Cl 00 .-< N r-N .-< 0 r-Vl 00
met, be sure to check the light regularly to make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1;
light stays on continuously whenever the ignition
is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; light
does not appear on and does not stay on all the
time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ign ition
off for more than 4 seconds and then turning it
on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly instal led and that the safety belt for the front pas
senger seat has been correctly routed through
the child restraint as descr ibed in the child re
straint manufacturer's i nstr uctions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac
tor on the safety be lt for the front passenger
seat has bee n activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop, CD player, elect ronic games dev ice,
power inverter or seat heater for child seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12 ·vo lt socket or
the cigarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retro
fitted or otherwise added to the front passen
ger seat;
- make sure that nothing 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 cush ion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light still
does not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; light still
does not come on and does not stay on continu
ously (when the ignition is sw itched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer immed iate ly.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light
should NOT come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light should
NOT come on when the ign ition is on and an
Airbag system
adult is sitting in a proper seating position on the
front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG
OFF ~; light comes on and stays on whi le
driv ing, under these c ircumstances, make sure
that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion w ith
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support ing
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web
b ing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca
pacitive passenge r detection system to miscal
culate e lectr ica l capacitance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
-
-If the status of the Advanced Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; 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 "1; light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is sitting on the front passenger
seat after taking the steps described above,
have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
A WARNING
-
An air bag system that is not functioning prop
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a fronta l crash.
- If the airbag indicator light <=> page 14
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
207
Airbag syste m
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Aud i dealer. It is possible that
the a irbag 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
child restra int, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-facing child re
st raint that has not been p roperly installed
w ill be seriously injured and can be killed.
- If you must install a rearward-fac ing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional c ircumstances and the
PA SSEN
GER AIR BAG
OFF ,;; light does not appear
and stay on, have the airbag system inspect
ed by your Audi dealer.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing chi ld restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion .
Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF ,;; light comes on and stays on a ll the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; ligh t does
not go o ut when an adult is s itting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps described above, have the airbag system in
spected by your Audi dealer before transport
ing 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 passenger
side w ill be turned off, and the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG
OFF ~; light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Insta lling, remov-
208
ing, servicing or repair ing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from work ing properly
i n a coll is ion.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
du res can increase the risk of personal in jury
and death by p reventing an airbag from de
p loying when needed or deploy ing an a irbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer
ing wheel ho rn pad or airbag cover or the in
s trumen t panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects s uch as c up ho lde rs
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the a irbag un its.
- For cleaning the horn p ad or instr ument
panel, use only a soft, dry doth or one mois
tened w ith plain water . Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness o r strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, ad just, or change any parts o f
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 te lephones and CB radios, etc.)
m ust be performed by a qualified techn ician
who has the training and spec ial equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend tha t you see you r au
thori zed A udi dealer or qualified wo rkshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or pa rts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interfe rence:
Airbag system
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 165 Driver's k nee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering
wheel ¢ fig. 165, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 203, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function, safe
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
posi tion in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can prov ide supplemental protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . T his is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires yo u to do so ¢
page 187, Gener
al notes.
210
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
on ly in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
example when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly.
It is important to remember that while the sup
plemental knee airbag system is designed to re
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abras ions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control module
-Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the decelerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
-in side collisions
-in rear-end collisions
-in rollovers
-in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
ind icator light is on)
¢ page 14 .
.&, WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢page 203 .
-If the airbag ind icator light ¢ page 14
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
Airbag system
prevent proper deployment of the airbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passenger .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch
es or other damage in the area of the instru
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo
cated.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a collision
c:> page 216, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 167 Side airbag locat ion in t he drive r's se at
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
c:> fig. 167 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
help reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
the occupant sitting next to it is not seated prop
erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re
straints. Please be sure to read the important in
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts
c:> page 187,
Airbag system c:>page 194, Child safety
c:> page 216 .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and externa l side
impact sensors
212
-the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
-the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is mon itored electron ically to
make certain that it is functioni ng properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col
lision. The airbag deploys in side impacts and on
ly when the vehicle acceleration registered by the
control unit is high enough. If this rate is below
the reference value programmed into the control
unit, the side airbags will not be tr iggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a result
of the collision.
It is not possible to define an air
bag triggering range that w ill cover every possi
ble angle of impact, since the circumstances will
vary considerably between one collision and an
other. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object,
the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
c:> page 214, Important safety instructions on
the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in the event of a side collision
so that the side airbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
belt and wear ing it properly. This is another rea
son why you sho uld always wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
c:> page 187, General notes.
It is impo rtant to remember that while the sup
plemental side airbag system is designed to re
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju
ries, for example, swelling, bruising , friction
burns and minor abrasions can also be associated
...,
Cl 00 .-< N r-N .-< 0 r-Vl 00
-Never install a rearward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the
PA S·
SEN GER AIR B AG
OFF,;; light does not
turn on and stay on. Have the system in
spected immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer or author ized Audi Service Facility .
A WARNING
-Forward-fac ing ch ild seats insta lled on the
front passenge r seat may inte rfere with the
deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
persona l inju ry to the child .
- If except ional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child res traint 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
manufacture r fo r u se on a front passenger
seat with a front and s ide a irb ag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided with the child seat
or i nfan t ca rrier.
- Never p ut the fo rward-facing child re
s tra int up against o r very near the instru
men t panel.
- 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 position 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 restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt up
pe r anchorage is behind the child restra int
and not next to o r in front of the child re
stra int so that the safety belt will be prop
erly positioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from be ing
moved to the rearmost posit ion in its fore
and aft adjustment range .
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p laye r, electronic games de
vice, powe r inverter or seat heater for
child se ats). These m ay influence the ele c-
Ch ild saf ety
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i
tive passenger detection system and can also fly around in an acc ident and cause
serious personal injury .
