
Airbag syste m
For this reason, and bec ause t he back seat is the
safest place for chi ldren -when properly restrain
ed according to the ir age and size -we strong ly
recommend that children a lways sit in the back
seat
<=> page 13 7, Child safety.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat w ill be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced Ai rbag
System.
- T he inflating a irbag w il l hit the child safety
seat or infant car rier with g reat force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat an d child
against the backrest, cen ter armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat .
-If you mus t install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safe ty seat on the front passenger seat be
ca use of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dea ler.
- Forward-facing ch ild safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and
ca use serious pe rsonal injury to the child .
A WARNING
If, in exceptio nal circumstances, you must in
stall a fo rward-facing chi ld res train t on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and ce rt ified by its man
u fa ctu rer for use on a fron t se at with a pas
senger fron t and si de a irbag .
- Never pu t the forw ard-fa cing child res tra int
up against or very near the ins trument pan
el.
- Always move the front passenger se at to
the h ighes t position in the up and down ad
justment range and move it back to the
rea rmost position in the seat's fore and aft
120
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for
ward-facing chi ld restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild rest raint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be properly posi
tioned.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER A IR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on a ll the time
whenever the ig nit io n is swi tched on.
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of serious injury, ma ke sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight will
be d isp layed whenever a ch ild rest raint is in
stalled on the front p assenge r seat and the
ignit ion is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
no t stay on, perform the checks describe d
<=> page 12 7, Monitoring the Advanced Air
bag System .
- Take the child res tra int off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions i f the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the ai rbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer immed iate ly.
- Always carefully follow instructions from
child restra int manufacturers when instal
ling child restra ints.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward or rearward-fac ing child re
stra int on the front passenger's seat:
- Improper installat ion of child restraints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from provid ing any pro tect ion.
- An improperly installed child restra int can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serious ly injure or even ki ll the child -even
w it h an Advanced A irbag System.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with the child safe ty
seat o r ca rrie r.

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If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
the instrument panel will come on and stay on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitting upright with
their back against a non-reclined backrest with
their feet on the vehicle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Feder
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined
in the electronic control unit.
c::;, page 12 7
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for childre n is properly restrained on the back
seat. Please be sure to read the important infor
mation in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed all of the WARNINGS.
A WARNING
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 117.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re-
Airbag system
straint has been installed on the front pas
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran
tee that deployment is impossible in all con
ceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child re
straints in the back seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in-
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
-Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad
justment range and move it back to the rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible, before installing the for
ward-facing child restraint.
-Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi
tioned.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
123

Airbag syste m
by being pushed into you as the airbag in
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupho lders, te lephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause in ju ry
when the supplemental side airbag de ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen
gers to travel in this posit ion.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere w it h side airbag deployment
and can cause personal i njury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an author ized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
orig inal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side a irbag mod ule m ust always
be repa ired immed iate ly by an authorized
Audi dealer .
- If children are sea ted improperly, their r is k
of injury increases in the ca se of an ac ciden t
~ page 13 7, Child safety .
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag sys tem in any way.
- In a side collision, side a irbags w il l not fu nc
t ion properly if sensors cannot correct ly
measure increasi ng air pressure ins ide the
doo rs when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r door tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the inside doo r panel and the
open ings they leave have not been proper
ly closed.
134
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed i n the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Aud i dealer or q ualified work
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup
plemental protection to properly restrained oc
cupants.
Fig. 121 S id e curt ain system, drive r's s ide : side curtain air
bag locatio n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the fro nt and rear side win
dows~
fig. 121. T hey are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshie ld frame and the cen
ter roof p illar .
The side curtain airbags contain features that provide ejection mitigation to help prevent veh i
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or part ially ejected from the vehicle
interior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll
overs .
The side c urtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll i
sion. The side curta in a irbag inflates in side im-
pacts and only whe n the vehicle acce lerat ion .,.

