<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 \0
3 a,
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect
ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age.
Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~ ; light
s h ould NOT com e on ...
The PASS ENGER AI R BAG OFF ~ ; light should
NO T come on when the ignition is on and an
adult is sitting in a proper seating position on the
front passenger seat . If the
PASS ENGER AIR
BAG
O FF ~; light comes on and stays on while
driving, under these circumstances, make sure
that :
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or he r back up aga inst the backrest and the
back rest is not reclined,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
ho lding on to the passenger assist handle
above t he front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the a.rm rest ,
-the safety belt is be ing properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that migh t ca use the ca
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal
cu late electrical capacitance .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need A irbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ,;; ON @ light
blinks for about 5 seconds to catch the driv
er's attention .
If this happens, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and check the
steps described above .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ,;; light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is s itting on the front passenger
-
Airb ag sys tem
seat after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adu lt is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi
tions . Have the a irbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer before trans
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
A WARNING
f-
An a irbag system that is not functioning prop-
e rly cannot prov ide supplemental protect io n
i n a front al crash.
- I f the ai rbag ind icator light
~page 32
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children , espec ially 12 years and
younge r, always ride on the back seat p rop
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize .
- Always install fo rwa rd or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat - even with an
Advan ced Airbag System.
- I f you must install a rea rwa rd-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of excep tional circums tances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ,;, light does not
appear and stay on, immediate ly install the
rear-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seat ing
position and have the a irbag system in
spected by your authori zed Aud i dea ler.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the a irbag as poss ible . The back rest
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position .
291
Airbag syste m
Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
11;; li ght comes on and stays on all t he
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF 11;; light
does not go out when an adult is si tting on
the front passe nger seat a fter ta king the
steps described above, make sure the adult is p roperly seated and restrained at one of
the rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
@ Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenge r
side w ill be tu rned off, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
11;; light will stay on.
-
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an area of the
ve hicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
i n a collision .
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
env ironment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repai r proce
dures can increase the r is k of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de
ploying when needed or dep loying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the stee r
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in
strument pane l or modify them in any way.
292
- Never attach any objects s uch as c upholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the a irbag un its.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois
tened w ith plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the st iffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag canno t deploy and p rotect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust , or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, inst rument
panel, front seats or e lectr ica l system ( in
cluding the installation of a udio eq uipment,
cellular telephones and C B radios, etc.)
m ust be perfo rmed by a qualified techn ician
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strong ly recommend that you see your au
thorized A udi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
u pholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module mus t always be repaired immedi
ate ly by an autho riz ed Au di dealer.
- The a irbag system can deploy on ly once. Af
ter an airbag h as been deployed, i t m ust be
repla ced with new replacement parts de
signed and approved espec ia lly for your
Audi model version . Replacement of com
plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be perfo rmed by qua lified workshops
only. Make su re that any airbag service ac
tion is entered in your A udi Warranty
&
Ma intenance boo klet under AIRBAG RE-
PLAC EM EN T RECORD.
~
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 268, 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 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 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 rear-end collisions
294
- 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 287 .
-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. 250 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 287, fig. 247 .
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
Q page 268,
Airbag system Qpage 277, Ch ild safety
c::> page 302 .
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 297, 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-
296
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 268, 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 29 7.
- 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
Airbag syste m
-Never use additiona l seat cushions that
cover the areas where the s ide airbags
deploy.
- 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 w ith the way the airbag unfolds or
by being pushed into you as the a irbag in
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, 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 s ide airbag de
p loys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow ch ildren or other passen
ge rs to travel in this posit ion.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks* only for
lightweight cloth ing . Neve r leave any heavy
o r sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere w ith side airbag dep loyment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always preven t the side airbags from be ing
damaged by heavy objects knock ing against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- T he airbag system can only be trigge red
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 modu le must always
be repa ired immed iate ly by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improper ly, their r isk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
Q page 302, Child safety.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
298
-In a side collision, side airbags will not func
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly measure increasing air pressure inside the
doors when a ir escapes through larger, un
closed open ings in the door panel.
