Airbag system
— Always move the front passenger seat to the
highest position in the up and down adjust-
ment range and move it back to the rear-
most position in the seat's fore and aft ad-
justment range, as far away from the airbag
as possible, before installing the forward-
facing child restraint.
— Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi-
tioned.
— Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some-
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of addi-
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it should
be off, or could cause the airbag to work ina
way that is different from the way it would
have worked without the object on the seat.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF %; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot
of very important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System in it. These parts include the capacitive
passenger detection system, wiring, brackets,
and more. The control unit monitors the system
on the front passenger seat when the ignition is
switched on and turns the airbag indicator light
on when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is detected > page 199. Because the
front passenger seat contains important parts of
the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care
to prevent it from being damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem for the front passenger seat from doing its
job ina crash.
194
The front Advanced Airbag System consists
of the following:
— Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash.
—An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control unit “decides” whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also “de-
cides” whether the safety belt pretensioners
should be activated.
— An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
— An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger.
— A capacitive passenger detection system under-
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys-
tem measures the electrical capacitance of the
person in the seat. The information registered
is sent continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad-
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
— An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light ka in the instrument cluster.
—Asensor in each front seat registers the dis-
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor-
mation registered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
— The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3%; light comes
on and stays on in the headliner > page 199,
fig. 160 and tells you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned
off.
—Asensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the electronic
control unit.
ZA\ WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre-
vent the front airbag from working properly.
— Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the >
Airbag system
than he or she actually is. The change in
electric capacitance because of such objects
can cause the passenger front airbag to be
turned on when it should be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is dif-
ferent from the way it would have worked
without objects on the seat.
— Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some-
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob-
ject could cause the passenger front airbag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that
is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
ZA\ WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi-
tions.
—To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con-
ditions
should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win-
dows or doors.
— If you are in a collision in which airbags de-
ploy,
wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating.
— Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
— If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
198
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the ka light and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #; ON @ light.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags with ejection mitigation features (includ-
ing the electronic control unit, sensors and sys-
tem wiring) are all monitored continuously to
make sure that they are functioning properly
whenever the ignition is on. Every time you turn
on the ignition, the airbag system indicator light
ka will come on for a few seconds (function
check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light Ba:
— does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
— does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ignition, or
— comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
indicator light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi-
ately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air-
bag on the passenger side off, the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF #; light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
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 17
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.
4S1012721BA
Accessories and technical changes
Usually maintenance and repair work requires
special tools, measuring devices, and other
equipment that is available to trained vehicle
technicians in order to help ensure that your vehi-
cle and all of its systems operate correctly, relia-
bly, and safely. Performing work on the vehicle
incorrectly can impair the operation and reliabili-
ty of your vehicle and may void one or more of
your vehicle's warranties.
Technical Modifications
Interference with electronic components, their
software, the wiring, and data transfer may cause
malfunctions. Because of the way electronic com-
ponents are interconnected, such malfunctions
can also impair systems that are not directly in-
volved. This means that you risk both a substan-
tial reduction in the operational safety of your ve-
hicle and increased wear of vehicle components.
Some convenience functions, such as the conven-
ience turn signal function, individual door open-
ing function, and displays, can be reprogrammed
using special workshop equipment. If functions
are reprogrammed, the information and descrip-
tions about these functions in this Owner's Man-
ual may no longer apply to the changed func-
tions. Audi recommends that an authorized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility perform
and verify any reprogramming procedures.
carry out the job and have the correct tech-
nical information and the correct tools.
— If you are uncertain about what to do, have
the work performed by an authorized Audi
dealer, an authorized Audi Service Facility,
or another qualified workshop. Serious per-
sonal injury may result from improperly per-
formed work.
ZA WARNING
Maintenance procedures, repairs, or technical
modifications that are performed incorrectly
increase the risk of an accident and can lead
to serious injuries.
ZA WARNING
The engine compartment in any motor vehicle
is a potentially dangerous area and can cause
serious personal injury.
— Always use extreme caution when doing any
work in the motor compartment. Always fol-
low commonly accepted safety practices and
use common sense. Never risk personal in-
jury.
— Never perform any work in the engine com-
partment unless you know exactly how to
@) Note
— Maintenance procedures, repairs or techni-
cal modifications that are performed incor-
rectly can cause damage to the vehicle, such
as corrosion.
— If emergency repairs must be performed,
take your vehicle to an authorized Audi deal-
er or authorized Audi Service Facility as soon
as possible.
— Audi is not liable for damage to the vehicle
resulting from failure to comply with these
guidelines.
@) For the sake of the environment
— Regular maintenance can help protect the
environment.
— Technical modifications to the vehicle can
have a negative impact on fuel consumption
and vehicle emissions.
(@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension-
ers are classified as Perchlorate Material -
special handling may apply, See www.dtsc.ca.
gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the
vehicle or parts of the restraint system includ-
ing airbag modules and safety belts with pre-
tensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws
and regulations must be observed. Your au-
thorized Audi dealer is familiar with these re-
quirements and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you.
G) Tips
Because of your vehicle's aluminum body de-
sign, all service and repair procedures affect-
ing the body should be performed by an au-
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
285