2019 AUDI A4 ESP

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem

theseatmaypreventtheAdvancedAirbagSys-
temforthefrontpassengerseatfromdoingits
jobinacrash.
ThefrontAdvancedAirbagSystemconsists
ofthefollowing:
—Crashsensorsinthefrontofthevehiclethat
measurevehicleacceleration/decelerationto
provideinformationtotheAdvancedAirbag
Systemabouttheseverityofthecrash.
— Anelectroniccontrolunit,withintegrated
crashsensorsforfrontandsideimpacts.The
controlunit“decides”whethertofirethefront
airbagsbasedontheinformationreceivedfrom
thecrashsensors.Thecontrolunitalso“de-
cides”whetherthesafetybeltpretensioners
shouldbeactivated.
— AnAdvancedAirbagwithgasgeneratorand
controlvalveforthedriver insidethesteering
wheelhub.
— AnAdvancedAirbagwithgasgeneratorand
controlvalveinsidetheinstrumentpanelfor
thefrontpassenger.
—Acapacitivepassengerdetectionsystemunder-
neaththefrontpassengerseatcover.Thissys-
temmeasurestheelectricalcapacitanceofthe
personintheseat.Theinformationregistered
issent continuouslytotheelectroniccontrol
unit toregulatedeploymentofthefrontAd-
vancedAirbagonthepassengerside.
— Anairbagmonitoringsystemandindicator
lightkaintheinstrumentcluster.
—Asensorineachfrontseatregistersthedis-
tancebetweentherespectiveseatandthe
steeringwheelorinstrumentpanel.Theinfor-
mationregisteredissent continuouslytothe
electroniccontrolunittoregulatedeployment
ofthefrontAdvancedAirbags.
—ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;ON@light
comesonintheheadliner>page273,fig.230
andtellsyouthestatusoftheAdvancedAirbag
onthepassengerside.
—Asensorinthesafetybeltlatchforthedriver
andforthefrontseatpassengerthatsenses
whetherthatsafetybeltislatchedornotand
transmitsthisinformationtotheelectronic
controlunit.


ZAWARNING
Damagetothefrontpassengerseatcanpre-
ventthefrontairbagfromworkingproperly.
—Improperrepairordisassemblyofthefront
passengeranddriverseatwillpreventthe
AdvancedAirbagSystemfromfunctioning
properly.
—Repairstothefrontpassengerseatmustbe
performedbyqualifiedandproperlytrained
workshoppersonnel.
—Neverremovethefrontpassengerordriver
seatfromthevehicle.
—Neverremovetheupholsteryfromthefront
PassengerSeat.
—Neverdisassembleorremovepartsfromthe
seatordisconnectwiresfromit.
—Nevercarrysharpobjectsinyourpocketsor
putthemontheseat.Thecapacitivepassen-
gerdetectionmatinthefrontpassenger
seatwillnotfunctionproperlyifitispunc-
tured.
—Nevercarrythingsonyourlaporcarryob-
jectsonthefrontpassengerseat.Suchob-
jectscaninfluencethecapacitanceregis-
teredbythecapacitivepassengerdetection
system,sothatincorrectinformationispro-
videdtotheairbagcontrolunit.
—Neverstoreitemsunderthefrontpassenger
seat.PartsoftheAdvancedAirbagSystem
underthepassengerseatcouldbedam-
aged,preventingthemandtheairbagsys-
temfromworkingproperly.
—Neverplaceseatcoversorreplacementup-
holsterythathavenotbeenspecificallyap-
proved by Audionthefrontseats.
—SeatcoverscanpreventtheAdvancedAirbag
Systemfromrecognizingchildrestraintsor
occupantsonthefrontpassengerseatand
preventthesideairbagintheseat backrest
fromdeployingproperly.
—Ifaseatheaterhasbeenretrofittedor oth-
erwiseaddedtothefrontpassengerseat,
neverinstallanychildrestraintsystemon
thisseat.
—Neverusecushions,pillows,blankets,or
similaritemsonthefrontpassengerseat.
Theadditionallayerspreventthecapacitive

