2019 AUDI A4 instrument panel

Airbagsystem

alsonotinflateinside or rearcollisions,orinroll-
overs.
Alwaysremember:Airbagswilldeployonlyonce,
andonlyincertainkindsofcollisions.Yoursafety
beltsarealwaystheretoofferprotectioninthose
situationsinwhichairbagsarenotsupposedto
deploy,
orwhenthey havealreadydeployed;for
example,whenyourvehiclestrikesorisstruckby
anothervehicleafterthefirstcollision.
Thisisjustoneofthereasonswhyanairbagisa
supplementaryrestraintandisnotasubstitute
forasafetybelt.Theairbagsystemworksmost
effectivelywhenusedwiththesafetybelts.
Therefore,alwaysproperlywearyoursafetybelts
=>page253.


ZAWARNING
Sittingtooclosetothesteeringwheelorin-
strumentpanelwilldecreasetheeffective-
nessoftheairbagsandwillincreasetherisk
ofpersonalinjuryinacollision.
—Neversitcloserthan10inches(25cm)to
thesteeringwheelorinstrumentpanel.
—Ifyoucannotsitmorethan10inches
(25cm)fromthesteeringwheel,investi-
gatewhetheradaptiveequipmentmaybe
availabletohelpyoureachthe pedalsand
increaseyourseatingdistancefromthe
steeringwheel.
—Allvehicleoccupantsandespeciallychildren
mustberestrainedproperlywheneverriding
inavehicle.Anunrestrainedorimproperly
restrainedchildcouldbeinjuredbystriking
theinteriororbybeingejectedfromtheve-
hicleduringasuddenmaneuverorimpact.
Anunrestrainedorimproperlyrestrained
childisalso atgreaterriskofinjuryordeath
throughcontactwithaninflatingairbag.
—Ifyouareunrestrained,leaningforward,sit-
tingsidewaysoroutofpositioninanyway,
yourriskofinjuryismuchhigher.
—Youwillalsoreceiveseriousinjuriesand
couldevenbekilledifyouareupagainstthe
airbagortooclosetoitwhenitinflates-
—Toreducetheriskofinjurywhenanairbag
inflates,alwayswearsafetybeltsproperly
=>page256,Safetybelts.
—Alwaysmakecertainthatchildrenage12or
youngeralwaysrideintherearseat.Ifchil-
drenarenotproperlyrestrained,theymay
beseverelyinjuredorkilledwhenanairbag
inflates.
—Neverletchildrenrideunrestrainedorim-
properlyrestrainedinthevehicle.Adjustthe
frontseatsproperly.
—Neverridewiththebackrestreclined.
—Alwayssitasfaraspossiblefromthesteer-
ingwheelortheinstrumentpanel
=>page248.
—Alwayssituprightwithyour backagainst
thebackrestofyourseat.
—Neverplaceyourfeetontheinstrument
panelorontheseat.Alwayskeepbothfeet
onthefloorinfront oftheseattohelppre-
ventseriousinjuriestothelegsandhipsif
theairbaginflates.
—Neverreclinethefrontpassenger'sseatto
transportobjects.Itemscanalsomoveinto
theareaofthesideairbagorthefrontair-
bagduringbrakingorinasuddenmaneuver.
Objectsneartheairbagscanbecomeprojec-
tilesandcauseinjurywhenanairbagin-
flates.

ZAWARNING
Airbagsthathavedeployedinacrashmustbe
replaced.
—Useonlyoriginalequipmentairbagsap-
provedbyAudiandinstalledbyatrained
technicianwhohas thenecessarytoolsand
diagnosticequipmenttoproperlyreplace
anyairbaginyourvehicleandassuresystem
effectivenessinacrash.
—Neverpermitsalvagedorrecycledairbagsto
beinstalledinyourvehicle.



evenwithanAdvancedAirbag.

262

Childrestraintsonthefrontseat-some
aa)aeamiemenale
>Besuretoreadtheimportantinformationand
heedtheWARNINGSforimportantdetails>

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Airbagsystem


—Improperinstallationofchildrestraintscan
reducetheireffectivenessorevenprevent
themfromprovidinganyprotection.
—Animproperlyinstalledchildrestraintcan
interferewiththeairbagasitdeploysand
seriouslyinjureorevenkillthechild-even
withanAdvancedAirbagSystem.
—Alwayscarefullyfollowthe manufacturer's
instructionsprovided withthechildsafety
seatorcarrier.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthereisnothingon
thefrontpassengerseatthatwillcausethe
capacitivepassengerdetectionsystemin
theseattosignaltotheAirbagSystemthat
theseatisoccupiedbyapersonwhen itis
not, ortosignalthatitisoccupiedbysome-
onewhoisheavierthanthepersonactually
sittingontheseat.Thepresenceofaddi-
tionalobjectscouldcausethepassenger
frontairbagtobeturnedonwhenitshould
beoff,orcouldcause theairbagtoworkina
waythatisdifferentfromthewayitwould
haveworkedwithouttheobjectontheseat.



