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If there are snow cha in laws, snow chains must
a lso be used on vehicles with a ll wheel drive
¢ page 349, Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles w ith all wheel dr ive, only whee ls w ith
the same ro lling circumference shou ld be used .
Avoid using tires w ith different tread depths
¢ page 340, New tires or wheels .
.&_ WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with all wheel drive, adapt
yo ur dr iv ing style to the current road and
traff ic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into tak ing risks,
because th is increases the r isk of an acci
dent .
- The braking ability of your veh icle is limited
to the tract ion of the wheels . In this way, it
is not diffe rent from a two wheel dr ive vehi
cl e. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slippe ry, be
ca use this increases the risk of an accident.
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hyd roplane" if d riving at speeds that
are too high . Unlike front whee l drive
vehicles, the engine does not rev higher su d
denly when the vehicle begins hyd roplaning .
For this reason, adapt your speed to the
road conditions to reduce the risk of an acc i
dent .
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
W hen a ve hicle w ith a convent ional energy sys
tem is not driven for a long tim e, the vehicle bat
t ery is dra ined by equipment (fo r example, the
i mmobilizer). In certain circumstances, there
could may not be enoug h energy to start the en
gine .
Intellig ent Technology
Your vehicle is equipped with an intell igent ener
gy management system for dist ributing electrici
ty . Th is sign ificantly improves the start ing ability
and increases the vehicle battery life.
T he ene rgy management system Is made up of
battery diagnosi s, idling cu rrent management ,
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
T he battery diagnos is determines the vehicle ba t
te ry charge level. The sensors determine the bat
te ry vo ltage, the batte ry cu rrent, and the battery
temperat ure. The cur rent charge level and the
performa nee of the vehicle battery a re deter
mined based on this.
Idling current management
T he idling cur rent management decreases the
energy used while parked . With the engine
switched off, it ma nages the energy distribution
to the d ifferent e lectr ica l components . Data from
the battery d iagnosis is taken into account for
th is.
Depending on the vehicle battery charge level,
electrical equ ipment is switched off one item af
ter the other to prevent the vehicle battery from
dra ining and to ma intain the starting ab ility .
Dynamic energy manag ement
While driving, dynamic energy management dis
t ributes the appropr iate amo unt of energy to the
electrical eq uipment. It contro ls the battery
charge level so that the amount of energy is not
greater than the amount being generated in or
der to maintain an optimal vehicle battery charge
level.
(0 Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome the
laws of physics . Note that the charge level
and length of the veh icle bat tery life are
limited.
- Whe n the sta rting ability is endangered, the
i•) in dicator light t urns on r=v page 27.
153
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doing its job in a crash.
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sists
of t he follo wing :
-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 electronic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control 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
shou ld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver ins ide the steer ing
wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A capac itive passenger detect io n system unde r
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys
tem measures the elect rical capac ita nce of the
person in the seat. The i nformation registe red
is sent continuously to the electron ic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light
m in the instrument cluster .
- A sensor in each front seat reg isters the dis
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced A irbags .
- The
PA SSENG ER AIR B AG OFF ~; ON @ light
comes on in the headliner ¢
page 285,
fig. 241 and tells you the status of the Ad
vanced Airbag on the passenge r side .
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transm its this info rmat ion to the elect ronic
c ontro l unit.
Airb ag sys tem
_& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from funct ion ing
properly .
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat .
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat . The capacit ive pas
senger detect ion mat in the front passenger
seat will not function p roperly if it is punc
tured.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob
jects on the front passenger seat. S uch ob
jects can influence the capacitance reg is
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect informa tion is pro
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store i tems unde r the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys
tem from working proper ly.
- Never p lace 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 A ir
bag System from recognizing chi ld re
stra ints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restra int system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, p illows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenge r seat .
281
Airbag syste m
The additio na l l ayers prevent the capacitive
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capac itance of the ch ild safe
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working p roperly.
