AUDI A5 COUPE 2010 Owners Manual

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repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessari ly an
indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle speeds that will cover
every possible kind and ang le of impact that wil l always trigger the
airbags, since the circumstances wil l vary considerab ly between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or so ft) of the object which the car hits, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags wi ll also not inflate
in side or rear co llisions, or in roll -overs .
Al way s rem ember : Airbags wi ll deploy only once, and on ly in certain
kinds of coll isions . Your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those situat ions in wh ich airbags are not supposed to deploy,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehic le
strikes or is struck by another a fter the first coll ision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplementary
restraint and is not a substitute for a sa fety be lt. The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the safety be lts. Therefore ,
a lways prope rly wea r your safety belt s =>
page 179 .
& WARNING
Sitting too clo se to the steering wheel or in strument panel will
de crease the effect ivene ss of the airbags and will incr ease the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 in ches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
in strument panel.
• If you c annot sit more than 10 in ches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , inve stiga te whether adaptive equipment may be available
to help you reach the pedal s and in crease your se ating dist ance
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestra ined , leaning forward , sittin g side ways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury i s much higher .
• You will also receive serious injur ies and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airba g or too clo se to it when it infl ates -
ev en with an Advanced Airbag .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WAR N IN G ( continued )
• To reduce the ri sk of injury when an airbag inflate s, alw ays
wear safety belt s prope rly~
page 183 , "Safet y belt s".
• Always make certain that ch ildren age 12 or younger alway s
ride in the rear seat. If children are not p rope rly re str ained , they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflate s.
• Never let children ride unre str ained or impr operly rest rained in
the vehicl e. Adju st the front seat s properly .
• Never ride with the b ackrest r eclined .
• Alway s sit a s far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument p anel
~ pag e 170.
• Alway s sit upright with your back again st the backre st of your
seat .
• Ne ver pla ce your feet on the instrument panel or on the seat .
Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent seriou s injurie s to the leg s and hips if the airbag inflate s.
• Nev er r ecline th e front passenger 's seat to transpo rt obje cts .
Item s can al so mo ve into the area of the side a irbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden m aneuver . Obje cts near the
a irbags can become pro je ctile s and cau se injury when an airbag
inflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be repla ced.
• U se only original equipment airbags approved by Audi and
in stalled by a trained technician who ha s the neces sary tool s and
diagnostic equipment to properly r epla ce any airb ag in your
vehicle and as sure sy stem effectivenes s in a crash .
• Never perm it salvag ed or re cy cled airb ag s to be i nstall ed in
your vehicle. •
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Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
-Be sure to read the important information and head the
WARNINGS for important details about ch ildren and
Advanced Airbags~
page 213 .
Even though your vehic le is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that a ll children, especia lly those 12 years and
younger , always ride in the back seat proper ly restrained for their
age and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat
a potentia lly dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not
the safest place for a chi ld in a forward -facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a child in a rearward ­
facing seat.
The Advanced Ai rbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
comply with the Requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of age
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant res traints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was cert ified has
been insta lled on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 215.
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition , the
PASSEN GER AIR BA G OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied, •
will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight-sensing mat=>
page 199, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a tota l weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typica l 1 year -old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PA SSE NGER
A IR BA G OFF
light does not come on). If the P ASSE NGER AIR B AG
O FF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger s ide
has not been turned off by the electronic control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi ­
tions stored in its memory.
F o r e xample , th e a ir b ag m ay dep loy if:
• a small ch ild that is heavier than a typical 1 year -o ld child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed
=> page 215), or
• a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSEN GER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on.
The fron t airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is no t sitting upright
with their back against a non -reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehic le floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=> page 170, "Proper seating position for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of injury through interact ion with the airbag. "Low risk" d eploy­
ment occu rs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations .,.

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as defined in the electronic control unit~ page 200, "PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF lig ht" .
A lways remember, a chi ld safety seat or infant carrier insta lled on
the front seat may be struck and knocked out of position by the
rap id ly i nfla ting pass enger 's airbag in a frontal c olli sion . The airba g
co uld greatly reduce the effectiveness of the chi ld re straint and
e ven s eriously in ju re the chi ld dur ing infla tion.