269

Airbagsystem


—Theinflatingairbagwillhitthechildsafety
seatorinfantcarrierwithgreatforceand
willsmashthechildsafetyseatandchild
againstthebackrest,centerarmrest,door
orroof.
—Alwaysinstallrear-facingchildsafetyseats
ontherearseat.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearward-facingchild
safetyseatonthefrontpassengerseatbe-
causeofexceptionalcircumstancesandthe
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;lightdoesnot
comeonandstayon,immediatelyinstall
therear-facingchildsafetyseatinarear
seatingpositionandhavetheairbagsystem
inspectedbyyourauthorizedAudidealer.


ZAWARNING
Objectsbetweenyouandtheairbagwillin-
creasetheriskofinjuryinacrashbyinterfer-
ingwiththewaytheairbagunfoldsorbybe-
ingpushedintoyouastheairbaginflates.
—Neverhold thingsinyourhandsoronyour
lapwhenthevehicleisinuse.
—Nevertransportitemsonorintheareaof
thefrontpassengerseat.Objectscould
moveintotheareaofthefrontairbagsdur-
ingbrakingorothersudden maneuversand
becomedangerousprojectilesthatcan
causeseriouspersonalinjuryiftheairbags
inflate.
—Neverplaceorattachaccessoriesorother
objects(suchascupholders,telephone
brackets,large,heavyorbulkyobjects)on
thedoors,overornear theareamarked
“AIRBAG”onthesteeringwheel,instrument
panel,seatbackrestsorbetweenthose
areasandyourself.Theseobjectscould
causeinjuryinacrash,especiallywhenthe
airbagsinflate.
—Neverreclinethefrontpassenger'sseatto
transportobjects.Itemscanalsomoveinto
theareaofthesideairbagorthefrontair-
bagduringbrakingorinasuddenmaneuver.
Objectsnear theairbagscanbecomeprojec-
tilesandcauseinjury,particularlywhenthe
seatisreclined.
—Neverplaceortransportobjectsonthefront
passengerseat.Objectsonthefrontpassen-

gerseatcouldcausethecapacitivesensorin
theseattosignaltoairbagsystemthatthe
seatisoccupiedbyapersonwhenitinfactis
not,orthatthepersonontheseatisheavier
thanheorsheactuallyis.The changein
electriccapacitancebecauseofsuchobjects
cancausethepassengerfrontairbagtobe
turnedonwhenitshould beoff,orcan
causetheairbagtoworkinawaythatisdif-
ferentfromthewayitwouldhaveworked
withoutobjectsontheseat.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthereisnothingon
thefrontpassengerseatthatwillcausethe
capacitivepassengerdetectionsystemin
theseattosignaltotheAirbagSystemthat
theseatisoccupiedbyapersonwhenitis
not,ortosignalthatit isoccupiedbysome-
onewhoisheavierthanthepersonactually
sittingontheseat.Thepresenceofanob-
jectcouldcausethepassengerfrontairbag
tobeturnedonwhenitshouldbeoff,or
couldcausetheairbagtoworkinawaythat
isdifferentfromthewayitwouldhave
workedwithouttheobjectontheseat.


Z\WARNING
Thefinedustcreatedwhenairbagsdeploycan
causebreathingproblemsforpeoplewitha
historyofasthmaorotherbreathingcondi-
tions.
—Toreducetheriskofbreathingproblems,
thosewithasthmaorotherrespiratorycon-
ditionsshouldgetfreshairrightawayby
gettingoutofthevehicleoropeningwin-
dowsordoors.
—Ifyouareinacollisioninwhichairbagsde-
ploy,washyourhandsandfacewithmild
soapandwaterbeforeeating.
—Becarefulnottogetthedustintoyoureyes,
orintoanycuts orscratches.
—Iftheresidueshould getintoyoureyes,
flushthemwithwater.


