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.
Q page 289,
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 . Rat he r, it is part of the overa ll occu
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
p rotect yo u if you are wea ring your safety bel t
and wearing it properly . T his is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts, not j ust because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 261, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curtain ai rbag system is designed to he lp reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other inj uries,
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 once and only in
certa in ki nds of acc idents -you r safety belts are
always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag sy stem basically
consists of:
- The electronic contro l modu le 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 ind icator 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
8 seconds (self d iagnost ics) .
0 :E '
Airbag system
The side curtain 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 protect ion when occupants are i n
the proper seating position
¢ page 54,
Front seats.
- I f the airbag ind icator light¢ page 25
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 will 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.
Fi g. 24 0 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
¢ fig . 240.
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 io n, the
s ide curtain a irbag must inf late w ithi n the blink
of a n eye at very high speed a nd with g reat fo rce .
T he side c urtain airbag cou ld injure you if yo ur ..,.
289
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 inf lates . This applies
especia lly to children
c::> page 291.
A lthough they are not a soft pi llow, 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 deve lop 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 you 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 interference.
- Use the built- in coat hooks on ly for light
weight cloth ing. Neve r leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets th at may
interfere 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 Audi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun viso rs ove r to the side
windows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at
tached to the sun visors. They could come
290
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 airbag deployment zones must be kept clear at all times. Make s ure there are no
objects, pets, or 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 WARNING
- The a irbag system can deploy on ly once. If
the airbag has been triggered, the system
m ust be replaced by an authorized A udi
deale r or qualified workshop .
- Always have work invo lv ing the side curtain
airbag system, removal 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 a ny components of
the airbag system in any way.
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c> page 262, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children a re at
greater r isk of se rious injury in c rashes than
ad ults .
Because ch ildren's bodies are not fully devel
oped, they requ ire restra int systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight , and body struc
ture. Many coun tries and a ll states of the United
States and p rovinces of Canada have laws requi r
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 - 35 mph (30 -
56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound (6 kg)
infant will be more than 20 times the weight of
the child . This means the weight of the chi ld
wou ld suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg) . Under these condit ions, only an appro
priate ch ild restraint properly used can reduce
the r isk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used imp roperly, they can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in an acc ident .
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and you ng
er must a lways r ide in the back seat properly re
stra ined fo r their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restra int on t he front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and h eed the important information and warnings
c> page 270. Infants and other chi ldren who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re
stra int that is for their si ze and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental s ide air-
~ bags provide in some kinds of crashes . ...... N
" "' For more information please see information ......
8 provided by the: ::r '
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http ://www .safe
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www .tc .gc .ca (for Canada)
Cons ult the ch ild safety seat manuf acture r's in
structions in order to be sure t he seat is right for
yo ur chi ld's size
c> page 295 , Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in
format ion and WARNINGS about ch ild safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restra ints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your veh icle and how they work
whe n infants and children in child restraints are
on the fro nt passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion, we cannot re
peat it all he re . We u rge you to read the detailed
i nformat ion in this owner 's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag Sys tem in yo ur veh icle
and the very important information about trans
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sur e to heed th e WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small ch ildren .
A WARNING
-
-Accide nt statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
i n the front seat ing pos it ion. Always restrain
a ny child age 12 and unde r in t he rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restra ined prope rly whe never r id ing
i n a vehicle. An u nres tra ined o r improperly
rest rained chi ld cou ld be inju red by st riking
the interio r or by being ejected from the ve
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater r isk of injury or death
through contact w it h an inflating a irbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
prov ides the h ighest degree of protect io n
for infants and small children in most acc i
dent situat ions .
291
Child sa fety
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, 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 cert ified 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.
292
- Never put the forward-facing child re
straint up aga inst 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
str uctions .
- 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 earmost position in the seat's fore and
aft ad justmen t range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward- facing child restra int .
- Always make s ure tha t 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 itioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the f ront 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, elect ronic games de
v ice, power inverter or seat heater for
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec
trical capacitance measu red by the capaci
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly a round in an acciden t and cause
se rious personal injury.
- Never place or use any elect rical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, powe r inverter or sea t 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 su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush ion .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF~;
light comes on and stays
Cl a:, ...... N
" N ...... 0
0
::r '
switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~. light
does not come on and stay on, immediate
ly insta ll the forward-facing child seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Aud i
deale r.
- Always buckle the chi ld seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose ch ild seat ca n fly around during a
sudden stop o r in a coll is ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a ch ild restraint in a veh i
cle
~ page 261, Safety belts, ~ page 269,
Airbag system and ~page 291, Impor
tant information .
(j) Tips
Always replace ch ild restraints that were in
stalled in a veh icle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child restra int tha t is not visib le co uld cause
it to fail in another collision situation .
