
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 :

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-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

Airbag system
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 169 Infla ted side airbags o n lef t s ide of vehicle
0
9 a: co a,
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex
pands between the side trim panel and the pas
senger . In order to help provide this additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with great force. The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap
plies especially to children
¢ page 168, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collision
¢ fig . 169 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle.
164
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
_& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
-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 de ploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
-
-Objects between you and the airbag can in
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
~

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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 . .,..

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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 pa rt of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not m ean th ere is a
fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemen tal res traints. Always
properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a proper
seating position .
The re is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to provide supplemental protection.
A 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 place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur
tain airbags 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 with its function. A deploying head
airbag develops enough force to catapult
any piece of add-on component out of its
path of inflation and into the passenger
compartment . An occupant hit by such a
projectile can suffer serious injury or death
¢ page 278, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for
example pens). If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
Airbag system
-Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- Only 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 278, Addi
tional accessories and parts replacement .
-Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the side curtain airbags can help provide protec
tion .
- The airbag system can only be triggered once .
If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Always have work involving the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag components, or other repairs
performed by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop. Otherwise the airbag
system may not work correctly.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
167

Child safety
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
¢ page 141, 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
g reater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully devel
oped, they require restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, weight, and body struc
ture. Many countries 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 20-35 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
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an acc ident.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young
er must always ride in the back seat properly re
stra ined for their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restraint on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
¢
page 149. Infants and other children who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re
straint that is for their si ze 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:
168
- 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 child safety seat manufacturer's in
structions in order to be sure the seat is right fo r
your chi ld's size ¢
page 171, 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 here. We urge you to read the detailed
i nformation in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please 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 restra ined prope rly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An un restrained 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 improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating airbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acc i
dent situat ions.

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A WARNING
Child ren on the front seat of any car even w ith
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. 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 in
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN
G ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po
sition and have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest 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
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for
ward-facing child restraint .
- Always ma ke sure that the safety bel t upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the chi ld restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi
tioned.
Ch ild safety
-Always make sure that the PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
@ Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another collision situat ion.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa rd (FMVSS)
208, as we ll as Canada Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
T he Advanced A irbag system in you r vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require
ments fo r 3- and 6-year old ch ildren on the pas
senger side and sma ll adu lts on the driver side.
T he low risk deployment criter ia are intended to
reduce the risk of injury t hrough interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates . In addition, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front a irbag fo r infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas
senger seat in c hild rest raints t hat are lis ted in
the Standard.
E ven though your veh icle is eq uipped wit h an Ad
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
those 12 yea rs and younger, should a lways ride
in the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous p lace for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place fo r an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
169