272

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Airbagsystem

seatpositions.Havetheairbagsysteminspect-
ed byyourAudidealerimmediately.
—movethechildtoarearseatpositionandmake
sure thatthechildisproperlyrestrainedina
childrestraintthatisappropriateforitssize
andage.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;light
shouldNOTcomeon...
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;lightshould
NOTcomeonwhentheignitionisonandanadult
issittinginaproperseatingpositiononthefront
passengerseat.IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF
¥;lightcomesonandstaysonwhiledriving,un-
derthesecircumstances,makesurethat:
—theadultonthefrontpassengerseatisproper-
lyseatedonthecenteroftheseatcushionwith
hisorherbackupagainstthebackrestandthe
backrestisnotreclined,
—theadultisnottakingweightofftheseatby
holdingontothepassengerassisthandle
abovethefrontpassengerdoororsupporting
theirweightonthearmrest,
—thesafetybeltisbeingproperlywornandthat
thereisnotalotofslackinthesafetybeltweb-
bing,
—therearenoaftermarketseatcoversorcush-
ionsorotherthings(such as blankets)onthe
frontpassengerseatthatmightcausetheca-
pacitivepassengerdetectionsystemto miscal-
culate
electricalcapacitance.
Macatawa)
monitoringtheAdvancedAirbagSystem
ZAWARNING
—IfthestatusoftheAdvancedAirbagSystem
haschangedwhilethevehicleismoving,the
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;ON®light
blinksforabout5secondstocatchthedriv-
er'sattention.Ifthishappens,alwaysstop
assoonasitissafe todosoandcheckthe
stepsdescribedabove.
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotgooffwhenanadultwhoisnot
verysmallissittingonthefrontpassenger

makesuretheadultisproperlyseatedand
restrainedatoneoftherearseatingposi-
tions.Havetheairbagsysteminspectedby
yourauthorizedAudidealerbeforetrans-
portinganyoneonthefrontpassengerseat.


ZAWARNING
Anairbagsystemthatisnotfunctioningprop-
erlycannotprovidesupplementalprotection
inafrontalcrash.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page23
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.



seataftertakingthestepsdescribedabove,
ZA\WARNING
Ifthefrontairbaginflates,a childwithouta
childrestraint,orinarearward-facingchild
safetyseat,orinaforward-facingchildre-
straintthathasnotbeenproperlyinstalled
willbeseriouslyinjuredandcanbekilled.
—Eventhoughyourvehicleisequippedwith
anAdvancedAirbagSystem,makecertain
thatallchildren,especially12yearsand
younger,alwaysrideonthebackseatprop-
erlyrestrainedfortheirageandsize.
—Alwaysinstallforwardorrear-facingchild
safetyseatsontherearseat-evenwithan
AdvancedAirbagSystem.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearward-facingchild
safetyseatonthefrontpassengerseatbe-
causeofexceptionalcircumstancesandthe
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightdoesnot
appearandstayon,immediatelyinstallthe
rear-facingchildsafetyseatinarearseating
positionandhavetheairbagsysteminspect-
edbyyourauthorizedAudidealer.
—If,inexceptionalcircumstances,youmust
installaforward-facingchildrestrainton
thefrontpassengerseat,alwaysmovethe
seatintoitsrearmostpositionintheseat's
foreandaftadjustmentrange,asfaraway
fromtheairbagaspossible.Thebackrest
mustbeadjustedtoanuprightposition.
MakesurethatthePASSENGERAIRBAG

275

Airbagsystem


OFF$¥;lightcomesonandstaysonallthe
timewhenever theignitionisswitchedon.

