2018 AUDI A6 sensor

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \.J ' Adjusting the display and the warning tones
A ppl ies to : ve hicles w ith parkin g system plus/rearv iew cam­
era/peripheral ca mera
The display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the Infotainment.
~ Se lect: the ICARI fu nction button > (Car)* Sys­
tems
control b utton > Driver assistance > Park­
ing aid .
Display
On * -
an op tical d isp lay is shown for the par kin g
system plus, a rearv iew camera image is s hown
for the rearview camera *.
Off -when the p arking sys tem is sw itche d off,
on ly audib le sign als are give n.
Signal tones
Front volume -
volume for the front area
Rear volume -volume for the rear area
Front frequency -frequency for the front area
Rear frequency -frequen cy fo r the rea r area
Music volume during nav . prompts -the volume
of the a udio/video so urce is lowe red when t he
pa rking system is turned o n
The new value is g iven briefly during the adjust­
ment.
(D Tips
- The wa rning tones ca n also be ad justed d i­
r ectly by the vis ual d isp lay or the pictu re
from the camera. Simply p ress the
Settings
co ntro l bu tton.
- Changed set tings are ac tivated whe n the
parking system is swi tched o n aga in.
- The settings for volume and frequency are
a utomat ica lly saved and ass igned to the re­
mo te con trol key be ing used.
Error messages
A pp lies to: ve hicles with parking system plus/rearview cam­
era/per ipheral ca mera
There is an erro r in the system if the LED in the
Pw , button is b link ing and yo u hear a continuous
Parking systems
alarm for a few seconds after sw itch ing on the
par king system or w hen the pa rking system is a l­
r eady activated. If the erro r is not cor rected be ­
fo re you switch off the ignition, the
LED in the Pw ,
button w ill blink the next time you switch on the
park ing system by shifting into reverse.
Parking system plus*
If a senso r is fa ulty, the~ symbo l will appear i n
front of/beh ind the vehicle in the Infotainment
display. If a rear sensor is faulty, on ly obstacles
t h at are i n areas @and @ are shown
<=> page 108, fig . 114 . If a front se nsor is faulty,
o n ly obs tacles tha t are in a reas © and @are
shown. The re is a lso a sys tem ma lf u nct ion if all
seg ments arou nd the veh icle are red or if no seg­
me nts are disp laye d.
Peripheral cameras*
The re is a system malfu nction if t he 00 • symbol
appea rs and the co rresponding d isp lay area is
s h own in bl ue. The camera is not wo rking in t his
are a.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
Trailer hitch
App lies to: vehicles wit h parking system pl us/rea rv iew cam ­
e ra/peri phe ra l cameras an d tra ile r hitc h
When the trailer socket is in use, the par king sys­
tem rear sensors are not act ivated when you sh ift
into reverse gear or when yo u press t he
p,,1A but­
ton. This res ults in the following rest rict ions.
Parking system plus*
The re is no distance warning for the rear. The
front senso rs remain activated. T he v isua l disp lay
switches to trailer mode.
Rearview camera*/peripheral cameras*
T he re is no distance warning for the rea r. The
front senso rs remain activated . The visua l disp lay
switches to trailer mode. The rearview came ra
i mage will not s how the orie ntation lines and t he
bl ue surfaces.
.,..
117

Airbag syste m
Airbag System for the front passenger seat from
doing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag S ystem con sists
of the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash.
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors . The control unit also "de ­
c ides" whether the safety belt pretens ioners
shou ld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver ins ide the steer ing
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A capacitive passenger detect io n system under­
neath t he front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the elect rical capac ita nce of the
person in the seat. The info rm ation registe red
is sent continuous ly to the e lectronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad ­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
Q page 154 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis ­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument pane l. The infor ­
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic control un it to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags .
- The
PASS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel
Q page 154, fig . 154 and tells you when
the front Advanced A irbag on the passenger
s ide has been turned off .
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenge r that senses
whethe r th at safety belt is latched or not and
t ransm its this info rmat ion to the electronic
contro l unit.
150
_&. WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from work ing properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced A irbag System from function ing
properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacit ive pas­
senger detect ion mat in the front passenger
seat will not function p roperly if it is punc­
tured.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob­
jects can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capaci tive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect in format ion is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store i tems under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working p roper ly.
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child res tra int system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, p illows, blankets, or
sim ila r items on the front passenge r seat.
The additional laye rs prevent the capac it ive

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal­
led on the front passenger seat will be seri ­
ously injured and can be killed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear­
facing child seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat. Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air-
-
Airbag system
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the front passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in electric capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should be
off, or can cause the airbag to work in a way
that is different from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is not , or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob­
ject could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
A WARNING ...__ -
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
153

Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
:~ (USA models) /!f (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System : the airbag moni ­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
ligh t.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with eject ion
mitigation features (including the e lectroni c con­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are funct ion ing prope rly whenever the ignition is
on . Every time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light
II (USA models) 1fll
(Canada models) will come on for a few seconds
(function check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II (USA models) tfll
(Canada models):
-does not come on w hen the ignition is switched
on,
-does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, or
-comes on wh ile driving .
If an airbag system ma lf u nction is detected, the
ind icator light wi ll come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the igni tion is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash .
-If the airbag indicato r light ¢page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possible that
154
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 154 Sect io n fro m t he inst rume nt panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel ¢
fig. 154.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic contro l unit . If the bulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light burns out, the
airbag indicator light
II (USA models) a (Can­
ada models) will come on to signal a malfunction
i n the Advanced A irbag System. Although the
burned-out bulb will not change the way the
front passenger's frontal airbag works, it wi ll no
l onger be poss ible to use the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht to make sure that the a irbag on/
off status is correct for the occupant on the front
passenger seat . Have the airbag system inspect­
ed immediately by your author ized Audi dealer .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
-the ignition is switched on and
- the capacit ive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron­
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the airbag
status (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying
.,..

