
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

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Airbag sy ste m
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 Airbag system
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 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

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Airbag system
combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit. 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 serious personal injury in a
crash.
-Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac
teristics as the components originally instal
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim
combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained front
seat
occupants.
Fig. 159 Driver's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel Q fig. 159, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
204
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 deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy
in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
Qpage 197, 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
always wear your safety belt, not just be ca use
t h e law requires you
to do so~ page 180, Gener
al notes .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
example 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 designed 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 module .,.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine -Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera
tor),
one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
-The airbag indicator light in the overhead con
sole
The knee airbag syste m will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
-in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
-
in side collisions
-
in rear-end collisions
-
in rollovers
-
in the event of a system mal function (warning/
i ndicator light is on) ~page 15.
A_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
prov i
de protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position ~page 197.
-If the airbag indicator light~ page 15
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.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 160 Inflated airbags protecting in a frontal collision
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen
ger deploy in certain but not all frontal collisions.
Airbag system
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 lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger~ page 197, fig. 157.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help
to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex
tremities.
All of 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 deploy.
Fully inflated airbags
in combination with proper
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
wear
safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection .
.&. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in
j u
ry. Wearing safety belts incorrectly 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 airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum
safe distances: ~
205

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Airbag system
-at least 10 in (25 cm) between the chest
and the steering wheel/instrument panel.
-
at least 4 in (10 cm) between the knees
and the lower part of the instrument pan
el.
- The risk
of personal injury increases if you
lean forward
or to the side, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy.
- Always
make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfering
with
the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
- Never
let anybody, especially children or
animals ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious 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. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) 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 there are no cracks, deep scratch
es or other damage in the area of the instru
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo
cated.
-If children are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a collision
~page 212, Child safety.
206
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front
seat occu
pants .
Fig . 161 Side airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests Q fig. 161 facing the doors.
They
are identified by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
help reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
the occupant sitting next to it is not seated prop
erly. The
side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re
straints. Please be sure to read the important in
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts Q page 180,
Airbag system Q page 188, Child safety
¢page 212.
The side airbag syste m b asica lly consist s o f:
-
the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
-the two side airbags Located in the sides of the
front backrests
-the airbag warning light in the overhead con
sole.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics). Iii>