00
00
......
"' ,-...
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00
The shou lder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the bod y ¢
A in Safety belt position on
page 113.
.. Push
the loop- around fittings up ¢ fig. 114 @,
or
.. squeeze to gether the@ button, and push the
loop-around fittings
do wn@ .
.. Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at
tachment is p roperly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth
er important informat ion
¢ page 111.
With the front seats, the height adjustment
of the seat can also be used to adjust the po
sition of the safety belts .
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri
ous injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they a re correctly pos itioned on the body .
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive
n ess of safety be lts and will even inc rease the
ris k of injury and death by mov ing the safety bel t
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Imp roper seating
positions also increase the risk of serious inj ury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occ upant who is not in the co rrect seat ing posi
tion . A driver is respons ible for the safety of all
vehicle occupants and espec ia lly for children.
Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to ass ume an incorrect
s itting position in the veh icle wh ile traveling
¢ &, .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury a nd death wheneve r
a vehicle is be ing used.
S afet y be lts
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
are cor rectly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion¢
page 111.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts
are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equ ipped w it h safety belt
pretens ione rs . The system is activated by sensors
i n front, s ide and re a r-end collisions of great se
ver ity and in a ro llover. This tightens the bel t and
t a kes up belt slack¢.&.
in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 116.
Taking up
the slack he lps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Neve r let the belt remain over a rea r seatback
that has been folded forwar d.
{D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be ac ti
vated once.
- T he safe ty be lt pretensione rs do no t de ploy
in minor fron tal, side a nd rear -end colli
sions .
- W hen the safe ty belt pretensioners are acti
vated, a fine dust is released . This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the ve hicle .
- T he relevant safety requirements mus t be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. An autho rize d
Audi dealer or qua lified workshop is familia r
w ith these reg ulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to yo u.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmenta l
and other regulat ions if the vehicle or indi
vidua l parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have yo ur autho rized Aud i
dea ler perform t his service fo r you.
115
Airbag syste m
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possib le, before insta lling the
forward-facing ch ild restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PAS SEN GER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot
of very important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System in it. These parts include the we ight
sensing mat, sensors, w iring, brac kets, and
mo re. The function of the system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the elec tronic con
trol unit when the ignition is on. The contro l unit
monitors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the airbag indicator light on when a malfunct ion
in the system components is detected. The func
tion of the airbag indicator light is described in
greater detail below. Because the front passen
ge r seat contains important parts of the Ad
vanced A irbag System, you must take care to p re
vent i t from being damaged. Damage to the seat
may prevent the Advanced Airbag for the fron t
passenger seat from doing its job in a c rash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists
of th e follow ing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash.
- An e lectronic 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
c ides" whether the safety belt pretens ioners
sho uld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve fo r the driver ins ide the steer ing
whee l hub.
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
124
- A weight -sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat. The
information reg istered is sent cont inuous ly to
the electronic control unit to regulate deploy
ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the pas
senger s ide .
- An airbag monitoring system and ind icator
light in the instrument cluster
c::;,page 127.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis
tance between the respective seat and the
steer ing wheel or instrument panel. The infor
mat ion registered is sent cont inuously to the
elect ronic contro l unit to regu late dep loyment
of the fron t Advanced Airbags.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the cente r of the ins trument
pa nel
c::;, page 128, fig. 118 and te lls yo u when
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger
side has been turned
off .
-A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on
the safety 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
c::;, page 118, 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 be lt is latched o r not and
transmits this informa tion to the e lec tronic
cont rol un it.
_&. WARNING
D amage to the front passenger seat can pre
vent the front airbag from working prope rly .
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unctioning
properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and proper ly trained
workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
00
00
......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
place them on the seat. If the weight-sens
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob
jects on the passenger seat. Such items can increase the weight registered 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, preventing them and the airbag sys
tem from working properly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement up
holstery that have not been specifically ap
proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air
bag System from recognizing child re
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accu
rately registering the child restraint or per
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer.
Airbag system
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 and the adjustable head re
straints 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 Adv a need 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 airbag will be turned
off if the weight on
the passenger seat is less than the amount pro
grammed in the electronic control unit. The front
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the child safety seats that has been
certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
¢page 118, Child restraints on the front seat
some important things to know .
_&. 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.
125
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00
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"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
against the backrest, cen ter armrest, door
or r oof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN GER A IR 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
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by you r authorized Audi dea le r.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will in
crease the risk of in jury in a crash by inte rfer
ing w ith the way the airbag unfolds or by be
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on o r in the area of
the fron t passenger seat . Objec ts could
move into the area of the front airbags dur
ing brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious pe rsonal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- 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 pane l, seat bac krests or between
those areas and you rself. These objects
cou ld cause injury in a c rash, especially
when the airbags infla te.
- Never recline the front passenge r's seat to
transport objects . Items can also move into
the area o f the side airbag or the front air
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause in ju ry, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for peop le w ith a
Airb ag sys tem
history of asthma or othe r breath ing cond i
tions .
- To reduce the r is k of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con
ditions should get fresh a ir right away by
getting out of the vehicle or open ing win
dows or doors .
-If you are in a co llision in wh ich airbags de
p loy, wash your hands and face w ith m ild
soap and water be fore eating .
- Be carefu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches .
- If the residue sho uld get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
!I.' 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.
