Airbag syste m
front seat p assenge r's frontal Ad vanced Airbag.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light:
-will come on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- will come on if t he e lectr ica l capacitance meas
u red by the c apac it ive passenger detect ion sys
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward -facing
or forward-facing chi ld rest raints listed in Fed
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith
which the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i
cle was certif ied; For a list ing of the child re
straints that were used to cert ify your vehicle 's
compliance with t he U .S. Safety Standard
¢ page 293.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu
pied by an adult as reg istered by the capacitive
passenger detection system .
- T he
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF~; light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on and . ..
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front pas
senger seat, o r
-a rearward-fac ing ch ild restrai nt has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal
l ed on the front passenger seat,
- and if the electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the comb ined capac itance of a typical 1 year
o ld infant a nd one of t he rearward-fac ing o r
fo rwa rd -fa cing ch ild restrain ts lis ted in Federal
Motor Ve hicle Safety Standard 208 with w hich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified .
I f t he fron t passenger sea t is no t occ upied, the
fron t ai rbag w ill not dep loy, and the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
"1 ; lig ht wi ll stay on.
Neve r install a rearward-fac ing ch ild rest rai nt on
t he fro nt passenge r sea t, the safest p lace for a
chi ld in any k ind of chi ld restraint is at one of t he
seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 2 70,
Child restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know
and ¢ page 291, Child safe
ty .
282
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
comes on . ..
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light comes
on when one of the condit ions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to make
certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF~;
light stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition
i s on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not appear on and does not stay on all the
t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turn ing the ignit ion
off for more than 4 seconds and then tur ning it
on again;
- remove and re install the ch ild restraint . Make
sure that the child restra int is prope rly insta l
led and that the safety belt for the front pas
senge r sea t has bee n correct ly rou ted th rough
t he ch ild restraint as desc ribed in the c hild r e
straint man ufacturer's instructions;
- ma ke sure that t he convert ible loc king re tra c
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt has been pu lled tight .
- make sure that no e lectrica l device (s uch as a
laptop , CD p layer , e lectronic games d evice,
power inverte r or seat heater for chi ld seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the c igarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retro
fitted or otherw ise added to the front passen
ger seat;
- make sure that noth ing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light still
does not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light still
does not come on and does not stay on cont in u
ous ly (when the ign ition is switched on),
- take the child restra in t off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear ..,.
Cl a:, ...... N
" N ...... 0
0
::r '
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.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
should NOT come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light should
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an
adu lt is sitting in a proper seating position on the
front passenger seat. If the
PASS ENGER AIR
BAG OFF~;
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 her back up aga inst the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
ho ld ing on to the passenger assist handle
above t he front passenger door o r supporting
the ir we ight on the arm rest,
- the safety be lt is be ing properly wo rn and that
the re is not a lot of slack i n the safe ty belt web
bing,
- the re are no aftermar ket seat covers or cush
ions or other things (s uch as blankets) on the
front passenge r seat tha t migh t cau se the ca
pacit ive 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 sma ll is sitting on the front passenger
Airbag syste m
seat a fter tak ing 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 passenge r seat.
A WARNING
-
An a irbag system that is not functioning prop
e rly cannot prov ide supplemental prote ct ion
i n a front al cra sh.
- I f the ai rbag ind icator light
~page 25
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspe cted immedia tely by your
author ized 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 child without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rea rward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be serious ly 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 sea t prop
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize.
- Always install fo rwa rd or rea r-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat - even with an
Advan ced Airb ag Sys tem.
- I f you must install a rea rwa rd-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
c a use of ex cep tional cir cums tan ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; light does not
appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seat ing
position and have the a irbag system in
spected by your authorized Aud i dea ler.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward- facing child restraint on
the front passenge r seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justmen t range, as far away
from the a irbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position.
283
a co ...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
:E '
-For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic 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 with 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
combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic contro l 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 changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy
ing when it should .
Airbag system
A 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 originally instal
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Side airbags
· Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 237 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests ¢
fig. 23 7 and the rear back
rest* facing the doors.
The side airbags installed for the front seating
pos itions have been des igned and certified to
help reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
the occupant s itting next to it is not seated prop
erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used w ith proper ly installed chi ld re
straints . Please be sure to read the important in
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts¢
page 261,
Airbag system ¢ page 269, Child safety
r:=> page 291.
The side airbag system basically consists of: .,..
285
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How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help reduce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 238 In fla ted sid e airbags o n le ft s id e of vehicle , rea r
side a irbag op tional equipment
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area.
It expands between the
side trim panel and the passenger. In order to
help provide this additional protection, the side
airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second
at very high speed and with great force. The sup
plemental side airbag 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 airbag expands. This applies espe
cially to children
<=:> page 291, Child safety . Sup
plemental side airbags inflate between the occu
pant and the door panel on the side of the vehicle
that is struck in certain side collision <=:>
fig. 238.
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 upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
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 act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
_&. WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates :
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window .
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de ploy.
- 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 .,.
287
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
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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