2018 AUDI A4 warning light

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 263, Gener­
al information.
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 jus t 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 inf lates .
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
- T he electronic control module
- T wo inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
to r), one for the driver and one for the front
pass enger
- The airbag indicator ligh t in the instrument
panel
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 rea r-end collisions
288
-in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
ind icator light is on)
¢page 32 .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating
position ¢ page 281 .
-If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 32
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area con be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 243 In 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 281, fig. 240 .
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 263,
Airbag system Qpage 271, Ch ild safety
c::;, page 295.
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
- two rear side airbags*
- the airbag warning light in the inst rument 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 ign it ion, the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's, front and rear* passenger 's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side co llision. The a irbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control un it, the side airbags will 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 a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another . Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
Q page 291, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in 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-
290
pant res traint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing 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
soc::;, page 263, General information .
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 ing, friction
burns and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
a irbags w ill 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 icat ion
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 deploy
on ly once and only 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 turned off
- in side co llisions 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
curta in airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
Q page 291.
- If the airbag indicato r light Q page 32
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that

collision. It is not possible to define an airbag
triggering range that will cover every possible
an­
g le of impact, s ince the circumstances will vary
considerably between one collision and another.
Important factors include, for example, the
na­
ture (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the
angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
¢ page 293,
How side curtain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can p rovide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always
re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
p rotect you if you are wearing your safety bel t
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 263, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curtain airbag system is designed to he lp reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, friction burns and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only o nce and only in
certa in ki nds of acc idents -your safety belts are
always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airba g sy stem ba sically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external s ide
impact senso rs
- The side curtain airbags above the w indows of
the outer seating positions with ejection miti­
gation feat ures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain it is funct ion ing 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 d iagnost ics) .
Airb ag sys tem
The side curta in airbag is not activ ated:
- if the ignition is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in rear-end col lisions .
_&. WARNING
-Safe ty bel ts and the airbag system will only
provide pro tect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 65,
Front seats.
- I f the airbag ind ic a tor light q page 3 2
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 are properly re­
strained .
Fig. 24 7 Illustration of pr incip le: Inflated s ide curta in air­
bags o n the left s ide
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the w indows in a side collis ion
c> fig . 247 .
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
to help provide this additional protect ion, the
s ide curtain a irbag must inf late w ithi n the blink
of a n eye at very high speed and with g reat fo rce .
T he side c urtain airbag could injure you if yo ur
Ill>
293

Airbag syste m
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supp le­
mental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to
children ¢ page 295.
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 in jury 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
f ire 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 yo u and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supplemental protect ion.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating posit ions increase the risk of serious
personal inju ry and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of the ir
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 witho ut interferen ce.
- Use the built- in coat hooks on ly for light­
weight cloth ing. Neve r leave any heavy or
sharp-edged obje cts in t he pockets that may
in terfere w ith airbag deployment and can
ca use personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hoo ks.
- Only use factory-installed s un shades or, if
shades installed after the veh icle leaves the
factory, use only genuine Aud i sun shades.
- Never swing the sun viso rs ove r to the side
windows if things such as pens, ga rage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc . are at­
tached to the sun visors. They co uld come
294
loose and cause serious injury if the side cu r­
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fraction of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a side curtain airbag .
- The a irbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at all times. Make s ure there are no
objects, pets, o r other persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any time.
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors.
A WARNING
- The a irbag system can deploy on ly once. If
the airbag has been triggered, the system
m ust be rep laced by an authorized A udi
dealer or qualified workshop .
- Always have work invo lv ing the side curtain
airbag system, remova l and installat ion of
the airbag components, or other repairs
pe rformed by a q ualified dealership. Other­
w ise the airbag system may not work cor­
rectly.
- Never attempt to mod ify any componen ts of
the airbag system in any way.