T he Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all monitored cont inuously to make sure that they
are functioning properly w henever the ignition is
on . Each t ime you turn on t he ignition, the airbag
monitoring indicator light
El will come on fo r a
few seconds (se lf d iagnost ics) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
E,I:
- does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds afte r you have
sw itched on the ignition, or
- comes on while driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
indicator light will come on to serve as a constant
rem inder to have the system inspected immedi
ately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air-
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER IJl,
127
Airbag system
AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop er ly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
c::> page 14
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possible that
the airbag will inf late when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 118 Sect ion from the inst rument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
c::>fig. 118.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Ai rba g on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit. Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
-will stay on if there is a small child or child re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is occu
pied by an adult as reg istered by the weight
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front seat,
or
128
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been instal
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear -facing or forward-facing infant re
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard
208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was cert ified .
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 ch ild in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po
s itions on the rear seat
c::> page 118, Child re
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and c::> page 13 7, Child safety.
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
not appear and not stay on all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the chi ld 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 around
the child restraint as described in the 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. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the seat can do
its job
c::> page 147 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and child safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passenger seat; .,.
-make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is
not blocked. Shake the safety be lt latch on the
front passenger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght still d oes
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 authori zed Audi dealer immediately.
- move the child 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 O FF light shou ld NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper 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 circ umstan
ces, make su re that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the backrest and the
back rest is not recl ined
<=? page 101, Correct
passenger seating positions,
- the adult is not taking weig ht off the seat by
hold ing on to the passenger assist handle
above the fron t passenger door o r su pporting
their weight on the armres t,
- the safety be lt is be ing p roperly wo rn and that
there is not a lo t of slack in the safe ty be lt web
bing,
- accessory seat cove rs or cushions or othe r
t h ings t hat may cause an inco rrect read ing or
impression on the weight-sensing mat under
the upho lstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
~ - a safety be lt extender has not been left in the ......
~ safety belt latch for the front passenger seat . N ...... 0 0
:::,
00
Airb ag sys tem
In add ition to the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OF F or PASSEN ·
G ER AIR BAG ON
will briefly appear in the instru
ment cluster d isp lay. This is to inform the driver
of the current front passenger airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
-An a irbag system that is not functioning prop-
erly cannot prov ide supplemental protect ion
i n a fronta l crash.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light
c:> page 14
comes when the veh icle 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 w hen it should.
A WARNING
If the fron t airbag i nflates, a chi ld without a
chi ld restraint, in a rearward-facing ch ild safe
ty seat or in a forward-facing chi ld restraint
that has not been properly installed will be
seriously in jured and can be ki lled .
- Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, especia lly 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop
erly restrained for the ir age and s ize .
- Always install fo rward or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat -even with an
Advanced Airbag System.
- 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
appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing chi ld safety seat in a rea r seat ing
position and have the a irbag sys tem in
spected by your autho rized Aud i dea ler.
- A t igh t tether or other strap on a rearward
facing chi ld restraint attached to the front
passenger sea t can put too much pressure
129
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N .-< 0 0 ::, a:,
module must always be repaired immediately by an authorized Audi dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical
information, training and special equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag compo
nents must be performed by qualified work
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE
PLACEMENT RECORD.
@) 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 safe
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regulations must be ob
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend
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
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
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.
A 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.
A WARNING
=
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic control module and prevent
the Advanced Airbag System from working properly.
-Always make sure that nothing can interfere
with the safety belt buckles and that they are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 119 S ide a irbag locatio n in the driver's seat
131
Airbag syste m
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
c:> fig . 119 facing the doors.
They are identif ied by the word "AIRBAG".
T he s ide a irbag syste m basicall y consis ts of:
-the electronic control modu le and external side
impact senso rs
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests
- the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument clus -
ter .
The airb ag sys tem is monitored electronically to
make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ign it ion, the air
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self d iagnost ics).
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the s ide of the veh icle that is struck in a s ide col
lision . The airbag deploys on ly in s ide impacts
and only when the veh icle acce leration registered
by the contro l unit is high enough. If this rate is
be low the reference value programmed into the
control unit, th e sid e airbags wi ll not be trig
gered, even though the car may be badly dam
aged as a result of the collision. It is not possible
to define an airbag triggering range that w ill cov
er every poss ible angle of impact, since the cir
cumstances w ill vary cons iderably between one
coll is ion and another. Important factors include,
for example, the nat ure (hard or soft) of the im
pacting object, the ang le of impact , vehicle
speed, etc.
c:> page 133, Important safety in
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in the event of a side collision
so that th e sid e airbags can provide protection.
The a irbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re
m ember that the side airbag system can only
he lp to protect you if you are wearing your safety
be lt and wearing it properly. This is another rea
son why you should always wear your safety
132
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
c:> pag e 109, General information .
It is impo rtan t to remembe r that w hile the sup
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju
ries, for example, swelling, bruising , and minor
abras ions can also be associated w ith deployed
s ide a irbags. Remember too, s ide airbags will de
ploy only once and only in certain k inds of acci
dents - your safety belts are always there to offer
protect ion .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle d amage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over -sens itive or fa iled airbag activat ion. In
some collisions , both front and side airbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nl y once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts are always there to offe r protec
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is tu rned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front ai rbags, side
curtain airbags and sid e airbags may be trigg ered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition
c:> page 133.
-If the airbag ind icator light c:> page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer . It is possible that
the airbag will i nflate when i t is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it sho uld.