- Never place or use any electrical device (such as a laptop, CD player, elect ronic
games dev ice, power inverte r or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-vol t
socket or the cigarette lighter socket . S uch
devices can infl uence the capacitance regis
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro
vided to the airbag control unit.
- If you must use a c hild 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 prope rly position the ch ild restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
~; light comes on and stays on whenever
the chi ld restraint is installed on the front
passenge r seat .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not come on and s tay on , immediate ly
ins tall child restra int in a rea r seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspected
by you r A udi dealer.
_& WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im
mediately.
- If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the a irbag system from work
ing prope rly and may, for instance, deact i
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~;
light will come on and stay on togethe r with
the a irbag ind icator
light E,I in the inst ru
men t cluster.
- If liquid is poo led on the seat, bu t has not
soa ked i n, this may also keep the airbag sys
tem from wo rking properly and ca use the
passenge r frontal a irbag to be enabled
(tu rned on), even though there is a properly
282
installed child rest raint system on the seat .
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect.
If the
front passenger fronta l airbag is turned on,
t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light light
w ill go out.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced A irbag System and the side
airbags supp lement the p rotection offered by the
front three-point safety be lts and the adjustable
head restraints to he lp reduce the risk of injury in
a wide range of accident and crash situat ions. Be
sure to read the important i nformat ion about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter .
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de pend on the dece leration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the elec tronic contro l
u nit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel
e ration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object invo lved in the cras h.
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt
u se, the front passenge r frontal airbag will be
turned off if t he e lectr ica l capaci tance m easured
by the capaci tive p assenge r detection system o n
t h e fron t passenger sea t is less th an the amou nt
programmed in t he e lec tronic cont ro l unit. The
front passenger frontal airbag wi ll also be turned
off if the capacitance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant
of about one year of age in one of the child seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
comes on and stays on to tell you whe n the front
Advanced Airbag System on the passenge r side
has been tu rned off~
page 285.
_& WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in
f lates, always wea r safety belts prope rly.
- If you are un res trained, leaning forward, sit
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your r isk of injury is much higher.
Airbag system
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when 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 braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal 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 panel, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, 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 air bag during braking or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
284
-
projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the front passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in electric capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should be
off, or can cause the airbag to work in a way
that is different from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is not , or to signal that it is occupied by some
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob
ject could cause the passenger front airbag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that
is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing condi
tions .
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening 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 eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water .
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Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the fun ction of
the A dvanced Airbag System: the
El ligh t and
t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; ON @ Light.
The Advanced Airbag System as we ll as the side
a ir bags and side c urta in air bags with ejec tion
m it iga tion fea tures ( in cludi ng the e lectro nic con
tro l uni t, sensors and sys tem wiring) are a ll
monitored co nti nu ously to ma ke sure that they
are funct ioning properly whenever the ignition is
on. Every t ime you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system ind icator
light E,lwill come on for a
few seconds (function check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicato r light
E,I:
- does not come on when the ignit ion is switched
on
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, o r
- comes on w hile driving
If an airbag sys tem malf unct ion is de te cted, the
indicator light w ill come on to serve as a co nstant
remi nder to have the system inspected immedi
ately .
If a mal function occurs that turns the front air
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF~.
lig ht w ill come o n an d stay on
whenever the ignit ion is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct io ning prop
erly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicato r light¢
page 29
comes whe n the vehicle is be ing used, have
th e sys te m in spect ed immed iate ly by yo ur
au tho riz ed Aud i deale r.
It is possible that
th e air bag will i nflate w hen it i s n ot su p
p osed to, o r will not i nfla te whe n it shou ld.