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& WARNING
Not using a c hild safety sea t, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the r isk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehi cle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or imp roperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of inju ry or death
through contact with an inflating airbag .
- Commercially available ch ild safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federa l
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a ch ild restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle .
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush
ion . The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either s ide . Audi does not recom
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube- like frames. They do not pro
vide adequa te contact with the sea t.
- Always heed a ll legal requ irements pe r
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully fo llow the in
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow ch ildren under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt .
They must always be restrained by a proper child restraint system. Otherwise, they
cou ld sustain injur ies to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu
vers or acc idents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat .
- Never let babies or older chi ldren ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another passenger .
- Ho ld ing a chi ld in your arms is never a sub
stit ute for a child restra int system.
Ch ild safety
-The strongest person cou ld not ho ld the
ch ild with the forces that exist in an acci
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in
jure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat . A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger a irbag in
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem.
- Make sure the re is e nough space in front of
the child in the child seat. If ne cessary, ad
just the angle and position of the se at in
front of the ch ild seat.
- The inflating airbag will h it the c hild safety
seat o r infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
-Always install rear -facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward -facing child safety seats insta lled
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause serio us injury to the chi ld. Always install for
ward-facing ch ild safety seats on the rear
seat .
- If exceptional c ircumstances requ ire the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the ch ild's safety
and well-being requ ire that the following
specia l precautions be ta ken:
- Make sure the forward -facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the man ufacturer's
instruct ions prov ided with the ch ild safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft ad justmen t range, as far away from
141

Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward -facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash .
Fig. 124 Schemat ic overview: rearward-facing infant seat,
properly installed on the rear seat
"'When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 147 or install the seat using the LA TC H
attachments.
"' Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot
move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
"'Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 142.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats des igned for their age group . Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in spec ial restraints in which the
chi ld faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby 's back, neck and head in a
crash
c!;> fig . 124.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangero us p lace for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
chi ld in a forward-facing child seat. It is a very
a:1 dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in a:,
~ a rearward-facing seat. r--. N
'"' 0 0 ::, a:,
Child sa fety
A WARNING
-Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
ch ild safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death in a crash .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat -even w ith an Advanced A irbag System .
A child will be serio usly inj ured and can be
killed when the inf lating airbag hits the
chi ld safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
c!;> page 118, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction . Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them p roperly if the seat is forward-faci ng.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances a nd the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child sa fety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
-A lways read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
c!;> page 109, Safety belts,
c:> page 117 , Airbag system and
c:> page 137, Important information.
143

Child safety
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 125 Schematic overv iew: installat ion of the attach
ments app licable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 126 Schemat ic overview: installat ion of the seat using
the vehicle 's safety belt system
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
¢ page 147 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety be lt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2 .5 cm) ¢
page 147.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 152.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 142.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in
fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg).
144
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs . (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always
be properly restrained in a child safety seat certi
fied for their size and weight¢
fig. 125 and
i=>fig. 126.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat .
It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong
ch ild safety seat or imprope rly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth
er emergency situation.
- Ch ildren on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates .
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serious ly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the chi ld safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center a rm rest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circ umstances a nd the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat. Adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif-
ficult to install the ch ild seat with the head "'

00
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00
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
P A SS ENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks descr ibed
c:> page 12 7, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the ch ild restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSENGER A IR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
r=;, page 109, Safety belts,
c:> page 117, Airbag system
and
c:> page 13 7, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas
senger can be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas
senger's seat safety belt have a convertib le lock
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat w ill stay in place .
Child safety
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re
strained for their age and size.
A WARNING
=
Improperly installed child safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision .
-
-Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An un locked safety be lt retrac
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
du ring normal driving or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a co llision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back
rest to which the center rear safety belt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se
cure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and w ill
strike parts of the veh icle inter ior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat . A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger a irbag in
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant ca rr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, cente r armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
or infant car riers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats o r infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serio us injury to the
child .
- It is sa fer to install a forward -facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
147

Child safety
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 13 7. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 118, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
_& WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described
¢ page 127, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
-An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child.
-Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in
jury in a crash.
_& WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
148
-
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad
justment range and move it back to the rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible, before installing the for
ward-facing child restraint.
-Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi
tioned.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
_& WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir
cumstances .
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi
er weight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier weight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.