a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
greater detail below. Because the front passen
ger seat contains important parts of the Ad
vanced A irbag System, you must take care to pre
vent it from being damaged. Damage to the seat
may prevent the Advanced Airbag for the front
passenger seat from doing its job in a crash .
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sis ts
of the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/decelerat io n to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also "de
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
shou ld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A weight -sensing mat under the upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat . The
information registered is sent continuously to
the electron ic control unit to regulate deploy
ment of the front Adva need A irbag on the pas
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light i n the instrument cluster
¢page 140.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor
mation reg istered is sent cont inuous ly to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the fro nt Adv a need A irbags.
- T he
PASS EN GE R AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l¢
page 140, fig . 149 and tells you when
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenge r
side has been turned off.
- A sensor below the safety belt latch fo r the
front seat passenger to meas ure the tension on
Airb ag sys tem
the sa fety belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight-sens
ing mat help the control unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned off or not¢
page 131, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know.
- 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 t he electronic
cont rol un it.
_& WARNING
Damage to the front passenge r seat can pre
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Imp roper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unctioning
properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat o r disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sh arp objects in your pocke ts or
p lace them on the seat. If the weight-sens
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in
formation 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, p reventing them and the airbag sys
tem from working p roper ly.
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up
holstery that have not been specifically ap
p roved by A udi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir
bag System from recognizing chi ld
137
Airbag syste m
-Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, 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
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 a ir
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.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breath ing problems for people w ith a
history of asthma or other breathing condi
t ions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other respiratory con
ditions should get fresh air right away by
gett ing out of the vehicle o r opening w in
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de
ploy, wash your hands and fa ce with mild
soap and water before eat ing.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
o r into any cuts or sc ratches.
- If the resid ue should get into yo ur eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
~i ( USA model s) /!f (Canada models )
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 (including the elec
tron ic co ntrol unit, senso r ci rcuits and system
wiring) is monitored continuously to make su re
140
that it is functioning properly whenever the igni
tion is on. Every time you turn on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light
II (USA models) I
E,I (Canada models) will come on for a few sec
onds (function check).
The system must be in spected wh en th e
indicator light
fl ( USA models) 1m
( Canada models ):
- does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
sw itched on the igni tion, or
- comes on while driving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected the
indicator light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi
ately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air
bag on the passenger side off, the
PAS SEN GER
AI R BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on .
A WARNING ...
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
e rly cannot provide supplemental protect ion
in a fro nta l crash.
- If the a irbag ind icator light ~ page 17
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le tha t
the airbag will i nflate when it is not sup
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should .
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 1 49 Section from the instrume nt panel: PASSENGER
N
"' .. ~ ' "" (X) ID
AIR BAG OFF light ....
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
(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
P ASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Installing, remov
ing, servicing o r repa iring a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a pa rt of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly in a co llision.
There are some importa nt things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repair proce
dures can increase the r isk 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 a irbag cover or the in
strument panel or mod ify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
er ing 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
cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the mater ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the stee ring wheel, instr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellu lar telephones and CB radios, etc .)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airb ag sys tem
who has the training and special equ ipment
necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strong ly 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 a irbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi .
- Never use addi tional seat cushions that
cove r the areas where the side airbags in
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi
ate ly by an authorized Aud i dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . A fter an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technic ian who has the technical
information, t raining and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new rep lacement
parts des igned and approved especially for
your Aud i model version. Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo
nents must be performed by qualified work
shops only. Ma ke sure that any airbag serv
ice act ion is en tered in your Aud i Wa rranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is dep loyed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the veh icle electrical sys
tem for safety reasons w ith a pyrotechnic
circu it interrupter.
- Wo rk on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inte rrupt
er must on ly be performed by a qu alified
dealer -risk of an acc ident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter is
scrapped, all applicable safe ty p recautions
must be followed .
143
Airbag syste m
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 a irbags 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 comb ination with proper
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc
cupant 's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of inju ry .
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
App lies to : ve hicles w ith knee a irbags
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 ser ious in
jury. Wea ring safety bel ts incorrectly and im
proper seating positions increase the r isk 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 locat ions. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies and knees at the following
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, 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 .
146
-Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference. Objects be
tween you and the airbag can increase the
r isk of injury in an accident by interfering
w ith the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the a irbag deploys .
- Never let anybody, especially children or anima ls 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 (shopp ing
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the a irbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure there are no crac ks, deep scratch
es o r othe r damage in the area of the inst ru
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo
cated.
- I f ch ildren are i ncorrectly se ated, their risk
of injury i ncreases in a col lision
~ page 150, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The a irbag system con provide supplemental
protec tion to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 152 S ide a irbag locat io n in th e dri ver's seat
The side airbags a re located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests
Q fig . 152. They a re identi
fied by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag sy ste m ba sically con sis t s of: IJII>
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear
ward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat
ing posit ion and have the airbag system in
spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and s ide airbag .
