
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

Airbag system
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat. 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.
- 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.
A 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
authorized Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
{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
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 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
130
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- 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 cupholders
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

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 .,.

Airbag syste m
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflat e within th e blink
of an eye at very h igh speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple
mental side curtain airbag inflates . This applies
especia lly to children <::;>
page 137.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain 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 a nd your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supp lemental protect ion.
_& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur
ta in a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air
bags can inflate without interference . Un
suitable accessories fitted inside the expan
sion range of a head airbag can dangerously
interfere w ith its function . A deploying head
airbag develops enough force to catapult
any piece of add-on component out of its
path of i nflation and into the passenger
compartment. An occ upant hit by such a
projectile can suffer serious injury or death
<::;> page 220, Technical Modifications .
-Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for
136
examp le pens) . If the airbag shou ld deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the bui lt-in coat hooks only for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with a irbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident .
- Never use hangers to hang cloth ing from
the hooks .
- On ly use factory-installed sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, only Audi roll -up
sunscreens may be used
<::;> page 220, Addi
tional accessories and parts replacement .
-Always sit in p roper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the
side curtain airbags can help p rovide protec
tion .
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the a irbag has been triggered, the
sys tem must be replaced by an authori zed
Aud i dea ler or qualified workshop .
- Always have wo rk invo lv ing the side curtain
airbag system, remova l and installat ion of
the airbag components, or other repairs
performed by an authorized Audi dea le r or
qualif ied workshop. Otherwise the a irbag
system may not work correctly.
- Never attempt to mod ify any components of
the airbag system in any way.

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Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c:> page 110, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
greater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fu lly devel
oped, they requ ire restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight, and body struc
ture. Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20- 3 5 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child . This means the weight of the
child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adult safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an accident.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young
er must always ride in the back seat proper ly re
stra ined for their age and size. If you must install
a child restra int on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
c:> page 118. Infants and other children who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re
straint that is for their size and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental side air
bags provide in some kinds of crashes.
For more information please see information
provided by the:
Ch ild safety
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http:/ /www.safe
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www.tc .gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the chi ld safety seat manufacturer's in
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
yo ur child's size
c:> page 140, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restra ints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion, we cannot re
peat it all he re. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner 's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans
porting children on the front passenger seat.
P lease be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small children.
A WARNING
-- Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seat ing pos ition. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children must be restrained prope rly whenever r iding
in a vehicle. An unrestra ined or improperly
rest rained child cou ld be inju red by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating a irbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the h ighest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acci
dent situat ions.
1 37

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00
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
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 tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight
of the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de
sign of the chi ld restraint and its "footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of the chi ld re
stra int as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footp rint" vary for different
kinds o f child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard to
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants
and typical 1 year-old child have been stored in
the control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a child restraint is be ing used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight measured by the weight sensing mat with the in
formation stored in the electronic contro l unit.
The electronic control un it also registers the ten
sion on the front passenger safety belt . The ten
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be d ifferent fo r an ad ult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a chi ld re
straint to the seat. The sensor below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger measures the tens ion on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de
cide", whether there is a child restraint w ith a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whet her o r not the a irbag must be
turned off.
Ch ild safety
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make s ure tha t it has been cer tified to mee t Safe
ty Standards and has been cert ified by its manu
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the c hild restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in exception
al circumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa
t ion on child safety and Advanced A irbags and
heed all of the applicable WARNINGS . Make cer
ta in that the ch ild restraint is correctly recog
nized by the weight-sensing mat ins ide the front
passenge r seat, that the front passenge r airbag
is turned off and that the airbag status is always
correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light .
Many types and models of child restra ints have
been avai lab le over the years, new models are in
t roduced regu larly incorporating new and im
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restra ints of the same type typically have
different weights and sizes and different 'foot
pr ints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
ch ild rest raint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These d ifferences
make it virt ua lly impossib le to certify comp liance
wi th the requi rements for advanced a irbags w it h
each and every child restraint tha t has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be so ld over the course of
the usefu l life of your vehicle .
For t his reason, the Uni ted States N ation al High
way Traffic Sa fety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and mode ls of chi ld
restraints that must be used to certify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi
cle w ith the suppress ion requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 . These child
restra ints are:
Subpart A - C ar b ed child r estra int s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 2S, 2007 R ide AA2403FOF
139

Child safety
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Cho ice December 1, 1999
204
G raco Infant 8457 December 1 , 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward -facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos-
September 2S, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.,&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious i njury, make sure
t ha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
com es on and stays on whenever a child re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
140
-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 .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immed iately.
@ Tips
The child seats listed in categor ies A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
' Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly ¢
page 143 .
.. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe
ty seat.
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor o n the safety belt
to prevent t he child safety seat from moving
c::>page 147.
.. Push the chi ld 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) .
.. 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
we ight-sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 142 .
Always remembe r: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
shou ld always ride in the back seat properly re-
strained for their age and size. .,._