F or this reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest place for
chi ldr en -when prop erly res traine d acc ordi ng to th eir age an d size
- w e stro ngly recom mend that c hildren a lwa ys s it in th e bac k seat
~ page 213, "Chil d Safe ty ".
& WARNING
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 inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat o r infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest , center armrest , door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
pa ssenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause serious personal injury to the child .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• Always 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 .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel .
• Always move the passenger seat into its 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. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on , perform
the checks described
~ page 199 , "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately .
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu ­
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat :
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (con tinued )
• Improper in stallation of child re straints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from p roviding any protection .
• An improperly installed child re straint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child -
even with a n Advanced Airbag System .
• Always carefully follow the manufa cturer's instruction s
provided with the child safety seat or carrier .
• Never pl ace additional items on the seat that can in crease the
total weight regi stered by the weight -sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash .
u
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The air bag system c an pr ovi de su ppleme ntal pr otecti on
t o prop erl y re stra ined fr ont se at occu pant s.
Fig . 194 Location of
driver airbag: in
s teering wheel F
ig . 195 Locat ion of
front pa ssenger' s
airbag : in the in stru ­
ment pa nel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Airbag System" in
complia nce with United States Federal M oto r Ve hicle Sa fe ty Stan ­
dard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manu ­
f actured. The sys tem senses the posi tion o f the front sea ts a nd
co ntrols front airbag i nflat io n with a va lve, depending on the
distance between the respective seat and the steering whee l or
i nstru ment pane l. The sa fety be lts for t he seats have "pr eten­
sioners" that help to take slac k out of the belt system. The preten ­
s io n ers are als o ac tiva ted by the electronic con trol unit fo r t he
a irbag system.
T he front safe ty be lts als o have load limite rs t o h elp reduce the
fo rces applied to the body in a crash.
T he airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel hub~ fig. 194 and
t h e air bag for the fr ont passeng er is in th e in stru men t pa nel
~ fig. 195. The genera l location of the airbags is marked " AIRBAG".
T here is a lot you nee d to know ab out the airbags in y our ve hicle. We
ur ge you to read the deta iled information about airbags, safety belts
and child safety in this and the other chapters that make up the
owner's literature . P lease be sur e to heed the WARNINGS - th ey are
e xtremely important for your safety and the safety of your passen ­
gers, espec ia lly in fants a nd sma ll ch ildr en.
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.

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& W ARNING (continued )
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
p rotect ion .
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore , always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehi cle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
children, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the a irbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to tu rn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front pa ssenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special cond itions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehi cle .
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with
the "low risk" option under the U .S . Federal Standard if a child that
is heavier than the typical one -year old child is on the front
passenger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position .
• For their own safety , all children , espec ially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size . •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag Syste
m in
compl ia nce w it h Un ited States Federal M oto r Ve hicle Sa fe ty S tan ­
dard 208 as appl icab le at the time your vehic le was manufactured.
The fro nt Advanced Ai rbag System supplemen ts the safety bel ts to
provide additional protection for the driver's and front passenger's
heads and upper bodies in fronta l cras hes. The ai rbags inflate o nly
i n fronta l im pac ts when the vehic le dece leratio n is h ig h enou gh.
T he front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is
n ot a su bstit ute fo r y ou r sa fety belts. Ra ther, i t is par t of th e overa ll
occupant restraint system in you r vehicle . A lways remember that
t he ai rbag sys te m can o nly h elp to pro tec t yo u, if y ou are sit ting
upright, wearing your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This is why
yo u an d your pas senge rs mu st always be p rope rly restrai ned, not
j us t because th e law requ ire s you to be.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
m ee t the " low r is k" requ ireme nts fo r 3 a nd 6 year -o ld c hildr en o n the
passenger s ide and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
de ploym ent cr iteria a re inte nd ed t o he lp reduc e th e risk of in jury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for
e xam ple, by be ing to o cl ose to the stee rin g wh eel and i nstru men t
panel w hen th e airbag inflates .