ZAWARNING
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotgooutwhenanadultissittingon
thefrontpassengerseataftertakingthe
stepsdescribed above,makesuretheadult
isproperlyseatedandrestrainedatoneof
therearseatingpositions.
—Havetheairbagsysteminspectedbyyour
authorizedAudidealerbefore transporting
anyoneonthefrontpassengerseat.
G)Tips
Ifthecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystem
determinesthatthefrontpassengerseatis
empty,thefrontalairbagonthepassenger
sidewillbeturnedoff,andthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF;lightwillstayon.
Repair,careanddisposaloftheairbags
Partsoftheairbagsystemareinstalledatmany
differentplacesonyourAudi.Installing,remov-
ing,servicingorrepairingapartinanareaofthe
vehiclecandamageapartofanairbagsystem
andpreventthatsystemfromworkingproperly
inacollision.

Therearesomeimportantthingsyouhaveto
knowtomakesurethattheeffectivenessofthe
systemwillnot beimpairedandthatdiscarded
componentsdonotcauseinjuryorpollutethe
environment.

ZA\WARNING
Impropercare,servicingandrepairproce-
durescanincreasetheriskofpersonalinjury
anddeathbypreventinganairbagfromde-
ployingwhenneededordeployinganairbag
unexpectedly:
—Nevercover,obstruct,orchangethesteer-
ingwheelhornpadorairbagcoverorthein-
strumentpanelormodifytheminanyway.
—Neverattachanyobjectssuchascupholders
ortelephonemountingstothesurfacescov-
eringtheairbagunits.

276

—Forcleaningthehornpadorinstrument
panel,useonlyasoft,dryclothoronemois-
tenedwithplainwater.Solventsorcleaners
coulddamagetheairbagcoverorchange
thestiffnessorstrengthofthematerial so
that
theairbagcannotdeployandprotect
properly.
—Neverrepair,adjust,orchangeanypartsof
theairbagsystem.
—Allworkonthesteeringwheel,instrument
panel,frontseatsorelectricalsystem(in-
cludingtheinstallationofaudioequipment,
cellulartelephonesandCBradios,etc.)
mustbeperformedbyaqualifiedtechnician
whohasthetrainingandspecialequipment
necessary.
—Foranyworkontheairbagsystem,we
stronglyrecommendthatyouseeyourau-
thorizedAudidealerorqualifiedworkshop.
—Nevermodifythefrontbumperorpartsof
thevehiclebody.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesideairbagcan
inflatewithoutinterference:
—Neverinstallseatcoversorreplacement
upholsteryoverthefrontseatbacksthat
havenotbeenspecificallyapprovedbyAu-
di.
—Neveruseadditionalseatcushionsthat
covertheareaswherethesideairbagsin-
flate.
—Damagetotheoriginalseatcoversorto
theseamintheareaofthesideairbag
modulemustalwaysberepairedimmedi-
atelyby anauthorizedAudidealer.
— Theairbagsystemcandeployonlyonce.Af-
teranairbaghasbeendeployed,it mustbe
replacedwithnewreplacementpartsde-
signedandapprovedespeciallyforyourAudi
model
version.Replacementofcomplete
airbagsystemsorairbagcomponentsmust
beperformedbyqualifiedworkshopsonly.
Makesurethatanyairbagserviceactionis
enteredinyourAudiWarranty&Mainte-
nancebookletunderAIRBAGREPLACEMENT
RECORD.
—Forsafetyreasonsinsevereaccidents,the
alternatorandstarterareseparatedfrom

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem


thevehiclebatterywithapyrotechniccircuit
interrupter.
—Workonthepyrotechniccircuitinterrupter
mustonlybeperformedbyaqualified
technicianswhohavetheexperience,in-
formationandspecialtoolsnecessaryto
performtheworksafely.
—Ifthevehicleorthecircuitinterrupteris
scrapped,allapplicablesafetyprecautions
mustbefollowed.
OtherthingsthatcanaffectAdvanced
Airbagperformance
Changingthevehicle'ssuspensionsystemcan
changethewaythattheAdvancedAirbagSystem
performsinacrash.Forexample,usingtire-rim
combinationsnotapprovedbyAudi,loweringthe
vehicle,changingthestiffnessofthesuspension,
includingthesprings,suspensionstruts,shock
absorbersetc.canchangetheforcesthatare
measuredbytheairbagsensorsandsenttothe
electroniccontrolunit.Somesuspensionchanges
can,forexample,increasetheforcelevelsmeas-
uredbythesensorsandmaketheairbagsystem
deployincrashesinwhichitwouldnotdeployif
thechangeshadnotbeenmade.Otherkindsof
changesmayreducetheforcelevelsmeasuredby
thesensorsandpreventtheairbagfromdeploy-
ingwhenitshould.

