
Airbag syste m
damaged, preventing them and the airbag
system from working properly.
- Never place seat covers or rep lacement 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 a irbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cush ions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The add it ional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from acc u
rately reg istering the ch ild restraint or per
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from funct ioning properly.
- If you must use a child rest raint on the front
passenge r seat and the child restraint man
ufacturer 's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the ch ild restraint, make
certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat.
- If the
PASSEN GER AIR B AG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately in
stall child restraint in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur autho rized Aud i deale r.
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-po int safety belts with pretensioners
and load limiters and the adjustable head re
stra ints to help reduce the r isk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to read the important informa tion about safety and
heed the WARN INGS in t his chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the act ivat ion of the safety belt pretensioners de
pend on the deceleration measu red by the crash
sensors and regis tered by the electronic control
unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel-
156 eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash
.
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt
u se, 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 recogn ized on the seat .
The
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
and stays on to te ll you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
q page 149, Child restraints on the front seat
some important things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in
f lates, always wea r safety belts properly.
- If you are un restrained, leaning forward, sit
ting sideways or out of position i n any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will a lso 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
q page 148.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 166 Inflated front a irbags
Safety be lts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and prov ide sup-
plemental protection in a fronta l collision . ..,.

Airbag syste m
-Never h old things i n your hands or on your
lap whe n 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 brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
ca use serious personal injury if the a irbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or nea r the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a c rash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front a ir
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing p roblems for people w ith a
his to ry of asthma or o ther b reathing condi
tions .
- T o reduce the risk of brea thing problems,
those w ith asthma or o ther respiratory con
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or o pening 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 eat ing.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the resid ue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water .
158
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
~i (USA models} / !f (Canada models}
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced A irbag System ( including the e lec
tronic control unit, sensor circuits and system
wiring) is monitored continuously to make sure
that it is functioning properly whenever the igni
tion is o n. Each time you turn on the ignit io n, the
airbag monitoring ind icator light
II (USA mod
e ls)
!E,I (Canada models) w ill come on for a few
seconds (self diag nostics).
The s ystem must be inspected when the
indicator light
fl ( USA models) tE,I
(Canada models ):
- does no t come on when the igni tion is sw itched
on,
- does no t go out a few se co nds afte r yo u have
sw itched on the igni tion, or
- comes on while driv ing.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
i ndicator light will come on to serve as a constant
r eminder to have the system inspected immedi
ate ly.
If a ma lfunction occurs that turns the front air
bag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSENGER
A IR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay o n
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
A n a ir bag system t hat is not functioning prop
e rly cannot provide sup plemental pro te ct ion
in a fronta l crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 13
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup posed to, or will not inflate when it should.

a,
a,
..... N r-N ..... 0 0
0:
co
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 167 Sect ion from the instrument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is located i n
the center of the instrument pane l¢
fig. 167 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been t urned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger sea t is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a small child or child re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go ou t if the front passenge r seat is occu
pied by an adul t as reg istered by the weight
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come
on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on t he front seat,
or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restra int 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-fac ing infant re
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Sta ndard 208 with w hich the Adva nced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front a irbag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
Airb ag sys tem
AIR BAG OFF light wi ll stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas
senger seat, the safest place for a ch ild in any
k ind of child restraint is at one of the seating po
sitions on the rear seat¢
page 149, Child re
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and r::;, page 168, Child safety.
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be su re to check the light regularly to make cer
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not appear and not s tay o n all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignit ion
off and then t urning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the child restraint . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly insta l
led and tha t the safety belt for the fro nt pa s
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed around
the child res traint as desc ribed in the c hild re
stra int man ufactu rer's instructions;
- make sure that the convert ible lo ck ing fea ture
on the safety be lt 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 be low the
safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
c:;, page 178 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passe nger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is
not blocked . Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passe nger 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-sens ing mat to measu re more weight
t han is actually on the seat.
If th e PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switc hed on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it properly at one of the rear
Iii--
159

