
u co ..... N r--N ..... 0 <( 0 00
Airbag System for the front passenger seat from
doing its job in a crash.
The front Ad vanced Airbag System con sists
o f the follo wing :
-Cras h sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System a bout the severity of the crash.
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
contro l 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 ione rs
shou ld be activated .
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the d river 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 fron t passenger.
-A capac itive passenger detect ion system under
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys
tem measures the elect ric al capac ita nce of the
person in the seat. The informat ion registe red
is sent contin uous ly to the e lectron ic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
-An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light
m in the instrument cluster.
-A sensor in eac h front seat registers the dis
tance between the respective seat and the
stee ring wheel or instrument pane l. The infor
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Adv a need A irbags .
-The PASS EN GER AIR BAG OFF ~; ON@ light
comes on in the headliner
c:> page 281,
fig. 236 and tells you the status of the Ad
vanced Airbag o n the passenge r side .
-A sensor i n the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whethe r that safety belt is latched or not and
t ransm its this info rmat io n to the elect ronic
c ontro l unit.
Airbag syste m
A WARNING ~ -
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre
vent the front airbag from working properly.
-Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced A irbag System from f unct ion ing
p roperly.
-Repa irs to the front passenger seat must be
pe rformed by qualified a nd p roperly tra ined
wo rkshop personne l.
-Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle .
-Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger sea t.
-Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat o r disconnect w ires from it .
-Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat . The capacit ive pas
senger de tec tion mat in the front passenger
seat will not funct ion p roperly if i t is punc
tured.
-Never carry things on your lap or carry ob
jects on the front passenge r seat. S uch ob
jects ca n infl uence the capaci tance reg is
t ered by the cap aci tive passenge r detection
sys tem, so that incorrect in forma tion is pro
vided to the ai rbag control unit.
-N eve r store i tems unde r the front p assenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat cou ld be dam
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys
tem from wor king 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 chi ld re
stra ints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and preven t the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploy ing properly.
-If a seat heater has bee n retrofitted or oth
erwise added to the front passe nger seat,
neve r ins tall any child restra int system on
t his seat.
-Never use cushions, p illows , blankets, or
sim ila r it ems o n the front passenge r seat .
277

Airbag syste m
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward-fac ing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your a uthorized Audi dea ler.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag w ill in
crease the risk of inj ury in a crash by interfer
ing with the way the airbag unfo lds or by be
ing pushed into you as the a irbag 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 brak ing or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the a irbags
inflate .
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or nea r the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru
ment pane l, sea t backrests or between
those areas and yoursel f. 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 o r the front a ir
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
280
-
pro jecti les and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined.
- Never p lace 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 pe rson on the seat
is heavie r than he or she act ually is . The
change in elec tric capa citan ce beca use of
such o bje cts can c ause the p assenge r 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
wo rked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenge r seat that will cause the
capacitive passenge r detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occup ied by a person when it is
not , or to signal that it is occupied by some
one who is heavier than the person act ually
sitt ing on the seat. The presence of an ob
ject could ca use the passenger front air bag
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 prob lems for people with a
h istory of asthma or other breath ing cond i
tions .
- To reduce the r isk of breathing p roblems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con
ditions should get fresh a ir 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 m ild
soap and water before eating.
- Be ca refu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them w ith wate r.

Airbag syste m
Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR B AG
OFF ,;; light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASS ENGER AIR B AG O FF 1'i; light
does not go out when an adult is sitting on
the front passenger seat after tak ing 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.
(D 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
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
1'i ; light will stay on.
-
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag 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
veh icle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in 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 steer
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in
strument pane l or modify them in any way.
284
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
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 cannot deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or e lectr ica l system ( in
cluding the installation of a udio eq uipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.) m ust be performed 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 Audi 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 without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery 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 rized Aud i dealer .
- The a irbag sys tem can deploy on ly once. Af
ter an airbag has been deployed, it m ust be
replaced with new replacement parts de
signed and approved especia lly for your
Audi model version . Replacement of com
plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be performed by qua lified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service ac
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet under AIRBAG RE-
PLAC EMENT RECORD.
Ii)-

u a, .... N r-N ....
~ a,
Wheels
Wheels and Ti re s
General information
.,,.Check your tires regularly for
damage (punctures, cuts , cracks
and bulges). Remove foreign ob
jects from the tire tread .
.,,. If driving over curbs or similar
obstacles, drive slowly and ap
proach the curb at an angle.
.,,. Have faulty tires or rims re
placed immediately .
.,,.Protect your tires from oil ,
grease and fuel.
.,,. Mark tires before removing
them so that the same running
direction can be maintained if
they are reinstalled .
.,,.Lay tires flat when storing and
store them in a cool, dry locat ion
with as litt le exposure to light as
possible .
&_ WARNING -
-Never drive faster than the
maximum permitted speed
for your tires. This could cause the tires to heat up too much .
This increases the risk of an
acc ident because it can cause
the tire to burst.
-Always adapt your driving to the road and traffic condi-
Wheels
tions. Drive carefully and re
duce your speed on icy or slip
pery roads . Even winter tires
can lose traction on black ice .
@ N ot e
-Please note that summer and
winter tires are designed for
the condit ions that are typical
in those seasons. Audi recom
mends using winter ti res dur
ing the winter months. Low
temperatures significantly de crease the e lasticity of summ
er tires , which affects traction
and braking ab ility . If summer
tires are used in very cold
temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in
permanent tire damage that
can cause loud driving noise
and unbalanced tires.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be
used in winter driving condi
tions . The surface of the rims
does not have sufficient corro
sion protect ion for this and
could be permanently dam
aged by road salt or similar
substances.
325