I n addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppressio n" r eq uirem ents of t he Sa fety Standard , to tu rn off th e
front airbag for infants 12 months old and younger who a re
r es train ed o n th e fr ont p assenger sea t i n c hild re strai nts that a re
listed in the Standard ~
page 215, "Child restraints and Advanced
A irb ags" .
"Suppression" requires the front airba g on the passenger side to be
turned off if :
• a child up to abo ut on e year o f age is res traine d on the fr ont
passenger seat in one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant
res traints l is te d in Federal Moto r Ve hicle Safe ty Standar d 208 wit h
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certifi ed . For ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your
vehicle's compliance with the US Safety Standard=>
page 215,
• weight less than a threshold level stored in the control unit is
detected on the front passenger seat.
When a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing more than the total weight of a child that is about 1 year old
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant
restraints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified),
the front airbag on the passenger side may or may not deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the electronic
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requires the front airbag to be turned off. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typical
1 year-old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on).
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year-old child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed=>
page 215!,
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel will come on and stay
on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat •
a passenger who is not sitting upright with their back against a
non -reclined backrest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to help reduce
the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag . "Low risk"
deployment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower decel­
erations as defined in the electronic control unit.=>
page 199
Always remember:
Even though your vehicle is equipped with
Advanced Airbags, the safest place for children is properly
restrained on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important
information in the sections that follow and be sure to heed all of the
WARNINGS.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts properly.
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or out
of position in any way, your risk of injury is much higher.
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag=>
page 188.
& WARNING
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 inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward -facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat, nobody
can absolutely guarantee that deployment is impossible in all
conceivable situations that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle.
~

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& WA RN ING (co ntinued)
• Th e inflating airb ag will hit th e child safety sea t o r inf ant
ca rrier with g re at f orc e and will sm ash th e child safety sea t a nd
c hild again st t he backre st, c enter armre st, doo r, or roof .
• Alway s in sta ll re arwa rd-f acing child re str aints i n the ba ck seat.
• If you mu st in stall a rearw ard facing child safety seat on the
fro nt pa ssenger seat be cau se of e xceptional cir cumstance s and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not come on and stay on ,
imm edi ately in sta ll the re ar- fa cing child safe ty s eat in a rea r
seating p osition and h ave th e airbag system in spected by your
autho riz e d Audi de aler.
& WARNING
If, in e xceptional circum sta n ce s, y ou mu st in stall a forw ard -f aci ng
c hild restraint on the front pa ssenger' s seat:
• Alway s make sure the forw ard -fa cing seat has b een de signed
and cert ified by it s manufa cturer for use on a front seat with a
pa ssenge r fr ont and side airb ag .
• Never put the forward -facing child re straint up again st or very
near the instrum ent p anel .
• Alway s move the p assenger seat into it s rearmo st po sition in
the seat's fore and aft adju stme nt r ange , as far aw ay from the
a irb ag as pos sible , before in stalling the forward -fac ing child
r e stra int . The b ackrest must be adjusted to an upright po sition .
• Make sure that the PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light come s on
a nd stay s on all the time whe never the ign it ion i s sw itch ed on . •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it. These parts inc lude the
weight -sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func -
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by
the elec­
tronic contro l unit when the ignition is on . The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the a irbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected . The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail below. Because the front passenger seat conta ins 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 for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash.
T he front Ad van ced Airbag System consi sts of th e
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acce leration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
A irbag System about the sever ity of the crash .
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impac ts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the information received from the crash sensors . The control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag w ith gas generator and contro l valve for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and contro l valve inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger .
• A weight -sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat .
The information registered is sent continuously to the e lectronic
control unit to regu late dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger s ide.
• An airbag monito ring system and indicator light in the instru ­
ment cluster=> page
199.
• A sensor in each front sea t registers t he distance between the
respective seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel. The
information registered is sen t continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbags. ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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• The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
c en ter of the instru ment panel =>
page 200, fig. 197 a nd tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off.
