Page 217 of 314

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with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will deploy on ly once and on ly in certain
kinds of acc idents -your safety be lts are always
there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags will deploy
only once and only in certain kinds of coll isions -
your safety belts are always there to offer protec
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ign ition is switched off
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
I n some types of accidents the front airbags and
side airbags may be triggered together.
_& WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position ¢
page 216.
-If the airbag indicator light q page 14
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly 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 shou ld.
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. 170 Inflated side a irbags on lef t side of vehicle
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 addit ional
protect ion, the side airbag must inflate w ith in a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with
great force . Th e supp lemental s ide airbag could
injure you if you r seating position is not proper or
u pr ight or if items are located in the area where
the supp lemental side airbag expands. This ap
plies especially to children
c> page 218, 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
c> fig . 170.
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 t he airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the veh icle.
215
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Airbag system
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 .
A 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
216
-
by being pushed into you as the airbag in
flates .
- Never place 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 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 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 or to 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
~ page 218, 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.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the speaker holes have been properly closed .
Page 219 of 314
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-Always make certain that openings are
covered or f illed if add itiona l speakers or
other equ ipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied work
shop.
Airbag system
217
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Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 190, 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
greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully devel
oped, they require restraint systems especially
designed 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 .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph (30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 lbs (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 lbs (120 kg).
Under these conditions, only an appropriate child
restraint properly used can reduce the risk of se
rious injury. Child restraints, like adult safety
belts, must be used properly to be effective.
Used improperly, they can increase the risk of se
rious injury in an accident.
If you must install a child restraint on the front
passenger seat in exceptional circumstances, be
sure to read and heed the important information
and warnings ¢
page 197. Infants and other chil
dren who are properly restrained in an appropri
ate child restraint that is for their size and age
can benefit from the protection that supplemen
tal side airbags provide in some kinds of crashes .
For more information please see information
provided by the:
- 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)
218
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
your child's size
r:!;> page 221 , 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
restraints 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 information, we cannot re
peat it all here . We urge you to read the detailed
information 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
All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle . An unrestrained or improperly re
strained child could be injured by striking the
interior or by being ejected from the vehicle
during a sudden maneuver or impact. An un
restrained or improperly restrained child is al
so at greater risk of injury or death through
contact with an inflating airbag.
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.
Page 221 of 314

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-Never install a rearward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the
PAS
SEN GER AIR BA G OFF ,;;
light does not
turn on and stay on. Have the system in
spected immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer or author ized Audi Service Facility .
A WARNING
-Forward-fac ing ch ild seats installed on the
front passenge r seat may inte rfere with the
deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
persona l injury to the child .
- If except ional 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 cert ified by its
manufacture r fo r use on a front passenger
seat with a front and s ide a irbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or i nfant car rier.
- Never p ut the fo rward-facing child re
stra int up against o r very near the instru
men t panel.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down
ad justment 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 ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt up
per anchorage is behind the child restra int
and not next to or in front of the child re
stra int so that the safety belt will be prop
erly positioned .
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from be ing
moved to the rearmost posit ion in its fore
and aft adjustment range .
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p laye r, electronic games de
vice, powe r inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec-
Ch ild safety
trical capacitance measu red 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, powe r inverter or seat heat
er for child seats) on the front passe nger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter soc ket.
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise added to t he front passenger
seat, neve r insta ll any child res traint sys
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(s uch as a we t towe l) and no w ater or ot h
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion .
- Always m ake sure tha t the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF,;;
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .
- Never install a forward -facing chi ld safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~ ; light does
not turn on and stay on. Have the system
inspected immediately by an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fa
c ility .
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it . A
loose child seat can fly aro und during a
sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read a nd heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest raint in a vehi
cl e
9 page 189, Safety bel ts, 9 page 196,
Airbag system
and ~ page 218, Impor
tant information.
(j) Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in
stalled in a vehicle du ring a c rash. Damage to
a child restrain t th at is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another co llision situat ion .
219
Page 222 of 314

Child safety
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through 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 certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad
vanced Airbag system, a child should always ride
in the seat properly restrained for its age and
size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in a rearward-facing seat .
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca pacitive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a ch ild, a child restraint, and a baby blanket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child
restraint system resting on the seat. The meas
ured capacitance of a child restraint system var ies depending on the type of system and specific
make and model.
220
The electrical capacitance of the various types, makes, and models of child restraints specified
by the U.5 .National Highway Traffic Safety Ad
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typical of infants and a 1-year old child . When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con
trol unit.
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Unit
ed States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
and has been certified by its manufacturer for
use with an airbag. If in exceptional circumstan
ces you must use it on the front passenger seat,
carefully read all of the information on child safe
ty and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the ap
plicable WARNINGS. Make certain that the child
and child restraint are correctly recognized by the
capacitive passenger detection system in the
front passenger seat, that the front passenger
airbag is turned off, and that the airbag status is
always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF~;
light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in
troduced regularly incorporating new and im
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
different weights and sizes and different "foot
prints", the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle. ..,.
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For this reason, the United States National High
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403 FOF
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo Fir st Cho ice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos- September 2S, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Child safety
Model Manufactured on or
after
Evenflo Medallion 2S4 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 2S, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Todd ler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Plat inum Cargo September 25, 2007
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF '1,;; light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Never install a reward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the
PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
'1,;; light does not
turn on and stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immed iately.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly ¢
page 223.
.. Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe
ty seat.
.. When using the veh icle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le loc king retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
¢page 227. ..,.
221
Page 224 of 314

Child safety
"'Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward and sideways
more than 1 in (2.5 cm).
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
child should always ride in the seat properly re
strained for its age and si ze.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
-All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained 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 also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U .S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using .
- Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat .
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger .
222
-Holding a child in your arms is never a sub
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in
jure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat . A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem.
- 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.
- 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 ..,.