2017 AUDI A6 warning light

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l 'SI"
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward, sit­
t ing s ideways or out of pos ition in anyway,
your risk of injury is much h igher.
- You will also receive serious injur ies and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag¢
page 147.
More important things to know about front
airbags
F ig. 155 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the p roper seated position so
that a irbags can unfold properly and provide sup­
p lemental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest a nd face of the
d river 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,
- and for adjustable head restraints: the head re-
straints have been properly adjusted.
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 if the airbag in­
flates .
When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released .
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
veh icle. Th is dust is made up mostly of a powder
Airb ag sys tem
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup­
plementa l airbag system is designed to red uce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injur ies,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra­ s ions, 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 on ly in some frontal collisions
in which the vehicle deceleration is high e nough
to deploy the airbags .
Fron t airb ags will not depl oy:
- if the ignition is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when t he crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the m in imum thresh­
old needed for airbag dep loyment as registe red
by the electronic control unit.
Th e front passenger airbag also will not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the e lectr ica l ca pacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat indicates that the pas­
senger s ide frontal a irbag must be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light¢ page 159 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
-Sitt ing in the wrong position can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the drive r and passengers must al­
ways sit in an up right posit ion, must not
lea n aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be serio usly
injured by an airbag as it unfolds with great
force in the blink of an eye¢
page 148. ~
157

Airbag system
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 into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuvers 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 "A IRBAG" 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 air-
158
-
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 capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied 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 airbag to work in a way
that is different 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
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is not, or to signal 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
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win­
dows or doors .
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy , wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water .

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <.,;) 'SI'
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
~ (USA models) /!.f (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced A irbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
ligh t.
The Advanced Airbag System as we ll as the side
a ir bags and side curtain airbags with eject ion
mitigation features (including the e lectronic con­
trol unit, sensors and system w iring) are all
monitored co nti nuously to make sure that they
are funct io ni ng properly whenever the ignition is
on . Every t ime you turn on the ignition , the air­
bag system ind icator light
1B (USA models) ! E,I
(C an ada models) will come on for a few seconds
(f unction check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II ( USA models) Jfll
( Canada models) :
-does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have switched on the ign ition, or
- comes on w hile d riving .
I f an airbag system malf unct ion is detected, the
i ndicator lig ht w ill c ome on to se rve as a consta nt
reminder to h ave the system inspected immedi­
a tely .
I f a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off , the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignit io n is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
er ly cannot provide supp lemental protection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator l ight
c:::> page 17
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by your
authorized Aud i dealer. It is possible that
Airbag system
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late w hen it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
F ig . 1 56 Sect io n from t he inst ru m en t panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the inst rument panel
c:::> fig . 156 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light w ill come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic contro l unit. If the b ulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light bur ns out, the
airbag indicato r ligh t
fl (USA models) Q (Can­
ad a mode ls) will come on to signa l a mal func tion
i n the Advanced Airbag Sys tem. Although the
burned -out bulb will not change the way the
front passenger 's fronta l airbag works, it wi ll no
l onger be poss ible to use the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light to make sure that the a irbag on/
off status is correct for the occupant on the front
passenger seat . Have the airbag system inspect ­
ed immediately by your author ized Audi dealer.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about
S seconds when:
- the ignit ion is switched on and
- 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
PASSENG ER
AIR BAG OFF
lig ht is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying
liJJ>
159

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l - If the PA SSENGE R AIR BAG light st ill doe s
not c om e on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR B AG 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 chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restra ined in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light should NOT
come on whe n the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front passenger seat .
If the PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while d riving, under these c ir c umstan­
ces, make s ure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his o r her back up aga inst the bac kres t and the
backrest is not recl ined,
- the adult is not taking weight off t he 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 be ing properly wo rn 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
cu late electrical capac itance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
_& WARNING t= -
- If the status of the Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PA SSENGER AIR BA G OFF light blinks for
Airb ag sys tem
about S 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
PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small is s itting on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adu lt is properly seated and
rest rained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions. Have the a irbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer before trans­
porting anyone on the front passenge r seat .
A WARNING
-
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
i n a fronta l crash.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢page 17
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should .
A WARNING
If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild witho ut a
chi ld restraint , or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be serious ly injured and can be killed.
- Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag 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 w ith an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
except ional circumstances and the
PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
stay on, immed iately install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
~
16 1

Airbag system
-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.
_& 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 .
@ Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines 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
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-
162
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 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.
- 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

Airbag system
thresho ld stored in the control unit is met
c::>
page 157 , 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 prov ide supplemental protect ion .
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 because
the law requires you to do soc::>
page 139, Gener­
al information .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protect ion 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 collis ion .
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 correct ly.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental knee airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abras ions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates .
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control module
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignition is switched off
164 - in frontal
collisions when the deceleration
measured by the contro l unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
ind icator light is on)
<=:>page 17.
.&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
th e proper seating position
c::> page 157 .
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 17
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 inf late when it should.
How knee airbags work
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 158 Inflated a irbags protect ing in a frontal coll is io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain bu t not all fronta l co llisions.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal coll isions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the airbags f ill with a
prope llant 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 157, fig . 155. .,..

Airbag system
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests¢
fig. 159 and the rear back­
rest 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
he lp 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 a irbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
stra ints . Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
rest raint in a veh icle: Safety belts¢
page 139,
Airbag system ¢page 147, Child safety
¢ page 171.
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control modu le and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear backrest
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide air bag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side collision. The a irbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control unit is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control unit, the side airbags wi ll not be
triggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos­
sible to def ine an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary cons iderably between
one collision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (h ard or soft) of
the impacti ng object, the angle of impact, vehicle
166
speed, etc. ¢ page 167, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a side collision
so that the side airbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it i s part of the overall occu­
pant res traint system in your vehicle . Always re ­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so¢
page 139, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
a irbags w ill deploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of accidents -your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an ind icat ion
of over-sens itive or fa iled airbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflat e. Remember too, that airbags w ill deploy
on ly once and only in certain kinds of collisions -
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rea r-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curta in airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
Iii>

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <.,;) 'SI"
,&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system wi ll only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position ¢
page 167.
-If the airbag indicator light¢ page 17
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 supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 160 Inflated s ide a irbags on left side of ve hicle, rear
side airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG ".
It ex­
pands between the s ide trim panel and the pas­
senger. In order to help prov ide this add itiona l
protection, the side a irbag m ust inflate within a
fract ion of a second at very hig h speed and wi th
g reat force. The supplemental side airbag cou ld
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands . This ap­
plies especially to children ¢
page 171, Child
safety .
Supplemental side ai rbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
coll ision ¢
fig. 160 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
Airb ag sys tem
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the a irbag deploys.
This is no rma l and does not mean there is a fi re
in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the side
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 act according ly to he lp the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protect ion.
A WARNING
-.
An inflat ing s ide a irbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating posit ions increase the
r isk of ser ious perso na l inju ry and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upr ight position and never
lean against the area where the supp le­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the supplementa l side airbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the w indow .
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate w ithout interference.
- Neve r install seat cove rs or repla ceme nt
u pholste ry ove r the front seatb acks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de- ploy .
Ill>
167