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Monitoring the
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 cte d, 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 15
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 infla te whe n it shou ld.
Airbag system
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF '1; ON @ light
Fi g. 163 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. 163.
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 ..,.
209
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-For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
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 stiffness of the suspens io n,
in clud ing the spr ings, suspens ion str uts, shock
absorbers 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 wh ich 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 persona l 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.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen
tal protection to prop erly restrained front sea t
occupants.
F ig. 16 4 D river 's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
u nderneath the steering whee l
~fig. 164, the
airbag fo r the p asse nger is at about the same
height in the instr ument pane l underneath the
glove compa rtment.
T he knee airbag offers add itiona l protection to
the driver's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
lower thigh areas and supp lements the protec
tion provided by the safety be lts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags a lso
deploy in fron tal coll is ions when the deploymen t
threshold stored in the cont rol un it is me t
~ page 207, More important things to know
about front airbags.
213
Airbag system
the occupant sitting next to it is not seated prop
erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re
straints. Please be sure to read the important in
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts
Qpage 189,
Airbag system Qpage 197, Child safety
c::;, page 2 21 .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the e lectronic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- the airbag 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 ignition, the air
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnost ics).
The side airbag system supplements the safety
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 in side impacts and on
ly when the vehicle acceleration registered by the
control unit is high enough. If this rate is below
the reference value programmed into the control
un it, the side a irbags w ill not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a res ult
of the collision.
It is not possible to define an air
bag tr igger ing range that will cover every poss i
b le ang le of impact, since the circumstances will
vary considerably between one collision and an
other. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object,
the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
Q page 217, Important safety instructions on
the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re-
216
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
Q page 189, General notes.
It is important to remember that while the sup
plemental side airbag system is designed to re
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju
ries, for example, swelling, bru is in g, friction
burns and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certa in
kinds of accidents - your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an ind ication
of over -sens itive or fa iled airbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
on ly once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions -
your 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 already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rea r-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c::;, page 217.
- If the airbag ind icator light Qpage 15
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it 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 cup holders, 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 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 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 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 221, Child safety .
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag sys tem in any way.
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags w il l not fu nc
t ion properly if sensors cannot correct ly
measure increasi ng a ir 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.
218
- 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. 168 S id e curt ain airbags, driver's sid e: side curtain a ir
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. 168. 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. The
side curtain airbag inflates in side impacts and
only when the ve hicle acceleration registered by
the control unit is high enough .
If this rate is .,.
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below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the side curtain airbag will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possib le angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably 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, vehicle speed, etc.¢
page 219, How side curtain air
bags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the d river or fron t pas
senger in posit ion in the event of a co llision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itu te for yo ur
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing 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 189, General notes.
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain airbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelli ng, bruising, fr iction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in kinds of acc idents - you r safety belts are
always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- T he elec tronic contro l module and external side
impact sensors
- T he side c urtain airbags above the front and
rea r side windows with ejection mitigation fea
tures
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored elec tronically to
make certain it is f unct ion ing properly at all
Airb ag sys tem
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light wi ll come on for a
few seconds (self d iagnostics).
Th e side curtain airbag is not activ ated:
- if the igni tion is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions when the accele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end co llisions.
A WARNING
- Safety belts an d the airbag system will only
p rovide protect ion when occup ants are in
the proper seat ing position ¢
page 44,
Seats and storage .
- If the airbag ind ic a tor light~ page 15
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re
strained.
Fig. 169 Illustration of princip le: Inflated s ide curta in air
bags on 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 . 169 .
When the system is triggered, the side 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
liJ,
219
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Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS
malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal
function indicator is combined with the low tire pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated . This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal
function exists .
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly . Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function properly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction .
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor
ing system compares the tire tread circumfer
ence and vibration characteristics of the individu
al tires. If the pressure changes in one or more
tires, this is indicated in the Infotainment system
display w ith an indicator light
RE and a message.
If only one tire is affected, the location of that
tire will be indicated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your vehicle
c::;, page 274 . The tire pressure moni
toring system only monitors the tire pressure you have stored. Refer to the tire pressure label for
the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle
¢ page 265, fig. 199.
Wheels
Tire tread circumference and vibration character
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn
ing if :
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low.
- the tire has structural damage.
- the tire was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored
c::;, page 274.
- the spare tire* is installed .
Indicator lights
RE-Loss of pressure in at least one tire c::;, &,.
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires and
store the pressure again in the Infotainment sys
tem
¢ page 274.
mm (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure: malfunction! See owner's manual -If
mm appears after switching on the ignition or
while driving and then the indicator light
RE in
the instrument cluster also starts to blink for
about one minute and then stays on permanent
ly, there is a system malfunction. Try to store the
correct tire pressures
c::;, page 2 74 . If the indica
tor light does turn off or turns on again after a short period of time, drive to an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility immedi
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
..-
- If the tire pressure indicator appears in the
display, reduce your speed immediately and
avoid any hard steering or braking maneu
vers. Stop as soon as possible and check the
tires and their pressure.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining the
correct tire pressures . You must check the
tire pressures regularly .