Airbag syste m
service actio n is entered i n your Audi War
ranty
& Maintenance book let under AIRBAG
REPLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the a lternator and
the starter fr om the vehicle electr ical sys
tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
c ircuit interrupte r.
- Work on the pyrotec hnic circuit interrupt
er must only be performed by a qualified
dea ler -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all app licab le safety precautions
m ust be followed.
@) For the sake of the env ironment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi
al -specia l 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 pretens ioners are scrapped, all
app licable laws and regulat ions must be ob
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is fam iliar
w ith these req uirements a nd we recommend
t ha t you have yo ur deale r perform t his servi ce
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 e xamp le, using t ire -r im
comb inat io ns not approved by Audi, lower ing the
vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspe nsion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the fo rces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic contro l unit. Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and make the 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 fo rce levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy ing when it should .
162
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim comb inations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in
crease the r isk of serious personal injury i n a
crash.
- Never insta ll suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac
ter istics as the components origina lly in stal
led on you r vehi cle.
- N ever use tire-r im combinations that have
no t been approved by Aud i.
A WARNING
It ems stored between the safe ty belt buckle
and the cen ter conso le can cause the sensors
in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic contro l module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from working
proper ly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfe re
wit h the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 168 S ide a irbag locatio n in the d river's seat
The side airbags a re located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 168 and the rear back
rest * facing the doors . They are ident ified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag s ystem basically consi st s of :

CD
CD
.... N ,-... N ..... 0 0 C<'. 00
-the e lectron ic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags * located in the
rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the inst rument clus-
ter.
The a irbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that i t is functioning properly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system indicator light wi ll come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safe ty
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver 's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col lision . The airbag deploys on ly in side impacts
and only when the veh icle accelera tion reg istered
by the control unit is high enough . If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the s ide airbags will not be tr ig
ge red, even though the car may be badly dam
aged as a result of the collision .
It is no t possib le
to define an airbag trigge ring range that w ill cov
er every possible angle of impact, since the cir
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between one
collision and another. Important factors include,
for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the im
pacting objec t, the ang le of impact , vehicle
speed , etc .
q page 164, 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 posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can prov ide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re
member that the s ide airbag system can only
h e lp to protect you if you are wea ring your safety
be lt and wea ring it p roperly. This is ano ther rea
son why you s hou ld always wear yo ur safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires yo u to do
so
q page 140, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup
p lement al side a irbag sys tem is designed to re-
Airb ag sys tem
duce the likelihood of serious injuries , other in ju
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor
abras ions can also be associated wit h deployed
s ide airbags. 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 io n.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over -sens it ive or fa iled a irbag activation . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nl y once and only in certa in kinds of collisions -
yo ur safe ty belts are alw ays there to offer protec
t ion 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 ignit io n is t urned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in fro nt-end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents t he front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side ai rbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
--Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition ¢
page 164 .
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 13
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.
163

a,
a,
..... N r-N ..... 0 0
0:
co
by being pushed into you as the airbag in
flates.
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cupholders, telephone
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 injury
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 position.
- 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 with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury 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 authorized
Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers orto the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
c;, page 168, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper
ly closed.
Airbag system
-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 in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified 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.
£!!$Sir
Fig. 170 S ide cur ta in system, drive r's side : side cu rtain a ir
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win
dows
c;, fig. 170. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the cen
ter roof pillar .
The side curtain 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 colli
sion. The side curtain airbag inflates in side impacts 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 curtain airbag will
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. It is
not possible to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover every possible angle of impact, ..,.
165

Airbag system
since the circumstances will vary considerab ly be
tween one collision and another. Important fac
tors include, for example , the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the ang le of im
pact, vehicle speed, etc.<=>
page 166, How side
curtain airbags work .
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 collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec
tion .
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 a re wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
<=> page 140, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curtain airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abra
s ions can a lso be associated with these airbags .
Remember too, these a irbags w ill deploy only
once and only in certa in kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
-The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags
above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certain it is f unctioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self d iagnost ics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignition is turned off,
-in sid e collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
166
- in rear -end collisions.
./1. WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing position
<=> page 60, Gen
eral information .
- If the airbag indicator light<=> page 13
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 will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re
strained.
Fig. 171 Illus tratio n of principle: Inflated sid e c urta in a ir
bags o n the left s ide
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc
cupant and the windows on the side of the vehi
cle that is struck in a side collision
<=> fig. 171 .
When the system is triggered, the s ide curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam
above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protect ion, the
s ide curtain a irbag must inflate withi n the blink
of an eye at very high 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 w here the supple
mental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to ch ildren
r=> page 168 . .,..

Child safety
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 child restraint and its "footprint ", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of 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 being 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 control unit.
The electronic control unit 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 different for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re
straint to the seat. The sensor below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de
cide" , whether there is a child restraint with a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off.
170
· Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child 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
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer
tain that the child restraint is correctly recog
nized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger 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 restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in
troduced regularly incorporating new and im
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
differen t weights and si zes and different 'foot
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States National High
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007 Ride AA2403FOF