- 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 front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
vo lt socke t or the cigarette lighter so cket.
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise added to t he front passenger
seat, neve r insta ll any child res traint sys
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(s uch as a we t towe l) and no w ater or oth
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion .
- Always make sure tha t the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG
OFF ,;; light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .
- Never install a forward -facing chi ld safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light does
not turn on and stay on. Have the system
inspected immediately by an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa
c ility .
- Always buck le the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it . A
loose child seat can fly aro und during a
sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest raint in a vehi
cl e
~page 187, Safety bel ts, ~page 194,
Airbag sy stem
and ~ page 216, Impor
tant information.
(D Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in
stalled in a vehicle du ring a c rash . Damage to
a child restrain t that is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another co llision sit uat ion .
217
Cl co ..... N ,....
N ..... 0 ,....
Vl co
seat if the device is connected to the 12·
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
-If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any chi ld restraint sys
tem on this seat.
-Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth
er liqu ids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
-Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec
tr ica l capacitance measured by the capaci
tive passenge r de tection system and can
also fly around in an accident and cause
serio us personal i njury.
- Always buckle the child sa fe ty seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being
used¢ page 187, Safety belts,
¢page 194, Airbag system and
¢ page 216, Child safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re
st rai nt is ins talled on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is sw itched on.
- Never install a reward facing ch ild safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the
PAS ·
SENGER AIR BAG
OFF ~; light does no t
t u rn on and stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer i mmediately.
Ch ild s afe ty
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs or
9 kg need special rearward-facing child
restraints that support the back, neck and head
in a crash .
Fig. 1 69 Rearwa rd-facing infant seat, prope rly installed on
the passenger seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, yo u m ust fi rst ac tivate the
convertib le lo ckin g re trac tor on the safety belt
t o p revent t he ch ild safety seat from moving
¢ page 225 .
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward and sideways
more than 1 in (2.S cm).
Infants up to about one yea r (20 lbs or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carr iers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many
experts be lieve that infants and small ch ildren
should ride only in special restra ints in wh ich the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
cr ash
¢fig. 169.
A WARNING
No t using a child safe ty seat, using t he wrong
chi ld safety seat or imprope rly insta lli n g a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury an d death in a crash.
-Never install a rear -fac ing ch ild restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them proper ly if the seat is forward-facing.
221
Cl co .... N ,....
N ...... 0 ,....
Vl co
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates
-even with an Ad
vanced 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 arm rest, door
or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light comes
on and stays on. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
~ ; light does not come on and stay
on have the airbag system inspected imme
diately by your Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 187, Safety belts,
¢ page 194, Airbag system and
c> page 216, Important information.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
well-being require that the following special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward -facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before
installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad
justment range.
Child safety
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up
right position .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device , power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
- 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.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device ,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
'1; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF '1; light
does not come on and stay on have the air
bag system inspected by your authorized
Audi dealer .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats con help protect
children weighing between abou t 40 lbs and
80 lbs (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4 ft
9
in (5 7 in/1.45 m) tall .
Fig. 171 Passenger sea t: child properly restrained in a
booste r se at
223
Cl 00 .-< N r--N .-< 0 r--Vl 00
-Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advance d Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on the seat .
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
-Always remember that a child leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag . This will result in ser ious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the front passenger seat because of exceptional c ircumstances the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OFF ~; light must come on and stay on,
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not come on and stay on, perform the
checks descr ibed
¢ page 205, Monitoring
the Advan ced Airbag System.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light
does not come on and stay on wheneve r the
ignition is switched on the infla ting airbag
will hit the child safety sea t or i nfant ca rr ier
with great force and will smash the child
safety seat and child against the bac krest,
center armrest, doo r or roof . Have the ai r
bag system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being
used¢ page 187, Safety belts,
¢ page 194, Airbag system and
¢page 216, Important information .
Securing child safety
seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safe ty belts for the front passenger can be
locked with the convertible locking retractor to
properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belt emergency locking ret ractor fo r
the fro nt passenger's seat safety belt have a con
ve rt ible lock ing retractor for child restra ints . The
safety belt must be locked so t hat belt webb ing
Ch ild saf ety
cannot unreel. The retractor can be activated to
l ock the safety belt and p revent the safety be lt
webb ing from loosening up dur ing no rma l driv
ing . A chi ld safety seat can only be properly in
stalled when the safety belt is locked so that the
c hi ld and ch ild safety seat will stay in p lace .
Always remembe r: Even thoug h your ve hicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
c hi ld shou ld always r ide in the seat proper ly re
strained for its age and s ize .
A WARNING
-
Imp roperly installed child safety seats in
crease the ris k of serious personal injury and
d eat h in a co llision.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re
tractor is locked w hen installing a child
safety sea t. An unlo cked safe ty be lt retra c
tor cannot hold t he ch ild sa fety sea t in place
du ring normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rmly in
place even if a ch ild is not si tt ing in it . A
loose child safety seat can fly a round dur ing
a sudden s to p or in a co llision .
- If the backrest is not se curely latched, the
child and the ch ild restraint will be thrown
forward togethe r with the backrest and w ill
strike parts o f the veh icle inter ior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat o r infant ca rrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center a rmrest, door
or roof.
- Forward-facing child safety seats o r infant
car riers installed on the front passenger's
seat may in terfere w ith the deployment o f
the airbag and ca use serio us in ju ry to t he
child.
- Always read and hee d all WARNINGS when
eve r using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
¢ page 216. Spe cial precautions
apply w hen ins tall ing a child safety seat on
the front passenge r seat
r=;, page 195, Child
restraints on the front seat
-some impor-
tant things to know .
~
225