
Airbag system
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the cigarette lighter socket;
— make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit-
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
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 cushion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF &; light still
does not come on...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3, light still
does not come on and does not stay on continu-
ously (when the ignition is switched on),
— take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer immediately.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light
should NOT come on...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3%; light should
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an 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 while driving, un-
der 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 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 supporting
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-
bing,
— 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 passenger detection system to miscal-
culate electrical capacitance.
202
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
ZA WARNING
— If the status of the Advanced Airbag 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 small is sitting on the front passenger
seat after taking the steps described above,
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
ZA WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
— If the airbag indicator light > page 18
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.
ZA\ WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-facing child re-
straint that has not been properly installed
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
— If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF #¥; light does not appear
and stay on, have the airbag system inspect-
ed by your Audi dealer.
— If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away

Airbag system
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airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passenger must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection.
ZA WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in-
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im-
proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
— The knee airbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances:
—at least 10 in (25 cm) between the chest
and
the steering wheel/instrument panel.
—at least 4 in (10 cm) between the knees
and the lower part of the instrument pan-
el.
— The risk of personal injury increases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear-
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy.
— Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be-
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfering
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
— Never let anybody, especially children or
animals ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fatal injuries.
— Never carry objects of any kind in the foot-
well area in front of the driver's or pas-
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the airbag.
206
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 > page 210,
Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests > fig. 161 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 > page 182,
Airbag system > page 189, Child safety
=> page 210.
The side airbag system basically consists of:
— the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors

Airbag system
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re-
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu-
pants who are properly restrained.
S /
Fig. 162 Inflated side airbag on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked “AIRBAG”. It ex-
pands between the side trim panel and the pas-
senger. 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 supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap-
plies especially to children > page 210, Child
safety. Supplemental side airbags inflate be-
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collision = fig. 162.
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.
208
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.
Z\ 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 Au-
di.
— 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

8S8012721BA
Airbag system
by being pushed into you as the airbag in-
flates.
— Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
“AIRBAG” on the seat backrests.
— Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de-
ploys.
— Never carry any objects or pets in the de-
ployment space between them and the air-
bags or allow children or other passengers
to travel in this position.
— Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
— The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
— Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
— If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
= page 210, Child safety.
— Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
— Ina side collision, side airbags will not func-
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un-
closed openings in the door panel.
— Never drive with interior door trim panels
removed.
— Never drive when parts have been removed
from the inside door panel and the open-
ings they leave have not been properly
closed.
— Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
— Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
— Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work-
shop.
209

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
=> page 183, 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 are at
greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully developed,
they require restraint systems especially de-
signed for their size, weight, and body structure.
Many countries and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir-
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children.
Ina frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 lbs (6 kg)
infant will be more than 20 times the weight of
the child. This means the weight of the child
would suddenly be more than 260 lbs (120 kg).
Under these conditions, only an appropriate child
restraint properly used can reduce the risk of seri-
ous injury. Child restraints, like adult safety belts,
must be used properly to be effective. Used im-
properly, they can increase the risk of serious in-
jury in an accident.
If you must install a child restraint on the front
passenger seat in exceptional circumstances, be
sure to read and heed the important information
and warnings > page 190. Infants and other chil-
dren who are properly restrained in an appropri-
ate child restraint that is for their size and age
can benefit from the protection that supplemen-
tal side airbags provide in some kinds of crashes.
For more information please see information pro-
vided by the:
— National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at : http://www.safercar.gov
(for the USA)
— Transport Canada Information Centre, currently
at: http://www.tc.gc.ca (for Canada)
210
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in-
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
your child's size > page 213, Important safety
instructions
for using child safety seats. Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in-
formation and WARNINGS about child safety, Ad-
vanced Airbags, and the installation of child re-
straints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad-
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans-
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe-
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small children.
ZA WARNING
All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly re-
strained child could be injured by striking the
interior or by being ejected from the vehicle
during a sudden maneuver or impact. An un-
restrained or improperly restrained child is al-
so at greater risk of injury or death through
contact with an inflating airbag.
ZA 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, or
door.

8S8012721BA
Child safety
— Never install a rearward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the PAS-
SENGER AIR BAG OFF 3%; light does not
turn on and stay on. Have the system in-
spected immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.
ZA\ WARNING
— Forward-facing child seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the
deployment of the airbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
— 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 the following special pre-
cautions to be taken:
— Always make sure that the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by its
manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and side airbag.
— Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat or
infant carrier.
— Never put the forward-facing child re-
straint up against or very near the instru-
ment panel.
— Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down
adjustment 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-facing child restraint.
— Always make sure that the safety belt up-
per anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re-
straint so that the safety belt will be prop-
erly positioned.
— Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
— 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
passenger detection system and can also
fly around in an accident and cause serious
personal injury.
— Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat-
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
— Ifa seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child 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 liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
— Always make sure that 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 child 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 authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fa-
cility.
— Always buckle the child seat firmly in place
even if a child is not sitting in it. A loose
child seat can fly around during a sudden
stop or in a collision.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in a vehi-
cle > page 182, Safety belts, > page 189,
Airbag system and > page 210, Important
information.
G) Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in-
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
211

Child safety
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Your vehicle is equipped with a front “Advanced
Airbag System” in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the “low-risk” require-
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas-
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
“suppression” requirements of the Safety Stand-
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas-
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad-
vanced Airbag system, a child should always ride
in the seat properly restrained for its age and
size. The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca-
Pacitive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres-
ence of a baby or a child ina child restraint sys-
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis-
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child re-
straint system resting on the seat. The measured
capacitance of a child restraint system varies de-
212
pending on the type of system and specific make
and model.
The electrical capacitance of the various types,
makes, and models of child restraints specified
by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Ad-
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger seat
with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Advanced Air-
bag System compares the capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenger detection system
with the data stored in the electronic control
unit.
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system
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe-
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu-
facturer for use with an airbag. If in exceptional
circumstances you must use it on the front pas-
senger seat, carefully read all of the information
on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed
all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make certain
that the child and child restraint are correctly rec-
ognized by the capacitive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat, that the front
passenger airbag is turned off, and that the air-
bag status is always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #; light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in-
troduced regularly incorporating new and im-
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
different
weights and sizes and different “foot-
prints”, the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.

8S8012721BA
Child safety
For this reason, the United States National High-
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli-
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi-
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Evenflo Medallion 254 |December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations
352xxxx
September 25, 2007
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety
Seat Step 2
September 25, 2007
Model Manufactured on or
after
Graco Platinum Cargo | September 25, 2007
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 | December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva
22-013PAW and base
September 25, 2007
ZA 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-
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
— Never install a reward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the PAS-
SENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light does not
turn on and stay on.
— Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- |December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- | September 25, 2007
gio SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout
ESLO2xx
September 25, 2007
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe
High Back Booster
September 25, 2007
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos- | September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
37 9Xxxx
@ Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad-
vanced Airbag function.
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Correct use of child safety seats substantially re-
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
> Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly > page 215.
> Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe-
ty seat.
> When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
=> page 219.
213