly re
strained for their age and s ize.
,& WARNING
-
Not usin g a child sa fe ty seat, us ing t he wrong
c h ild safety seat or imprope rly installing a
chi ld restraint inc reases t he risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and es pecially children
m ust always be restra ined properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestra ined o r imprope rly restrained
c h ild ca n be injured or killed by bei ng
t h rown ag ai nst the inside of the vehicle or
b y being ejected from it durin g a sudden
maneuver o r impact.
- An unrestra ine d or i mprope rly restrained
ch ild is at much g reater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air
bag .
- Commerc ia lly available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada C MVSS 213). ...