- Never dr ive with interior doo r trim panels
removed.
- Neve r dr ive when parts have been re
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper
l y closed .
- Never drive when lo udspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that open ings are
covered o r filled if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified work
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
App lies to: vehicles with side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbags can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig . 254 S ide curta in airbags, driver 's side: location
"' "' 0
i
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win
dows
Q fig. 254.
The side curtain airbags contain features that provide ejection mitigation to help prevent ve hi-
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or part ially ejected from the vehicle
1111-
<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 \0
3 a,
interior in certain side impacts and vehicle
ro llovers .
The s ide curtain a irbag system supplements the
safety be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of
in
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso in a
side col lision . The side curtai n airbag inflates in
side impacts and only when the vehicle accelera
tion reg istered by the control un it is high
enough. If th is rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the side cur
tain airbag will not be triggered, even though the
car may be badly damaged as a result of the colli
sion.
It is not possib le to define an airbag tr igger
i ng range tha t will cover every possib le ang le of
impact, since the circ ums tances will vary consid
e rably between one co llision and another . Impor
tant factors include, for examp le, the nat ure
(hard or soft) of the impact ing ob ject, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
Q page 300, How
side curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec
tion .
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 veh icle. Always
re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wea ring your safety belt
a nd wear ing it properly . T his is anothe r reason
why you should always wear your safety be lts,
n ot j ust because the law requires you to do so
Q page 268, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the l ikel ihood of ser ious injuries, o ther i njuries,
for example, swel ling, b ruising, friction 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
-your safety belts are
always there to offer protection .
Airbag sys tem
The side curtain airbag system basically
cons ists of :
-The e lectronic control mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the windows of
the outer seating positions with eject ion mit i
gation features
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectron ica lly to
make certain 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 diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the ac celeration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in rear -end co llisions.
_&. WARNING
- Safe ty belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
Q page 71,
Front seats.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light Q page 32
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
299
Airbag syste m
How side curtain airbags work
Applies to: ve hicles w ith s ide curta in a irbags
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 . 255 Illustration of p rinc iple: Inflated s ide curta in air
bags on the left side
The s ide curtain airbags inflate between the oc
cupant and the windows in a side collision
¢ fig. 255 .
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 A IRBAG label. I n order
to help p rovide this addit ional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The s ide curta in a irbag 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
especially to
children ¢ page 302.
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 .
300
'
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Appl ies to : vehicles wi th side curtain airbags
Airbags ore 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 do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to p rovide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
-Improperly wearing safety be lts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur
tain airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air
bags can inflate without interference.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with a irbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hooks.
- On ly use factory-installed sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use only genu ine Audi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the s ide
w indows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc . are at
tached to the sun v isors. They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cu r
tain airbag infla tes.
- 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 zone of a s ide curtain airbag .
- The airbag deployment zones must be kept clear at al l t imes. Make sure there are no
objects, pets, o r othe r persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air
bag at any time .
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors.
<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 \0
3 a,
A WARNING
Child ren on the front seat of any car even w ith
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 ch ild 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 fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN
GE R 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 fo rward-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 chi ld restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the top tether strap to be used.
Ch ild safety
-Never put the forward-facing child re
straint up against or very near the instru
ment panel.
- Applies to: vehicles with safety be lt height
adjustment: Always set the safety belt up
per anchorage to the adjustment pos ition
that permits proper installation in accord
ance with the child restraint manufactur
er's instructions.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the h ighest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmos t position in the seat's fore and
a ft ad justment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint .
- Always make sure 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 will be prop
erly pos it ioned.
- 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, CO player, electronic games de
vice, power inverter or seat heater fo r
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i
tive passenger detec tion system and can
also fly around in an acc iden t and c ause
serious personal injury .
- Never place or use any ele ct rical devi ce
(such as a laptop, CO player, electroni c
games device, powe r 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
otherw ise added to the front passenger
seat, never insta ll any child restraint sys
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush ion.
303