Airbag system
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF '1; ON @ light
Fi g. 241 Sect io n from t he headli ner: PASSENGE R AIR BAG
OFF~ ; ON
@ light
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @ light is
located in t he headliner ¢
fig. 241.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light will come
o n and stay on to tell you w hen t he fro nt Ad
van ced Air bag o n the p assenge r side has been
tu rned
off by t he e lec tron ic control unit. If the
bulb fo r the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @
light b urns o ut, t he a irbag ind icator light El w ill
come on to signal a ma lfunction in the Advanced
Airbag System. Altho ugh the burned-out b ulb
will not change the way the front passenger's
frontal a irbag works, it w ill no longer be possible
to use the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @
ligh t to make s ure that the airbag on/off s tatus is
c or rec t fo r th e o ccu pan t on the front passenge r
sea t. Have the airb ag system inspec ted immedi
ate ly by yo ur au thorized A udi d ealer .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @ light
will blink for about S seconds when:
- the capacit ive passenger detection system,
which switc hes the front sea t passe nger's fron
tal Advanced Airbag o n and off, detects a
change in the st atus of the front pa sse nger
se at.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON
@ light s tops blin kin g, a lways make sure that the
air bag st atus (on o r off) as shown by the ligh t is
prope r for the age, size and e lec trica l capacitance
of t he perso n occ up ying the front passenger
seat . Always ma ke sure that the safety be lt fo r
t h e front passenger seat is proper ly fastened .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~;/ PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON
@ light will show the statu s of the ..,.
285
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alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circ uit interrupt
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all app licab le safety precautions
must be followed .
® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les a nd pretension
ers might be classified as Perch lorate 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 and
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa
m iliar with these requi rements a nd we recom
mend t hat you have you r 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-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicl e, chang ing the s tiffness of the suspens io n,
in clud ing the spr ings, suspens ion str uts, shock
absor bers et c. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic contro l unit. Some suspension 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 ki nds of
changes may reduce the fo rce levels meas ured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy in g when i t should .
Airbag sys tem
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 pe rformance charac
teristics as the components o rigina lly ins tal
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations t hat have
not been approved by Audi.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 2 42 Sid e airbag location in t he drive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢ fig . 242 and the rear back
r es t* facing the doo rs.
The side airbags installed for the front seating
pos itions have bee n des igned and certified to
help reduce the risk of in ju ry that can be caused
by a irbags when they inflate, pa rticu larly when
the oc cupant s itting next to it is not seated prop
erly . T he side airbag for the fron t passenger seat
can be used w it h properly installed chi ld re
straints . Please be sure to read the important in
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restra int in a vehicle: Safety belts
c::> page 265,
Airbag system c::> page 273, Child safety
c>page295 .
The side airbag sy stem ba sica lly consi st s of: II>
289
Airbag syste m
-the e lectronic contro l modu le and external side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- two rear side airbags*
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter .
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the air
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear* passenger 's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
s ide collision . The airbag dep loys only in side im
pacts and on ly wh en the vehicle acceleration reg
iste red by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in
t o the control unit, the side airbags w ill not be
tr iggered , even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision .
It is not pos
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
w ill cover every possib le ang le of impact , since
the c ircumstances wi ll vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another . Important factors in
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, v ehicle
speed, etc.
c::> page 291 , Important safety in
s tructions on the side airbag sys tem.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help k eep the driver or front pas
senger in position in the event of a side collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather , it is part of the overa ll occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wea ring it properly . Th is is another rea
son why you should always wear your safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires you to do
so ¢
page 265 , General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup
plemental side a irbag system is des igned to re-
290
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certa in
k inds of acc idents -your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage 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 offer 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 side airbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating pos ition
c::> page 291 .
-If the airbag ind icator light c::> page 29
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 i t is not sup
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.
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 295, 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.
292
- 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 airbags can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained oc cupants.
Fig. 244 S id e curta in airbags, driver 's side : locatio n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win
dows
¢ fig. 244.
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from be ing
completely or part ially ejected from the vehicle
i nterior i n certa in side impacts and vehicle roll
ove rs .
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 in a
side collision . The s ide curtain a irbag inflates in
s ide impacts and on ly when the veh icle ac celera
tion registered by the control unit is high
eno ugh . If this ra te is be low the refere nce va lue
programmed into the contro l unit, the side cur
tain airbag will not be triggered, even though the
car may be badly damaged as a result of the ..,_