ZA\WARNING
Changingthevehicle'ssuspensionincluding
useof unapprovedtire-rimcombinationscan
changeAdvancedAirbagperformanceandin-
creasetheriskofseriouspersonalinjuryina
crash.
—Neverinstallsuspensioncomponentsthat
donothavethesameperformancecharac-
teristicsasthecomponentsoriginallyinstal-
ledonyourvehicle.
—Neverusetire-rimcombinationsthathave

notbeenapprovedbyAudi.

Kneeairbags
preaal)aCeaitLs-eh)
Thekneeairbagsystemcanprovidesupplemen-
talprotectiontoproperlyrestrained frontseat
occupants.
= g
=
8

Fig.231Driver'skneeairbag
Thedriverkneeairbagisintheinstrumentpanel
underneaththesteeringwheel>fig.231,the
airbagforthepassengerisataboutthesame
heightintheinstrumentpanelunderneaththe
glovecompartment.
Thekneeairbagoffersadditionalprotectionto
thedriver'sandpassenger'skneesandupperand
lowerthigh areasandsupplementstheprotec-
tionprovidedbythesafetybelts.
Ifthefrontairbagsdeploy,thekneeairbagsalso
deployinfrontalcollisionswhenthedeployment
thresholdstoredinthecontrolunitismet
=page271,Moreimportantthingstoknow
aboutfrontairbags.
Inadditiontotheirnormalsafetyfunction,safe-
tybeltshelpkeepthedriverorfrontpassengerin
positioninafrontalcollisionso thattheairbags
canprovidesupplementalprotection.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysre-
memberthattheairbagsystemcanonlyhelpto
protectyouifyouarewearingyoursafetybelt
andwearingitproperly.Thisiswhyyoushouldal-
wayswearyoursafetybelt,notjustbecausethe
lawrequiresyoutodoso>page253,Generalin-
formation.
277
>

Airbagsystem

Remembertoo,airbagswilldeployonlyonceand
onlyincertainkindsofaccidents-yoursafety
beltsarealwaystheretoofferprotectioninthose
accidentsinwhichairbagsarenotsupposedto
deployorwhenthey havealreadydeployed,for
examplewhenyourvehiclestrikesorisstruckby
anotherafterthefirstcollision.
Thisisjustoneofthereasonswhyanairbagis
notasubstituteforthesafetybelt.Theairbag
systemworksmosteffectivelywhenusedwith
thesafetybelts.Therefore,alwayswearyour
safetybeltscorrectly.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilethesup-
plementalkneeairbagsystemisdesignedtore-
ducethelikelihoodofseriousinjuries,otherinju-
ries,forexample,swelling,bruisingandminor
abrasionsandfrictionburnscanalsooccurwhen
anairbaginflates.
Thekneeairbagsystembasicallyconsistsof:
—Theelectroniccontrolmodule
—Twoinflatableairbags(airbagandgasgenera-
tor),oneforthedriverandoneforthefront
passenger
—Theairbagindicatorlightintheinstrument
panel
Thekneeairbagsystemwillnotdeploy:
—whentheignitionisswitchedoff
—infrontalcollisionswhenthedeceleration
measuredbythecontrolunitistoolow
—insidecollisions
—inrear-endcollisions
—inrollovers
—inthe eventofasystemmalfunction(warning/
indicatorlightison)>page23.


Z\WARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemcanonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page271.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page23
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.