Child safet y
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 serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front a irbag in ­
flates .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, o r
doo r.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptional c ircumstances 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 chi ld seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
personal 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 certified by its manufacturer for 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 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.
296
- Never put the forward-fac ing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always set the safety belt upper anchor­
age to the adjustment position that per­
mits proper installation in accordance
with the child restraint manufacturer's in ­
structions .
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
r earmos t position in the seat's fore and
aft adj ustmen t range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint .
- Always make s ure that the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the chi ld restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt wi ll be prop­
erly pos itioned.
- 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
v ice, power inverter or seat heater for
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec ­
trical capacitance measured by the capaci­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly a round in an accident and cause
serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any elect rical device
(such as a laptop, CD p layer, 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-
vo lt 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
cush ion .
- Always make sure that the
PA SSEN GER
AIR BAG
OFF ~; light comes on and stays

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
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
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Aud i
dealer.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child seat can fly around during a
sudden stop o r in a collision.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle ~ page 263, Safety belts, ~ page 2 71,
Airbag system
and ~ page 295, Impor­
tant information .
@ Tips
Always replace ch ild restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visib le co uld cause
it to fail in anothe r collision situation .
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your veh icle 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 crite ria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through inte raction with
the airbag that can occur, for examp le, by being
too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates . In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" req uirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restra ined on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard .
Child safety
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all chi ldren, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentia lly dangerous place for a
child to ride . The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat .
It
can be a very dangerous place fo r an infant o r a
la rger ch ild i n a rea rwa rd-facing seat .
T he veh icle 's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­
pacit ive passenger detection system in the front
passenge r seat cushion that can detect the p res­
ence of a baby or a ch ild in a child restra int sys­
tem on this seat .
The capacitive passenger detection system reg is­
te rs the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a ch ild restraint, and a baby b lan ket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a chi ld, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child
restra int system resting on the seat. The meas­
ured capacitance of a child restraint system var­
ies depend ing on the type of system and specific
make and model.
The electrical capac itance of the various types,
makes, and models of child restraints specif ied
by the U .S.National Highway Traff ic Safety Ad ­
min istrat ion (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem contro l unit together with the capacitances
typ ica l 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 Airbags
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been ce rt ified by its manu­
fact urer for use w ith an airbag . Always be su re
that the child restraint is properly installed at
llo-
297

Child safet y
one o f the rear seating posit ions . If in exception ­
al circumstances you must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed a ll of the app licab le WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child and child restraint are correct­ ly recogn ized by the capacit ive passenger detec­
tion system i n the front passenge r seat, that the
fron t passenger airbag is turned off, and that the
a irbag status is always cor rectly sig naled by the
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF~; light.
M any types and models of child rest raints have
been available ove r the yea rs , new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporat ing new and im­
p roved designs and older mode ls are taken o ut of
product ion . Chi ld restraints a re not standardized .
Ch ild rest raints of the same type typica lly have
d ifferent weights and s izes and d ifferent "foot­
prints", the s ize and shape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that s its on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat . These differences
make it virtually impossible to ce rtify compliance
with the requ irements fo r advanced airbags with
each and eve ry ch ild rest raint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold ove r the co urse of
the useful life of your vehicle.
F or this reason, the Un ited States National High­
way Traffi c Safety Administ ration has p ublished a
lis t of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to cert ify comp li­
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
Ange l G uard Angel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
298
Subpart B -Rear -facing child rest raints
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 R ight 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1,
1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snugr ide September 25, 2007
P eg Perego P rimo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SI P IMU NOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child r estraints
Mod el Manufactured on or
after
Br itax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 025 19 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit De luxe September 25, 2007
H igh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 2007
ter 22 -209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Meda llion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generat ions September 25, 200 7
35 2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Todd le r Safety September 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
Graco Plat inum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To redu ce the ris k of serious injury, ma ke sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ,;; light
comes on and stays on whenever a c hild re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
~

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P ASS ENGER A IR
BA G
OFF~; light does not stay on .
-Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately .
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
Correc t use of child safety sea ts substan tially 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 a lways use it
properly ~ page 301.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer 's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe­
ty seat .
~ When using the vehicle safety be lt to install a
child safety seat , you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 306.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 301 .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined fo r their age and size.
_& WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
Ch ild safety
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 unrestra ined or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuve r or impact .
An unrest rained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater r is k of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating a irbag.
-Commerc ially availab le child safe ty seats
are requi red to comply with U.S . Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
-When buying a child restra int, select one
that fits your ch ild and the vehicle .
-Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush­
ion. The ch ild restraint must not t ip 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 lega l requirements per­
ta ining to the insta llation and use of child
safety seats and carefu lly follow the in­
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using .
-Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 mete rs) to wear a normal safety be lt.
They must a lways be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu­
vers or accidents .
-Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
-Never let babies or o lder children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger .
-Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute for a chi ld restrain t system .
- The strongest person cou ld not ho ld the
ch ild 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.
299