- Always follow the manufac turer 's instruc
tions provided with the chi ld 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 possib le before installing the child
restra int. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upr ight position.
-Always make sure that the
PA SSENGER AIR
B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
Always replace ch ild restraints that were in
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visib le could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your veh icle is equipped with a front "Advanced
A irbag System" i n compliance w ith United States
F edera l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard ( FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Ve hicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in your ve hicle has
been ce rtified to meet the " low-risk" requ ire
ments for 3 -and 6-yea r old children on the pas
senger side and sma ll adults on the driver side .
Child safety
The low risk deployment criteria a re intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the a irbag that can occur, for example, by be ing
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 ch ild rest raints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your veh icle is equipped with an Ad·
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
those 12 yea rs and you nger, sho uld a lways ride
in the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous p lace for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
' Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle de
tects the presence of an infant or chi ld in a chi ld
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 tens ion on the
safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight of the child and the chi ld safety seat and a child
blanket on the front passenger seat . The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de
s ign of the child restra int and its "footprint", the
s ize and shape of the bottom of the ch ild re-
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a ch ild
restra int and its "footprint" va ry for different
k inds of child restra ints and for the different
models of the same kind o f chi ld rest raint of -
fered by chi ld restraint manufacturers.
T he we igh t ranges for the indiv id ual types,
makes and mode ls of ch ild restraints that the
NH TSA has specified in the Safety Standard to
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants .,.
15 1
Intelligent Technology Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road ho lding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid
ding and loss of vehicle control. It works only
when the engine is runn ing . ESC detects certain
d ifficult driving situat ions, including when the
vehicle is beginn ing to spin (yaw) out of control
and helps you to get the veh icle back under con
tro l by selectively braking the wheels , and/or re
ducing engine powe r and provid ing steering as
sistance to help ho ld the veh icle on the driver 's
intended course. The indicator light
bJ in the in
strument cluster blinks when ESC is taking action
to help you contro l th e vehicl e.
The follow ing systems a re integr ated in the ESC:
Anti -lock braking system (ABS )
ABS preve nts the wheels from lock ing up when
b raking . The ve hicle can still be stee red even dur
in g ha rd brak ing . Apply steady pressure to the
b rake pedal. Do not p ump the pedal. A pu lsing in
the brake pedal indicates tha t the system is help
ing you to brake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist sys tem can dec rease braking dis
tance .
It increases brak ing power when the d rive r
pr esses the brake pedal q uickly in eme rge ncy sit
uations . You m ust press and hold the b rake pedal
unti l the situation is over . In vehicles with adap
tive cruise control* , the brake assist system is
mo re sensitive if the distance det ected to the ve
h icle ahead is too small.
Anti -slip regulation (ASR)
ASR red uces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin to spin and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler
ate and dr ive up h ills.
gi Electronic differential lock (EDL ) ...... N
~ The ED L br ak es w heels that a re spi nnin g and
8 trans fers the drive power to the othe r drive LL 00
Intellig ent Technology
whee l or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is not avai lable at
highe r speeds.
In extreme cases , EDL automat ic all y swi tches off
to help keep t he b rake on the braked wheel from
overheating . EDL will switch on again automati
ca lly when cond itions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
T he ES C helps to s tabilize the vehicle by changing
the s teering torque.
In veh icles with dynamic steer ing*, ESC a lso
helps to stab ilize the steer ing in crit ica l sit ua
tions.
Electronic interaxle differenti al lock */
selective wheel torque control*
T he elect ronic inte raxle d iffere ntial lo ck (front
whee l dr ive) o r the sele ct ive whee l torque co ntro l
(a ll w heel d rive) operates when driving thro ugh
cu rves. The front wheel on the inside of the curve
o r both wheels on the inside of the curve are
braked selectively as needed. This allows more
precise driving in curves . The applicab le system
may not activate when driving in wet or snowy
condit ions .
A WARNING
--The ESC and i ts integrated systems ca nnot
overcome the laws of physics. This is espe
cially importa nt on slippery or wet roads. If
the systems begin act ing to sta biliz e your
veh icle, you shou ld immedi ate ly change
your speed to match the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt yo u to
take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of
a loss of vehicle control, collision and seri
ous personal injur ies .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions . The risk of losing con
trol of the vehicle increases when driv ing
too fast, especially through curves and o n
slippe ry o r wet roads , and whe n driving too
close to ve hicl es up ahea d. The ESC and its
integ ra t ed systems cannot always preven t
collis ions -the re is s till a risk o f accidents!
167
Intelligent Technology
-Always acce le rate with special care on even,
smoot h surfaces such as those that are wet
o r covered with ice and s now. The dr ive
wheels can s pin even with these ass istance
systems that cannot always h elp to reduce
t h e risk of loss of v ehicle con trol. t
ir es. Diff eren t tire si zes c an lead to a red uc
t ion in en gine power .
