Airbag system
In addition to their normal safety function, safe
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental 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 airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do so ¢
page 189, Gener
al notes.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain k inds of accidents - your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The a irbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correct ly.
It is important to remember that while the sup
p lemental knee airbag system is designed to re
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju
ries, for example, swe lling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates .
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
- T he electronic control module
- T wo inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag warning light in the instr ument clus
ter
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-whe n the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control un it is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
214
- in rollovers
-in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
¢ page 15.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 207 .
-If the airbag indicator light¢ page 15
comes when the veh icle 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 will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area con be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 165 I n flated a irbags protect ing in a fro nta l coll ision
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the dr iver and front passen
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l collisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a
prope llant gas, and inflate between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
¢page 207, fig. 162 .
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 lower ex
tremities.
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 .
CD
CD
.... N
" N ...... 0
0
Ill co
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
Airbag syste m
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflat e within th e blink
of an eye at very h igh speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple
mental side curtain airbag inflates . This applies
especia lly to children
~ page 221 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you a nd your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supp lemental protect ion.
_& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur
ta in a irbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air
bags can inflate without interference .
- Use the built -in coat hooks on ly for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere w ith airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or, if
shades installed after the veh icle leaves the
factory, use only genuine Aud i sun shades .
220
-Never swing the sun visors over to the side
w indows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at
tached to the sun visors . They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cur
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fract ion of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zo ne of a s ide curtain airbag .
- The a irbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at all times . Make sure there are no
objects , pets, or other persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air
bag at any time .
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors .
_& WARNING
-The a irbag system can deploy on ly once . If
the airbag has been trigge red, the system
m ust be rep laced by an authorized A udi
dea le r o r qualified workshop.
- Always have wo rk invo lv ing the side curtain
airbag system, remova l and installat ion of
the airbag components, or other repairs
performed by a q ualified dealership. Other
wise the airbag system may not work cor
rectly .
- Never attempt to mod ify any components of
the airbag system in any way .
Child safety
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
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 child 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 facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF~;
light does not come
on and stay on, immediately install 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
- Forward-facing child seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require the following special
precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by its
manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and side airbag.
-Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
222
-Never put the forward-facing child re
straint up against or very near the instru
ment panel.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint.
-Always make sure that the safety belt up
per anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re
straint so that the safety belt will be prop
erly positioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec
trical capacitance measured by the capaci
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an accident and cause
serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
-If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF~;
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF,;; light
does not come on and stay on, immediate- ly install the forward-facing child seat in a
~
Child safet y
applicab le WARN INGS . Make certain that the
chi ld and child restraint are correct ly recognized
by the capacit ive passenger detection system in
the front passenger seat, that the front passen
ger airbag is turned off, and that the airbag sta
tus is always correctly signaled by the
PA SS EN
GER AIR BAG OFF,;; ON @
light .
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in
troduced regularly incorporat ing new and im
proved designs and older models are taken out of
p roduct ion . Ch ild restraints are not standardized.
Ch ild rest raints of the same type typ ica lly have
d ifferent weights and s izes and differen t "foot
prints", the s ize and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are insta lled on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every ch ild restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your veh icle .
For this reason, the Un ited 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 cert ify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi
cle with the supp ression requ irements of Fede ral
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
rest raints are :
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Mod el Manufactured on or
after
Angel G uard Angel September 25, 200 7
Ride AA2403 FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child re straints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-0 13PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
224 Model
Manufactured on or
after
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infan t 845 7 December 1, 1999
Graco Snugr ide September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child re str aint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Br itax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 025 19
December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007 H igh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos- September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
E venflo Tribu te V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Todd ler Safety
September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Plat inum Cargo September 25, 200 7
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, ma ke sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF,;; light
comes on and stays on whenever a ch ild re
stra int is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ign ition is switched on.
-Take the child restra int off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF,;;
light does not stay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer immed iately.
Child safety
-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
or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Make sure there is enough space in front of
the child in the child seat . If necessary, ad
just the angle and position of the seat in front of the child seat.
- Forward -facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause serious injury to the child . Always install for
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas senger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be
fore installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range .
- Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
226
seat, never install any child restraint sys
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats) . These may influence the elec
trical capacitance measured by the capaci
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an accident and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::!;> page 189, Safety belts,
c::!;> page 197, Airbag system and
c::!;> page 221, Child safety .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF '-i; light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
-Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
'-i; light does not stay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Child safety
_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly install ing a
child restra int increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carr iers on the front passenger
seat -
even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A chi ld will be seriously injured and can be
k illed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
c::> page 198, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carr iers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the spec ial needs of infants
and
very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seat ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- Never place or use any electrical device (such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any ch ild restraint system on
th is seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games dev ice,
power inverter or seat heater for child
228
seats). These may inf luence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas
senger detect ion system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per
sonal injury.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
c::> page 189, Safety belts,
c::>page 197, Airbag syste,n
and
c::>page 221, Important information.
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig . 172 Schematic overview: installat ion of the attach
me nts applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 173 Schemat ic overv iew: installation of the seat using
the vehicle's safety belt system
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c::>page 232 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
.,. Push the child safety seat down wi th yo ur full
weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight so that
Iii>