Wheels
Tire designations
Fig. 266 Tire designations on the side
wall
(D Tires for passenger vehicles
(if applicable)
"P" indicates a tire for a passenger
vehicle. "T" indicates a tire desig
nated for temporary use.
@ Nominal width
Nominal width of the tire be
tween the sidewalls in millime
ters. In general: the larger the
number, the wider the tire.
@ Aspect ratio
Height/width ratio expressed as a
percentage.
326
@ Tire construction
"R" indicates a radial tire.
® Rim diameter
Size of the rim diameter in inches.
® Load index and speed rating
The load index indicates the tire's
load-carrying capacity.
The speed rating indicates the maximum permitted speed. Also
see
¢ A in General information
on page 325.
"EXTRA LOAD", "xl" or "RF" indi
cates that the tire is reinforced or
is an Extra Load tire.
Speed rat-
Maximum permitted speed
ing
p
up to 93 mph (150 km/h )
Q up to 99 m ph (1 60 km/h)
R up to 106 mph (170 km /h)
5 up to 11 0 mph (180 km/h)
T up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
u up to 124 mph (200 km /h)
H up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V up to 149 mph (240 km /h)al
z a bov e 149 mph (240 km/h) al
w up to 168 mph (270 km /h) al
y up to 186 mph (300 km /h) al
a ) For tires above 149 mph (240 km/h),
tire manufacturers sometimes use the
code "ZR" .

Wheel s
Glossary of tire and loading
terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto matic transmission, power steer
ing , power brakes , power win
dows , power seats, radio, and
heater, to the extent that these
items are available as factory-in
stalled equipment (whether in
stalled or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indicate a
low sidewall for improved steer
ing response and better overall
handling on dry pavement .
Bead
means the part of the tire that is
made of steel wires, wrapped or
reinforced by ply cords and that is
shaped to fit the rim.
Bead separation
means a breakdown of the bond
between components in the bead.
328
Cord
means the strands forming the
plies in the tire.
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the t ire pressure recom
mended by the vehicle manufac
turer for a tire of a designated
size that has not been driven for
more than a couple of miles (kilo
meters) at low speeds in the
three hour period before the tire pressure is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight of a motor ve
hicle w ith standard equipment in
cluding the maximum capacity of
fuel, oil, and coolant, ai r condi
tioning and additional weight of
optional equipment.
E x tra load ti re
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in
flation pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire. Extra load
tires may be identified as "X L",
"
l" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" on X I I
the sidewall. .,.

Wheels
Production options we igh t
means the combined weight of
those installed regular production
options weighing over 5 lbs.
(2.3 kg) in excess of those stand
ard items which they replace, not previously considered in curb
weight or accessory weight, in
cluding heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
Radial pl y tir e
means a pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially
90 degrees to the centerline of
the tread.
R ecomm ended in flation
pressure
see¢ page 328 , Cold tire infla
tion pressure.
R einforced tire
means a tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at higher in
flation pressures than the corre
sponding standard tire . Rein
forced tires may be identified as
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" , , ,
on the sidewall.
330
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diam eter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat . If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur
chase new tires to match the new rim diameter .
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nomina l distance between
r im
flanges .
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at which a tire is
designed to be driven for extend
ed periods of time. The ratings range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to
186 mph (298 km/h) ¢ table
on page 326 .
You may not find
this information on all tires be
cause it is not required by law .
The speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
...

u a, .... N r-N ....
~ a,
maximum permissible road
speeds. See
also ¢.& in General
information on page 325.
Tire pre ssure mon itoring
system
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underinflated and illumi
nates a low tire pressure warning
telltale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road .
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass.
Treadwea r indicators (TWI )
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visual indication of the degrees
of wear of the tread. See
¢ page 334, Treadwear indicator
for more information on measur
ing tire wear .
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire information system devel
oped by the United States Nation
al Highway Traffic Safety Admin
istration (NHTSA) that is designed
to help buyers make relat ive com-
Wheels
parisons among tires . The U TQG
is not a safety rating and not a
guarantee that a tire will last for
a prescribed number of miles
(kilometers) or perform in acer
tain way . It simply gives tire buy
ers additional information to
combine with other considera
tions, such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendatio ns. Un
der UTQG, tires are graded by the
tire manufacturers in three areas :
treadwear, tract ion, and tempera
ture resistance. The UTQG infor
mation on the tires, molded into
the sidewalls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification
Number (TIN)
T his is the tire's "se ria l number" .
It begins with the letters "DO T"
and indicates that the tire meets all federal standards. The next
two numbers or letters indicate
the plant whe re it was manufac
tured, and the last four numbers
represent the week and year of
manufactu re . For example,
DOT .. . 2217 ...
means that the tire was produced
in the 22nd week of 2017 . The
other numbers are marketing co des that may or may not be used
.,.
33 1