Airbag system
must be performed by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE·
PLACEMENT RECORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al
-special handling may apply , see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo ­
rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts w ith pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed . Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
comb inations not approved by Audi, lower ing the
vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the springs, suspension struts , shock
absorb ers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of
158
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
i ng when it should .
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash .
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components origina lly instal­
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig . 155 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel ¢
fig. 155, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers add itional protect ion to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion prov ided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal coll is ions when the deployment
..,.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' The side airbags are located in t he sides of the
front seat backrests
c:!;>fig . 157 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
he lp reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
the occupant sitt ing next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The s ide airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
stra ints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and wa rnings whenever us ing a child
rest raint in a ve hicle: Safety belts
¢page 134,
Airbag system <:!;>page 142, Chi ld safety
¢page 166.
Th e s ide airbag system ba sically con sis ts of :
-the electron ic control module and externa l side
i mpact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument cl us-
ter .
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times . Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
a irbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of in jury to
the dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the veh icle t hat is struck in a
side coll is io n. T he a irbag dep loys only i n side im­
pacts and o nly when the veh icle accelerat ion reg ­
istered by the contro l un it is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control unit, the side airbags wi ll not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le of impact, s ince
the c ircumsta nces will vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another. Important facto rs in­
clude, for example, t he natu re (hard or soft) of
the impact ing object, t he a ngle of impact, vehicle
Airbag syste m
speed, etc. ¢ page 16 2, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from the ir norm al safety funct ion, safety
belts work to help keep the dr iver o r front pas ­
senger in position in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags can provide protection .
T he air bag system is
not a substitute fo r you r
sa fety be lt. Ra ther, i t is pa rt of the overall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehi cle. Always re ­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wear ing 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 134, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
bur ns and m ino r abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents
-your safety belts are a lways
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage a re not necessar ily an ind ic a tion
of over-sens it ive or fa iled air bag ac tiva tion . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
on ly once and only in certain kinds of collisions
-
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have al ready
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy :
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end col lisions
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side
curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be tr iggered
togethe r.
..,
161

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 0 \,;J ' -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
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 use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing . Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an 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
Q page 166, 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
Airbag system
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.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
othe r equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants .
..... 0
6
"' a,
Fig. 159 Side curta in airbags, driver's side: s ide curtain air­
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win­
dows
Q fig . 159. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame.
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle
inter ior in certain side impacts and veh icle roll-
overs.
.,_
163

Airbag system
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements the
safety belts and can he lp to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper to rso . The
side curtain airbag inflates in s ide impacts and
only when the veh icle acce leration registered by
the co ntro l unit is h igh eno ugh . If this rate is be ­
low the refe re n ce value programmed in to the
con trol unit, the s ide curta in a irbag will no t be
tr iggered, even though the ca r may be bad ly
d a mage d as a r esult of the collis io n.
It is not pos­
sib le to def ine an a irbag tr iggering range that
will cover every possib le ang le o f 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 164, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it io n in the event of a collision so
that t he side curtai n airbags can provide protec ­
tion .
The a irbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rathe r, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restrain t system i n your veh icle . Always re­
membe r th at th e airbag system can only help to
p rotect yo u if you a re we aring your safety bel t
and wearing it pro perly . T hi s is anothe r reason
why you should always we ar your s afety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 134, General information .
It is import ant to remember th at whi le t he s ide
curt ain ai rbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihoo d of serious injur ies, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, b ruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certa in kinds of acc idents
-yo ur safety be lts are
a lways there to offer protec tion.
The side curtain a irbag system basically
consists of:
-Th e elect ronic control module and external s ide
im pact senso rs
164
-T he si de curta in ai rbags above t he front and
rear side wi ndows with ejection mitigat ion fea­
tures
- The a irbag indicator lig ht in t he instr ume nt
pa nel
The airbag system is mo nitored e lectron ic all y to
make certain i t is func tioning pro perly at all
times . Each t ime yo u switch on the ignit ion, the
airba g system ind icator light will come on for a
few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignitio n is sw itched off,
-i n side co llisions whe n the acce le ra tion meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
-in r ear-end co llisions .
.&_ WARNING
-Safety bel ts and th e air bag sys tem will only
provide pro te ct ion when occup ants a re in
t he prope r seat ing pos ition ¢
page 47,
Seats and storage.
-If the a irb ag ind ic ator light¢ page 1 6
comes w he n th e veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possib le tha t
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup ­
posed to, or will not inflate w hen 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.
F ig. 1 60 Illustration of p rincip le: In fl ated s ide curta in air·
bags o n the le ft s ide
..,_