Frontairbags
pyTdetyeCelaMeMilaligey-lel)
Theairbagsystemcanprovidesupplemental
protectiontoproperlyrestrained frontseatoccu-
pants.
ao8
Ss
2
=aa

Fig.227Locationofdriverairbag:insteeringwheel

B8W-0054

Fig.228Locationoffrontpassenger'sairbag:intheinstru-
mentpanel
Yourvehicleisequippedwithan“AdvancedAir-
bagSystem”incompliancewithUnitedStates
FederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard
(FMVSS)208,aswellasCanadaMotorVehicle
SafetyStandard(CMVSS)208asapplicableat
thetimeyourvehiclewasmanufactured.
Theairbagforthedriverisinthesteeringwheel
hub>fig.227andtheairbagforthefrontpas-
sengerisintheinstrumentpanel>fig.228.The
generallocationoftheairbagsismarked“AIR-
BAG”.
Thereisalotyouneedtoknowabouttheairbags
inyourvehicle.Weurgeyoutoreadthedetailed
informationaboutairbags,safetybeltsandchild
safetyinthisandtheotherchaptersthatmake
uptheowner'sliterature.Pleasebesuretoheed
theWARNINGS-theyareextremelyimportant
foryoursafetyandthesafety ofyourpassengers,
especiallyinfantsandsmallchildren.

Z\WARNING
Neverrelyonairbagsaloneforprotection.
—Evenwhentheydeploy,airbags provideonly
supplementalprotection.
—Airbagworkmosteffectivelywhenused
withproperlywornsafetybelts.
—Therefore,alwayswearyoursafetybeltsand
makesurethateverybodyinyourvehicleis
properlyrestrained.
—Alwaysholdthesteeringwheelwithboth
handsontheoutsideofthesteeringwheel
rimatthe9:00o'clockand3:00o'clockpo-
sitionstohelpreducetheriskofpersonalin-
juryifthedriver'sairbaginflates.>

265

Airbagsystem


—Neverholdthesteeringwheelatthe12
o'clockpositionorwithyourhandsany-
whereinsidethesteeringwheeloronthe
steeringwheelhub.Holding thesteering
wheelthewrongwayincreasestheriskof
severeinjurytothearms,hands,andheadif
thedriverairbagdeploys.

ZA\WARNING
Objectsbetweenyouandtheairbagwillin-
creasetheriskofinjuryinacrashbyinterfer-
ingwiththewaytheairbagunfoldsand/orby
beingpushedintoyouastheairbaginflates.
—Alwaysmakesurenothingisinthefrontair-
bagdeploymentzonethatcouldbestruck
by theairbagwhenitinflates.
—Objectsinthezoneofadeployingairbagcan
become
projectileswhentheairbagdeploys
andcauseseriouspersonalinjury.
—Neverhold thingsinyourhandsoronyour
lapwhenthevehicleisinuse.
—Neverplaceaccessoriesorotherobjects
(suchascupholders,telephonebrackets,
notepads,navigationsystems,orthings
thatarelarge,heavy,orbulky)onthedoors;
neverattachthemtothedoorsorthewind-
shield;neverplacethemoverornearorat-
tachthemtotheareamarked,,AIRBAG“on
thesteeringwheel,instrumentpanelorthe
seatbackrests;neverplacethembetween
theseareasandyouoranyotherpersonin
thevehicle.
—Neverattachobjectstothewindshield
abovethepassengerfrontairbag,suchas
accessoryGPSnavigationunitsormusic
players.Suchobjectscouldcauseseriousin-
juryinacollision,especiallywhentheair-
bagsinflate.
—Neverreclinethefrontpassengerseatto
transport
objects.Itemscanalsomoveinto
thedeploymentareaofthesideairbagsor
thefrontairbagduringbreakingorinasud-
denmaneuver.Objectsneartheairbagscan
flydangerouslythroughthepassengercom-
partmentandcauseinjury,particularly
whentheseatisreclinedandtheairbagsin-
flate.

266
ZAWARNING
Apersononthefrontpassengerseat,espe-
ciallyinfantsandsmallchildren,willreceive
seriousinjuriesandcanevenbekilledbybe-
ingtooclosetotheairbagwhenitinflates.
—AlthoughtheAdvancedAirbagSystemin
yourvehicleisdesignedtoturnoffthefront
passengerairbagifaninfantorasmallchild
isonthefrontpassengerseat,nobodycan
absolutelyguaranteethatdeploymentun-
derthesespecialconditionsisimpossiblein
allconceivablesituationsthatmayhappen
during theusefullife ofyourvehicle.
— TheAdvancedAirbagSystemcandeployin
accordancewiththe,,lowrisk“optionfor3-
and6-year-oldchildrenundertheU.S.Fed-
eralStandardifachildwithelectricalcapac-
itancegreaterthanthecombinedcapaci-
tanceofatypicalone-yearoldinfantre-
strainedinoneoftheforwardfacing orrear-
ward-facingchildseatswithwhichyourve-
hiclewascertifiedisonthefrontpassenger
seatandtheotherconditionsforairbagde-
ploymentaremet.
—Accidentstatisticshaveshownthatchildren
aregenerallysaferintherearseatareathan
inthefrontseatingposition.
—Fortheirownsafety,allchildren,especially
12yearsandyounger,shouldalwaysridein
thebackproperlyrestrainedfortheirage
andsize.
Advancedfrontairbagsystem
YourvehicleisequippedwithafrontAdvanced
AirbagSystemincompliancewithUnitedStates
FederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard(FMVSS)
208,aswellasCanadaMotorVehicleSafety
Standard(CMVSS)208asapplicableatthetime
yourvehiclewasmanufactured.