278
ataan-\-i-liaey1emela
Theriskofinjurytothelegareacanbereduced
byfullyinflatedkneeairbags.
5 ¢
2
=a 3
Fig.232Inflatedairbagsprotectinginafrontalcollision
Thekneeairbagsystemhasbeendesignedso
thattheairbagsforthedriverandfrontpassen-
gerdeployincertainbut notallfrontalcollisions.
Ifthefrontairbagsdeploy,thekneeairbagsalso
deployinfrontalcollisionswhenthedeployment
thresholdstoredinthecontrolunitismet.
Whenthesystemdeploys,theairbagsfillwitha
propellantgas,andinflatebetweenthelower
partoftheinstrumentpanelandthedriverand
thelowerpartoftheinstrumentpanelandthe
frontpassenger>page271,fig.229.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,theycan
“cushion”theimpactandinthiswaythey can
helptoreducetheriskofinjurytothelowerex-
tremities.
Allofthistakesplaceintheblinkofaneye,so
fastthatmanypeopledon'tevenrealizethatthe
airbagshavedeployed.Theairbagsalsoinflate
withagreatdeal offorceanditisimportantfor
occupantsafetythatnothingshouldbeintheir
waywhentheydeploy.
Fullyinflatedairbagsincombinationwithproper-
lywornsafetybeltsslowdownandlimittheoc-
cupant'sforwardmovementandhelptoreduce
theriskofinjury.

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem

tailSelecaetLiamiedoMolmat-Mdal-1-)
airbagsystem
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.Always
wearsafetybeltscorrectlyandrideinaproper
seatingposition.
Thereisalotthatyou andyourpassengersmust
knowanddotohelpthesafetybeltsandairbags
toprovidesupplementalprotection.

Z\WARNING
Aninflatingkneeairbagcancauseseriousin-
jury.Wearingsafetybeltsincorrectlyandim-
properseatingpositionsincreasetheriskof
seriouspersonalinjuryanddeathwhenevera
vehicleisbeingused.
— Thekneeairbagsystemcannotprotectyou
properlyifyouareseatedtooclosetoanyof
theairbaglocations.Whenadjustingtheir
seatpositions,it isimportantthatboththe
driverandthefrontpassengerkeeptheir
upperbodiesandkneesatthefollowing
minimumsafedistances:
—atleast10inches(25cm)betweenthe
chestandthesteeringwheel/instrument
panel.
—atleast4inches(10cm)betweenthe
kneesandthelowerpartoftheinstru-
mentpanel.
—Theriskofpersonalinjuryincreasesifyou
leanforwardortotheside,oriftheseatis
improperlypositionedandyouarenotwear-
ingyoursafetybelt.Theriskincreaseseven
moreshouldtheairbagdeploy.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthekneeairbagcan
inflatewithoutinterference.Objectsbe-
tweenyouandtheairbagcanincreasethe
riskofinjuryinanaccidentbyinterfering
withthewaytheairbagdeploysorbybeing
pushedintoyouastheairbagdeploys.
—Neverletanybody,especiallychildrenor
animalsrideinthefootwellinfrontofthe
passengerseat.Iftheairbagdeploys,this
canresultinseriousorfatalinjuries.
—Nevercarryobjectsofanykindinthefoot-
wellareainfrontofthedriver'sor pas-
senger'sseat.Bulkyobjects(shopping

bags,forexample)caninterferewithor

preventproperdeploymentoftheairbag.
Smallobjectscanbethrownthroughthe
vehicleiftheairbagdeploysandinjureyou
oryourpassengers.
— Makesuretherearenocracks,deepscratch-
esorotherdamageintheareaoftheinstru-
mentpanelwherethekneeairbagsarelo-
cated.
—Ifchildrenareincorrectlyseated,theirrisk
ofinjuryincreasesinacollision>page285,
Childsafety.


