Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Airbag system
electronic control unit to regula te deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the overhead console
¢page 200, fig. 158 and tells you when the
front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side
has
been turned off.
- A
sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for
the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the electronic
control unit.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre
vent the front airbag from working properly.
-
Improper repai r or disassembly of the front
passenger and drive r seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning
properly.
-Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personnel.
-Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove
the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
-Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry
sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacitive pas
senger detection mat in the front p assenger
seat will not function properly if it is punc
tur ed.
- Never carry
things on your lap or carry ob
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob
jects can influence the capacitance regis
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never
store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys
tem from working properly.
- Never place
seat covers or rep lacement up
holstery that have not been specifically ap
proved by Audi on the front seats.
196
-Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air
bag System from recognizing child re
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
-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.
-Never use cushions, pill ows , blankets, or
simila r items on the front passenger seat.
The additional laye rs p revent the capacit ive
p a
ssenger detecti on sys tem from accurately
measuring the capacitan ce of the child safe
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working properly.
- Never pl
ace or use any electrica l 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. Such
dev i
ces can influence the capac itance regis
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro
vided to the airb ag control unit.
- I f you
must use a child restraint on th e fron t
p a
ssenger seat a nd the child restrain t man
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel,
foam c u shion or something else to
properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat.
-
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in
stall child restraint in a rea r seating pos ition
and have
the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dea le r.
A WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im-
mediately.
..,,.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ..... N
G: CX)
.....
"' U"I
.....
"' .....
-If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work
ing properly
and may, for instance,
deactivate
the passenger frontal airbag . If
this happens, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the airbag indicator light fl in the instru
ment cluster.
-
If liquid is pooled on the seat, but has not
soaked in, this may also keep the airbag sys
tem from working properly and cause the
passenger frontal airbag to be enabled
(turned on), even though there is a properly
installed child
restraint system on the seat.
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger frontal airbag is turned on,
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light light
will go
out.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners
and load limiters to help reduce the risk of injury
in a wide range of accident and crash situations.
Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment
of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt
use, the front passenger frontal airbag will be
turned off ifthe electrical capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenger detection system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount
programmed in the electronic control unit. The
front passenger frontal airbag will also be turned
off if the capacitance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant
of about one year of age in one of the child seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys-
Airbag system
tern under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on to tell you when the front Ad
vanced Airbag System on
the passenger side has
been turned off c::;, page 200.
A WARNING
f-=
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in-
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
-
If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit
ting sideways
or out of position in any way,
your risk
of injury is much higher .
-
You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag ¢page 188.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 157 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and provide sup
plemental protection in a frontal collision.
The
front airbags are designed to provide addi
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
-
safety belts are worn properly,
-
the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag .
Because
airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have
placed on
the seat could become dangerous pro
jectiles, and
be pushed into you ifthe airbag in-
flates. .,..
197
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When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
It is important to remember that while the sup
plemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example swelling , bruising and minor abra
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate. Air
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supplement the three
point safety belts only in some frontal collisions
in which the vehicle deceleration is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
Front airbag s will not deploy:
-ifthe ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
-in side collisions,
-
in rear-end collisions,
-
in rollovers,
-
when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh
old needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control unit.
The front passenge r airbag will also not
deploy:
-when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
-
when the electrical capacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat indicates that the pas
senger side frontal airbag must be switc hed off
by the electronic control unit (the PASSENGER
AIR
BAG OFF light Q page 200 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of serious injury in crashes.
-To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al
ways
sit in an upright position, must not
lean against or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
198
-Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured
by an airbag as it unfolds with great
force in the blink of an eye Q page 189.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal
led
on the front passenger seat will be seri
ously injured
and can be killed if the front air
bag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
-The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing
child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear
facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Never hold
things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use.
-
-Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat. Objects could
move in
to the area of the front airbags dur
ing braking or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place
or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru
ment panel, seat backrests or between
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine those areas and yourself. These objects
could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline
the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
- Never place
or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the front
passenger seat could cause the capac itive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occup ied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in electric capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should be
off, or can cause the a irbag to work in a way
that is diffe rent from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capaciti ve passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System tha t
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signa l that it is occupied by some
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on
the seat. The presence of an ob
ject could cause the passenger front airbag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
cou ld cause the air bag to work in a way that
is different from the way it wou ld have
worked witho ut the object on the seat.
- Never tilt the front passenger seat backrest
forward when the vehicle is moving. An in
flating airbag will force the backrest back
ward and can injure rear seat occupants.
_&WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people w ith a
history
of asthma or other breathing condi
tions.