ThefrontAdvancedAirbagSystemsupplements
thesafetybeltstoprovideadditional protection
forthedriver'sandfrontpassenger'sheadsand
upperbodiesinfrontalcrashes.Theairbagsin-
flateonlyinfrontalimpactswhenthevehiclede-
celerationishighenough.>

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Airbagsystem

ThefrontAdvancedAirbagSystemforthefront
seatoccupantsisnotasubstituteforyoursafety
belts.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccupantre-
straintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysremember
thattheairbagsystemcanonly helptoprotect
you,ifyouaresittingupright,wearingyoursafe-
tybeltandwearingitproperly.Thisiswhyyou
and
yourpassengersmustalwaysbeproperlyre-
strained,notjustbecausethelawrequiresyouto
be.
TheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehiclehas
beencertifiedtomeetthe“lowrisk”require-
mentsfor3and6year-oldchildrenonthepas-
sengersideandverysmalladultsonthedriver
side.Thelowriskdeploymentcriteriaare intend-
edtohelpreducetheriskofinjurythroughinter-
actionwiththefrontairbagthatcanoccur,for
example,bybeingtooclosetothesteeringwheel
andinstrumentpanelwhentheairbaginflates.
Inaddition,thesystemhasbeencertifiedto
complywiththe“suppression”requirementsof
theSafetyStandard,toturnoffthefrontairbag
forinfants12monthsoldandyoungerwhoare
restrainedonthefrontpassengerseatinchildre-
straintsthatarelistedintheStandard
=page287,ChildrestraintsandAdvancedAir-
bags.
“Suppression”requiresthefrontairbagonthe
passengersidetobeturnedoffif:
—achilduptoaboutoneyearofageisrestrained
onthefrontpassengerseatinoneoftherear-
facing orforward-facinginfantrestraintslisted
inFederalMotorVehicleSafetyStandard208
withwhichtheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyour
vehiclewascertified.Foralistingofthechild
restraintsthatwereusedtocertifyyourvehi-
cle'scompliancewiththeUSSafetyStandard
=>page287,
—Whenapersonisdetectedonthefrontpassen-
gerseat thathasanelectricalcapacitancethat
ismorethanthetotalelectricalcapacitanceof
a childthatisabout1yearoldrestrainedinone
oftherear-facingorforward-facinginfantre-
straints(listedinFederalMotorVehicleSafety
Standard208withwhichtheAdvancedAirbag
Systeminyourvehiclewascertified),thefront
airbagonthepassengersidemayormaynot
deploy.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;lightcomeson
whentheelectroniccontrolunitdetectsatotal
electricalcapacitanceonthefrontpassengerseat
thatrequiresthefrontairbagtobeturnedoff.If
thePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;lightdoesnot
comeon,thefrontairbagonthepassengerside
hasnotbeenturnedoffbythecontrolunitand
candeployifthecontrolunitsenses animpact
thatmeetstheconditionsstoredin itsmemory.
Ifthetotalelectricalcapacitanceregisteredon
thefrontpassengerseatismorethanthatofa
typical1year-old,butlessthantheweightofa
smalladult,thefrontairbagonthepassenger
sidemaydeploy(thePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF
8%;lightdoesnotcomeon).
Forexample,theairbagmaydeployif:
—asmallchildthatisheavierthanatypical1
year-oldchildisonthefrontpassengerseat(re-
gardlessofwhetherthechildisinoneofthe
childsafetyseatslisted>page287),
—achildwhohasoutgrownchildrestraintsison
thefrontpassengerseat.
Ifthefrontpassengerairbagisturnedoff,the
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;lightinthe head-
linerwillcomeonandstayon.
Ifthefrontpassengerairbagdeploys,theFederal
Standardrequirestheairbagtomeetthe“low
risk”deploymentcriteriatohelpreducetherisk
ofinjurythroughinteractionwiththeairbag.
“Lowrisk”deploymentoccursinthosecrashes
that takeplaceatlowerdecelerationsasdefined
intheelectroniccontrolunit.>page273
Alwaysremember:Eventhoughyourvehicleis
equippedwithAdvancedAirbags,thesafest place
forchildrenisproperlyrestrainedontheback
seat.Pleasebesuretoreadtheimportantinfor-
mation
inthesectionsthatfollowandbesureto
heedalloftheWARNINGS.

ZXWARNING
Toreducetheriskofinjurywhenanairbagin-
flates,alwayswearsafetybeltsproperly.>

267

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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

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

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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
>