Sideairbags
Descriptionof sideairbags
Theairbagsystemcanprovidesupplemental
protectiontoproperlyrestrainedoccupants.
QS
9
==3S

Fig.233Sideairbaglocationinthedriver'sseat
Thesideairbagsarelocatedinthesidesofthe
frontseatbackrests>fig.233andtherearback-
rest*facingthedoors.
Thesideairbagsinstalledforthefrontseating
positionshavebeendesignedandcertifiedto
helpreducetheriskofinjurythatcanbecaused
byairbagswhentheyinflate,particularlywhen
theoccupantsittingnexttoitisnotseatedprop-
erly.Thesideairbagforthefrontpassengerseat
canbeusedwithproperlyinstalledchildre-
straints.Pleasebesuretoreadtheimportantin-
formationandwarningswheneverusingachild
restraintinavehicle:Safetybelts>page253,
Airbagsystem>page261,Childsafety
=>page285.
Thesideairbagsystembasicallyconsistsof:
—theelectroniccontrolmoduleandexternalside
impactsensors
279
>

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem

Howsupplementalsideairbagswork
Sideairbagsdeployinstantlyandcanhelpre-
ducetheriskofuppertorsoinjuriesforoccu-
pantswhoareproperlyrestrained.
rr8Ss
e
=o3


Fig.234Inflatedsideairbagsonleftsideofvehicle,rear
sideairbagoptionalequipment
Whenthesystemistriggered,theairbagisfilled
withpropellantgasandbreaksthroughaseamin
theseatsurfacearea.Itexpandsbetweenthe
sidetrimpanelandthepassenger.Inorderto
helpprovidethisadditionalprotection,theside
airbagmustinflatewithinafractionofasecond
atveryhighspeedandwithgreatforce.Thesup-
plementalsideairbagcouldinjureyouifyour
seatingpositionisnotproperoruprightorif
itemsarelocatedintheareawherethesupple-
mentalsideairbagexpands.Thisappliesespe-
ciallytochildren>page285,Childsafety.Sup-
plementalsideairbagsinflatebetweentheoccu-
pantandthedoorpanelonthesideofthevehicle
thatisstruckincertainsidecollision>fig.234.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,theycan
“cushion” the
impactandinthiswaytheycan
helptoreducetheriskofinjurytotheupperpart
of
thebody.
Afinedustmaydevelopwhentheairbagdeploys.
Thisisnormalanddoesnotmeanthereisafire
inthevehicle.
Importantsafetyinstructionsontheside
airbagsystem
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.Always
properlywearsafetybeltsandrideinaproper
seatingposition.
Thereisalotthatyou andyourpassengersmust
knowandactaccordinglytohelpthesafetybelts
andairbagsdotheirjobtoprovidesupplemental
protection.

Z\WARNING
Aninflatingsideairbagcancauseserious or
fatalinjury.Improperlywearingsafetybelts
andimproperseatingpositions increasethe
riskofseriouspersonalinjuryanddeath
wheneveravehicleisbeingused.
—Inordertoreducetheriskofinjurywhenthe
supplemental
sideairbaginflates:
—Alwayssitinanuprightpositionandnever
leanagainsttheareawherethesupple-
mentalsideairbagislocated.
—Neverletachildoranyoneelseresttheir
headagainstthesidetrimpanelinthe
areawherethesupplementalsideairbag
inflates.
—Alwaysmakesurethatsafetybeltsare
worncorrectly,
— Donotletanyonesittinginthefrontseat
puttheirhandoranyotherpartsoftheir
bodyoutofthewindow.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesideairbagcan
inflatewithoutinterference.
—Neverinstallseatcoversorreplacement
upholsteryoverthefrontseatbacksthat
havenotbeenspecificallyapprovedbyAu-
di.
—Neveruseadditionalseatcushionsthat
covertheareaswherethesideairbagsde-
ploy.
—Damagetotheoriginalseatcoversor to
theseamintheareaofthesideairbag
modulemustalwaysberepairedimmedi-
atelyby anauthorizedAudidealer.
—Objectsbetweenyouandtheairbagcanin-
creasetheriskofinjuryinanaccidentbyin-

terferingwiththewaytheairbagunfoldsor

281