• A sensor be low the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to m easure the tension on the sa fety be lt. The tensi on on the sa fety
belt and the weight reg istered by the weight -sensing mat help the
cont rol unit "decide" whe ther the fron t ai rbag for the fr ont
passenger seat shou ld be turned off or not=>
page 190, "Child
r est raints on the front seat -some im portant t hings t o know".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iver and for the front
seat passenge r that se nses whe the r tha t safety belt is la tched or not
and transmits this information to the electronic control unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly .
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag Sy stem from func ­
tioning properly .
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly tra ined workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehi cle .
• Never remove the uphol stery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it .
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat .
If the weight -sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the
passenger seat. Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight -sensing mat and send the wrong information to the
airbag control unit .
& WARNING (continued )
• Never store items under the front passenger seat. Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from work ing
properly .
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag Sy stem from
recogn izing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
s eat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly.
• Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or something el se to properly position
the ch ild restraint , make certa in that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat .
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , immediately in stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he fr ont Adva nced Ai rbag Sys tem a nd th e side air bag s su ppl eme nt
the protection offered by the front three -point safety be lts with
pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustab le head re straints
to help reduce the risk of in jury in a w ide ran ge of acc ident and .,_

crash situations. Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Dep loyment of the Advanced Airbag System and the activation of
the safety be lt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the electronic control un it.
The amount of inflation of the front airbags can also be adapted to
the front seat position, depending on the distance between the respective front seat and the steering whee l or instrument panel as
registered by sensors in the seats . Crash severity depends on speed
and deceleration as well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle or
object involved in the crash.
On the passenger s ide, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag w ill
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the elec tronic control unit. The front airbag
on the passenger side wi ll also be turned off if one of the child
safety seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tel l you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off=>
page 190, "Child rest raints on the front seat-some
important things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injur y when an airbag infl ate s, a lways wear
safety belt s properly.
• If you are unr estr ained , leaning forward , sitting sideways or out
of po sition in any way , your ri sk of injury is much hig her.
• You will al so rece ive seriou s injuries and could even be killed if
you are up ag ainst the airbag or too clo se to it when it infl ate s -
even wi th an Advan ced Airb ag =>
page 188. •
Safety first
Airbag sy ste m
More important things to know about front
airbags
F ig . 196 I nfl at ed front
airba gs
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so tha t airbags can unfold proper ly and
provide supplementa l protection in a fronta l collision.
The fron t airbags are designed to provide addit ional p rotection for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
• safety belts are worn properly,
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as p ossi ble from the a irbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with grea t force , things
you have on your lap or have p laced on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When a n airbag deploys, fine d ust is released . This is norma l and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubrica te the airbags as they d eploy . It could irri tate
skin.
I t is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likel ihood of serious injuries, othe r
injuries, for example swelling, bruising and minor abrasions, can
a lso happen when airbags inflate . Airbags do no t pro tect the arms •
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags only supp lement the
th ree p oint safe ty belts in som e front al co llis ions in which the
vehic le dece leration is h igh enou gh to deploy the a irba gs.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• i n sid e collis io ns,
• i n rea r- e nd collisi ons ,
• in ro llovers,
• when th e c ras h de celerat io n measur ed by the a irba g system is
less than the minimum threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
r egi stere d by th e ele ctro nic con trol uni t.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy :
• when th e fr ont pass enger seat is no t occupi ed,
• when the weight on the front passenger seat a s sensed by the
A dvanced A irbag Syste m indica tes tha t the fr ont air bag o n the
passenger side has to be turned off by the e lectronic cont rol unit
(t he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li gh t comes o n and s tays o nl.
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the risk of serious injury
in crashes .
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate , the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position , must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Occupants who are unbelted , out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye=> page 190.
& WARNING
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 inflates -even with an Advanced 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 armrest , door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on, i mmediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will increase the risk of injury
in a crash by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the a irbag inflates .
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec ­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders, telephone brackets , large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors , over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering
wheel , instrument panel , seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself . These objects could cause injury in a crash , espe­
cially when the airbags inflate .
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport object s.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front ..,