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air
bag System" in comp liance with United States
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Veh icle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the t ime
your ve hicle was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" requ ire
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 t he r isk of injury thro ugh inte ract ion with
the airbag t hat 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 i n
the Standard .
Child s af ety
E ven thoug h your veh icle is equipped with an Ad
vanced Airbag system, all chi ldren, especially
those 12 years and younger, should a lways 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 p lace for a
ch ild to ride . Th e front seat is not the safest place
fo r 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 rge r ch ild i n a rea rwa rd -facing seat.
T he veh icle 's Advanced A irbag 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 c hild in a child res tra int sys
tem on this seat .
T he capacitive passenger detection system reg is
te rs the changes that result i n an elect rical field
whe n a child, a ch ild restraint, and a baby b la nket
are on t he fron t 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 restra int 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 Traffic 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
c h ild restraint is used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year -old infant, t he Ad
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con
trol un it .
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 cert ified by its manu
fact urer for use w ith an airbag . Always be s ure
t h at the c hild restraint is properly installed at
IJJ,,
293
Child sa fety
one o f th e rear seating positions . If in exception
a l 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 all of the app licab le WARNINGS. Make cer
tain that the child and child restraint are correct
ly recogn ized by the capacitive passenger detec
tion system in the front passenge r seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off, and t hat the
a ir bag stat us is a lways cor rectly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF ~; light.
Many types and models of c hild rest raints have
been ava ilable ove r th e yea rs, new mode ls are in
troduced regularly incorporat ing new and im
p roved designs and o lder mode ls are taken o ut of
p roduction . Chi ld restraints are not standardized .
Chi ld restraints of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and sizes 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 c hild rest raint that has ever been
sold in the pas t or will be sold ove r the co urse of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the Un ited States Nat ional High
way Traffic Safety Adm inist ration has p ublished a
lis t of specific type, makes and models of child
rest raints that must be used to cert ify comp li
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi
cle with th e suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Ange l September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
294
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
E venflo First Choice December
1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snugride 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 restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 025 19 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
H igh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
E venflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 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 reduce the ris k of se rious injury, ma ke sure
that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
comes on and stays on whenever a c hild re
straint is insta lled on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
Cl a:, ...... N
" N ...... 0
0
::r '
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P AS SEN GER AIR
BA G OFF ~;
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the veh icle, especially chi ldren:
~ Always use the right chi ld safety seat for each
child and a lways use it properly
~ page 297.
~ 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
ch ild safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
~page 302.
~ 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 297.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced A irbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride i n the back seat properly re
stra ined fo r their age and size.
_& WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the w rong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
Ch ild saf ety
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restra ined properly whenever r iding
in a vehicle. An unrestra ined or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuve r or i mpact.
An unrest rained or imprope rly restrained
child is a lso at greater r is k of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating airbag.
- Commerc ially availab le child safety seats
are requi red to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle S afety S tandard (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 adequ ate cont act with the se at.
- Always heed all lega l requirements per
t ai ning to the insta llation and use of child
safety seats and carefu lly follow the in
structions provided by the manufact urer
of the seat you are using .
- Never a llow children under S7 inches
(1.45 meters) 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 chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder children ride in a
veh icle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub
stitute fo r a chi ld restraint system .
- The st rongest person cou ld no t ho ld the
ch ild with the forces tha t exist in an acci
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
295
Child sa fety
- The chi ld and the passenger can a lso in
jure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be serious ly injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem .
- 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 bac krest, center armrest, doo r
o r roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carr iers on the rear seat.
- Before you carry a ch ild in a rea r-facing child
sa fety seat on the rear seat, remove the
Rear Seat Entertainment (RS E)* and its
holder* from the ba ckres t of the front seat.
- Make s ure there is enough space in fron t of
the ch ild in the ch ild se at.
If necessary, ad
just the angle and posit ion of the seat in
front of the child seat .
- Forward-facing ch ild safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. A lways insta ll for
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- If except ional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child 's safety
and we ll-being require that the following
special p recautions be taken:
- Ma ke sure the forward -fac ing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or ca rrie r.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down
ad justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild rest raint .
296
-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.
- Always make s ure that the backrest is in
the up right pos ition.
- Never place or use any electrical device (such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, powe r inverter or seat heat
er for child seats) on the fro nt passenger
seat if the devi ce is connec ted to the 12-
vo lt socke t or the cigarette ligh ter soc ket.
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted o r
othe rwise added to the fron t passenger
seat, neve r install any child restraint sys
tem on this seat .
- Make sure that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush ion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, elect ronic games de
v ice, power inverte r or seat heater for
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec
trical capacitance measured by the capaci
tive passenger detection sys tem and can
also fly a round in an accident and cause
se rious personal injury.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it . A
loose child safety seat can fly a round dur ing
a sudden s to p or in a collision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used~
page 261, Safe ty belts,
~ page 269, Airbag system and
~ page 291, Child safety.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the ris k of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 'I,;; light ~