- Y ou may hear noises whe n the sys tem s de
sc ribe d are working .
{D) Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work co rrectly whe n all
fo ur whee ls are e quipped w ith ide ntica l
Switching on/off
£SC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig . 163 Versio n A: lower cente r co nso le,~ OFF button Fig. 164 Version B : upper center co nso le, ~ OFF button
T he ESC is des igned to function in leve ls. Depe nd
i ng on t he level th at i s sele cted, the s tabili zation
f unc tion of the E SC is limited or sw itched off. The
amo unt of stabi liza tio n con trol will d iffer de
pendi ng on the level. -
Roc king the ve hicle to free it w hen i t is stuck
- Dr iving in d eep snow or o n loose g ro und
- Dr iving with snow chains
Th e fo llo wing s itu ations are ex cep tion s where i t
may be usef ul to sw itch on s po rt mo de to allow
the wheels to spin:
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off
Behavior
T he ESC and ASR stabiliza -
The sta bilization funct ion is
tion f unct io ns are limite d not available
¢ &
. ES C and
¢ &. . ASR are switched off.
Operation Press the I.$ OFF I b utton P re ss and hol d the l.$ OF FI
briefly . button longer than 3 sec-
onds .
Indicator II turns on. Iii and lf111•)H turn on.
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC ): Stabilization control (ESC ):
sages Sport. Warning! Restricted off . Warning! Restricted
stab ility stability
168
Sport mode off or
ESC /ASR on
T he f ull stabilization func -
tion of the ESC an d ASR is
avai lab le aga in.
Press the I.$ OFF I but ton
a g ai n.
II turns off or II and
lf11ft)H turn off .
Stabilization control
(ESC ): On
N N ><'. 00
It is only possible to turn off the ASR up to 30
mph (SO km/h) for vehicles with front wheel
drive. At about 45 mph (70 km/h) it automatical
ly turns on again. It is possible to turn off the
ASR at any speed for vehicles w ith all whee l
drive .
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on o r
switch ESC/ASR
off if your driving abilities
and road conditions permi t.
- The s tabilization function is limited when
sport mode is sw itched on. The driving
w heel s co uld spi n and the vehicle cou ld
swerve, es peci ally on s lick o r slip pery road
s u rfaces.
- T here is no vehicle st abiliz ation when ESC/
ASR a re swi tched of f.
{D) Tips
ESC/ASR cannot be sw itched off or sport
mode can not be switched on when c ruise con
t rol or adaptive c ruise contro l* is switched on .
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped wi th an Event Data Re
corde r (E DR). The main purpose of an EDR is to
reco rd, in ce rtain c rash o r ne ar cras h-like sit ua
tions, such as an a irbag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle , data that will assis t in understand
ing how a vehicle's systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data re lated to veh icle dy
namics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:
- How vario us systems in you r vehicle were oper
at ing;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
gi belts were buckled/fastened; ......
~ - How fa r (if at all) the driver was depressing the
N ~ acce le rato r and/o r bra ke peda l; and,
0 LL 00
Intellig ent Technology
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
T hese data can help p rovide a bette r understand
i ng of the circumst ances in w hich cras hes and in
ju ries occu r. NOTE: EDR data ar e recorded by your
vehicle on ly if a non -trivial crash s ituation occurs;
no data are reco rded by the ED R under norma l
driv ing cond itions and no persona l data (e .g .,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re
corded. However, other parties, such as law en
forcement, could comb ine the EDR data with the
type of personally identify ing data rout inely ac
quired d uring a c rash investigation .
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equ ip
ment is required, and access to the vehicle or the
E DR is needed . In addition to the ve hicle manu
factu rer, other part ies, such as law e nfo rcement,
t h at have the special equipment, can rea d the in
f o rmat io n if they have a ccess to the vehicle or the
ED R.
Some sta te laws restrict the retrieval o r down
l oad ing of data sto red by ED Rs ins talled in a veh i
cl e for the exp ress p urpose of re triev ing da ta af
ter an acci dent or crash event without the own
er 's consent .
Audi will not a ccess the EDR and/or sim ila r data
o r g ive it to o thers -
- unless the veh icle owne r (or lessee if the vehi
cle has been leased) ag rees; o r
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the jud ic ia l
discovery process.
-Aud i may a lso use the data fo r research abo ut
veh icle operation and safety perfo rmance or
prov ide the data to a third party for research
purposes witho ut ide ntify ing the specific veh i
cle or i nfo rmat ion about the ident ity of its own
er or lessee and only afte r th e re co rded veh icle
d ata has been a ccessed.
Vehicle control modules
You r vehicle is also equ ipped w ith a number of
electronic cont rol modules for various vehicle
systems, such as e ngine ma nagement, em iss ion
c o ntro l, airbags , a nd safety be lts . .,,.
169