Airba g system
- To reduce the ris k of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con
ditions should get fresh a ir right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win
dows or doors.
-
If you are i n a collision in which airbags de
p loy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating.
-
Be carefu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
-Ifthe residue should get into your eyes,
f lush
them w ith water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
t~~ Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni
toring indicator light and the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curta in airbags with ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are functioning properly whenever the ignition is
on. Every time you turn on the ign ition, the a ir
bag system indica to r light II will come on for a
few
seconds ( function check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light II:
-does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
-
does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the igni tion, or
-comes on while driving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
indicator light will first start flashing to catch the
driver's attention and then stay on continuously
to serve as a constant rem inder to have the sys
tem inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air-
bag on
the passenger side off, the PASSENGER ..,.
199
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AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
wheneve r
the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop
erly cannot p rovide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash.
-
If the airbag indicato r light c::> page 15
comes when the vehicle is b eing used, have
t h e
system inspecte d immediately by your
autho rized Audi d eale r. It is possible t hat
th e air bag will inflate when it is not su p
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 158 PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the over head console c::> fig. 158.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when th e front Advanced
Airbag on
the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit. If the bulb fo r t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light burns out, t h e
airbag indicator light fB w ill co m e o n to sig nal a
malfunctio n in the Advanced Airb ag System. Al
though the burned-out bul b will not change the
way
the front passenger's front al air bag works, it
will no l
onger be possible to use the PASSENGER
AIR
BAG OFF light to make su re that the air b ag
on/off status is correct for the occupant on the
front passenger seat. H ave the airbag system in
spected immediately by you r a uthorized Audi
deale r.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about
S seconds when:
-the ignition is switched on and
200
-the capacit ive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the airbag
status (on or off} as shown by the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF lig ht is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying
t h e
front passenger seat. Always make sure t hat
th e safety belt fo r the front passenger seat is
properly fasten ed .
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 the front passenger s eat is not
occ up ied;
- will
stay on if the electrica l capaci tance meas
ured b y the capaci tive passenger detection sys
t
em for t he fron t passenger seat equals t he
c
ombined capa citanc e of an infant up to abo ut
one year of age and one of the rearwa rd -f acing
or forward -fac ing chil d restraints listed in Fed
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi
cle was
certified; For a listing of the child re
strai nts that were used to certify your vehicle 's
complia nce w ith the U .S . Safety Standard
c::>poge 214.
- w ill go out if the front passe nge r seat is occu
pied by an adu lt
as register ed by the cap ac it ive
passenger d etectio n system.
- T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must com e
on and
stay on if the igni tion is on and ...
- a car bed
has been installed on the front pas
senger seat, or
- a rea rward-facing child restraint has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, o r
- a forward-fac ing chil d
restraint has been instal
led on
the front passenger seat,
-and if the electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than ..,.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine .....
the combined capacitance of a typical l year
old
infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing child 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 189, Child re
straints on the front
seat -some important
things to know
and ~page 212, 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 continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
n
ot appea r on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soo n 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 child restraint is properly instal
led and
that the safety belt for the front pas
senger seat has been correctly routed through
the child restrain t as described in th e child re
straint manufacturer's instructions;
- 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 electrical device (such as a
laptop,
CD player, electron ic games device,
power inverter
or seat heater for child 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;
co -make sure that no seat heater has been retro-...
~ fitted or otherwise added to the front passen-
..... :::: ger seat;
Airbag system
-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 towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front 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 install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect
ed
by your Audi dealer immediately.
-move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properl y restrained in a
child
restraint that is appropriate for its size
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 adult 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 driving, under these circumstan
ces,
make sure that:
-the adult on the front passenger seat is proper
ly seated on the center of the seat cu sh ion wit h
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 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
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal
culate electrical capacitance.
201
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Airbag system
"
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
--I
-If the status of the Advanced Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
about 5 seconds to catch the driver's atten
tion. If this 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 sitti ng 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
tions. 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 functioning prop-
erly
cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
-
If the airbag indicator light Q page 15
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possib le 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
restrai nt, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-facing child re
straint that has not been properly installed
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
- 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
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
202
-If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional 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
dealer.
- 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 possi ble. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
M
ake sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is swi tched 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
Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger seat.
(1) Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
d etermines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light 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 ~
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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:
- 1
-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 cup holders
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
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.
Airbag system
-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 deploy only once. Af
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de
signed and approved especially for your
Audi
model version. Replacement of com
plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be performed by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac
tion is
entered in your Audi Warranty &
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE
PLACEMENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circuit
interrupter.
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have
the experience, in
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
-
If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules 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 with pretensioners 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 you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim ..,.
203