- Under certain conditions (such as a sporty
driving style, winter conditions or unpaved
roads), the pressure monitor indicator may
be delayed.
- Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle . Us
ing them when not permitted can lead to
vehicle damage or accidents.
273
Care and cleaning
wash operator to reduce the risk of acci
dents.
- To reduce the risk of cuts, protect yourself
from sharp metal components when wash ing the underbody or the inside of the wheel
housings.
- After washing the vehicle, the braking effect
may be delayed due to moisture on the
brake rotors or ice in the winter. This in
creases the risk of an accident. The brakes
must be dried first with a few careful brake
applications.
(D Note
- If you wash the vehicle in an automatic car
wash, you must retract the extendable rear
spoi ler* if necessary, and fold the exterior
mirrors in to reduce the risk of damage.
Power folding exterior mirrors* must only
be folded in and out using the power folding
function .
- To reduce the risk of paint damage, do not
wash the vehicle in direct sunlight. -
To reduce the risk of damage to the surface,
do not use insect removing sponges, kitchen
sponges or similar items.
- Matte finish painted vehicle components:
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sur-
face, do not use polishing agents or hard
wax.
- Never use protective wax. It can destroy
the matte finish effect.
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with matte
finish paint. The paint could be damaged
when the stickers or magnets are re
moved.
@ For the sake of the environment
Only wash the veh icle in facilities spec ially de
signed for that purpose. This will reduce the
risk of dirty water contaminated with oil from
entering the sewer system.
Cleaning and care information
When cleaning and caring for individual vehicle
components, refer to the following tables. The
information contained there is simply recom
mendations. For questions or for components that
are not listed, consult an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility. Also
follow the information found in¢.&. .
Exterior cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Windshield wiper
Deposits ¢ page42
blades
Headlights/
Deposits Soft sponge with
a m ild soap solution a>
Tail lights
Sensors/
Deposits Sensors: soft cloth with solvent-free cleaning solution
Camera lenses Camera lenses: soft cloth with alcohol -free cleaning solu-
tion
Snow/ice Hand brush/solvent-free de-icing spray
Wheels Road salt
Water
Brake dust Acid-free special cleaning solution
Exhaust tail pipes Road salt Water, cleaning solution suitab le for stainless steel, if nee-
essary
276
Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Te xtil es
Deposits adhering to the Vacuum cleaner
artificial le ather, surface
A lcan tara Water-based deposits such Absorbent cloth and mild soap solution3>
as coffee, tea, blood, etc.
Oil-based depos its such as Apply a mild soap solution a>, blot away the dis-
oil, make-up, etc. sol.ved oil or dye, treat afterward with water, if nee-
essary
Special deposits such as ink, Special stain remover, blot with absorbent materi- nai l polish, latex paint, shoe al, treat afterward with mild soap solution, if neces-
polish, etc. sary
a)
Natural le ather Fr esh sta ins Wool cloth w
ith a mi ld soap solutiona l
Water-based deposits such Fresh stains: absorbent cloth
as coffee, tea, blood, etc . dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
Oi l-based deposits s uch as Fresh stains: absorbent cloth and stain remover
oil, make-up , etc. suitable for leather
dried stains: oil cleaning spray
Special deposits such as ink, Spot remover suitable for leather
na il polish, latex pain t, shoe
polish, etc.
Care Regularly apply conditioning cream that protects
from light and penetrates into the material. Use
specially-colored conditioning cream, if necessa ry .
Carbon parts Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
al M ild soap sol ution: maxim um two tablesp oons of neutral s oap in 1 quar t (1 liter) of wate r
A WARNING
The windshie ld may not be treated with wa
ter-repell ing windshield coating agents . Un
favorable cond itions s uch as wetness, dark
ness, or low sun can result i n increased glare.
Wipe r blade chatter is also possible.
([) Note
-Headlights /tail lights
- N ever clean headlights or ta il lights with a
dry cloth or sponge .
- Do not use any cleaning p rodu ct that con
tains alcohol, because they co uld cause
cracks to form .
-Wheels
-Never use any paint po lish or other abra-
sive mater ials.
278
-
- Damage to the protective laye r on the
rims such as stone chips or sc ratches must
be repaired immediately.
- Sensors/camera lenses
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens . This
could cause the lens to cra ck.
- Never use abrasive cleaning materials or
a lcohol to clean the camera lens. This
could cause s cratches and cracks.
- Door w indow s
- Remove snow and ice on windows and ex -
terior mirrors with a plastic sc rape r. To
avoid scratches, move the scraper only in
one direct ion and not back and forth.
- Neve r remove snow or ice from door win
dows and mirrors us ing warm or hot water
because this could cause cracks to form . ..,.