light AUDI A7 2016 Manual Online

Safety belts are important to help keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
airbags can unfold proper ly and provide supple­
mental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- sa fety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the oc-
c u pant is properly seated as far as poss ib le
from the airbag,
- and for adjustable head restraints: the head re -
stra ints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye w ith
g reat force, things you have on your lap or h ave
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous p ro­
jectiles, and be pus hed into yo u if the airbag in ­
flates.
W hen an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
ve hicl e. This dust is made up mos tly of a powde r
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
I t is impor tan t to remember that while the sup­
p lemental air bag sys tem is designed to reduce
the likelihood o f se rious injuries, othe r injuries,
for example swe lling, bruising and minor abra­
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate . Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supplement the three­
point safety belts only in some frontal collisions
in which the veh icle deceleration is h igh enough
to deploy the airbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in ro llovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh -
~ old needed for airbag deployment as registered <( o by the electronic control unit. 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1
N \!) ,....,
Airbag syste m
The front passenge r airbag also will not
deploy :
-when t he front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the electr ica l capacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat indicates that the pas­
senger s ide frontal airbag must be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light¢ page 155 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
A WARNING ,..__ -Sitting in the wrong pos ition can increase the
r isk of ser ious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passenge rs must al­
ways sit in an up right pos ition, must no t
lean ag ains t or place any part of the ir body
too close to the area where the a irb ags are
located .
- Occupants who are unbel ted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be serio usly
inj ured by an ai rbag as it unfo lds with great
force in the blink of an eye ¢ page 1 44 .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild seat insta l­
l ed on the front passenger seat will be ser i­
ously injured and can be k illed if the front air­
bag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild seat o r
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, cente r armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild seats on the
rea r seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not come on
an d stay on , immedi ately ins tall the rear­
facing chi ld seat in a rear seat ing pos ition
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dea ler.
153

Airbag syste m
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the a irbag unfo lds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the a irbag inflates .
- Never hold th ings 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 dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangero us projectiles that can
ca use serio us pe rsonal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
objects (such as cup holde rs, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bu lky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing whee l, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourse lf. These objects
could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air­ bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near t he airbags c an become
project iles and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined .
- Never place or transpo rt obje cts on the
fron t passenger seat . Objects on the front
passenge r seat co uld cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it in fact is not , or that the person on the seat
is heav ier than he or she actually is . The
change in elect ric capac itance because of
s uch 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 diffe ren t from the way it would have
worked without objects on the sea t.
- Always make sure that there is no thing on
the front passenger sea t that will cause the
capacit ive passenger detection system in
the seat to signa l to the Airbag System that
154
the seat is occup ied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actua lly
sitt ing on the seat . The presence of an ob­
ject could ca use the passenger front a irbag
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
wo rked witho ut the ob ject on the seat.
A WARNING
-
T he fine dus t created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing pro blems for people with a
h istory of asthma or other breath ing condi­
tions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing p roblems,
those with asthma o r other respiratory con­
ditions sho uld 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 w ith m ild
soap and water before eat ing .
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches .
- If the resid ue should get into your eyes,
flush them w ith water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
t!i Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni ­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced A irbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags wit h ejection
mitigation features (incl uding the e lectronic con ­
trol unit, sensors and system w iring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are funct ioning properly whenever the ign ition is
o n. Every t ime you turn on t he ignit io n, the air ­
bag system indicato r light
fl will come on fo r a
few seconds (fun ct ion check).
ll>

M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
"' N I.O rl
The system must be inspected when the indicator light
II :
- does not come on w hen the ignitio n is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, or
- comes on w hile d riving .
I f an airbag system malfunct ion is de te cted, the
indic ator lig ht w ill first st art flas hing to catch the
driver's attent ion and then stay on continuously
to serve as a cons tan t reminder to have the sys ­
tem i nspecte d immed iate ly .
If a m alf unc tio n oc curs tha t t urns th e front air­
b ag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght will come on and stay on
wheneve r the ign it io n is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct io ning prop­
er ly cannot provide s upplementa l protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light¢
page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system i nspected immed iate ly by yo ur
au tho rized Au di dealer . It i s possible that
the a irbag wi ll infla te w hen it is not s up­
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen i t should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 160 Sect ion from th e in str umen t pa nel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t is loc ate d in
the center o f th e i nstr umen t pane l
<=> fig. 160.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on t o tell you w hen t he front Advanced
Ai rb ag on t he passe nger side has been turned o ff
Airbag system
by the e lec tronic control unit . If the bulb fo r the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light bu rns out, the
airbag indicator light
fl will come on to signal a
malfunction in the Advanced Airbag System. Al ­
t h ough the burned -out bu lb w ill not change the
way t he front passenger's fro nta l airbag works, it
will no longer be possible to use the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light to mak e sur e that the a irbag
o n/off sta tus is co rrec t for the oc cupant o n the
fro nt p assenger se at. H ave t he air bag sy st em in ­
s p ecte d i mme diate ly by your au thorized A udi
dealer.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
- t he igniti on is sw itched on and
- the capaci tive passenger detec tion system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron ­
tal Advanced Airbag o n and off, detects a
change in the status of t he front passenge r
s ea t.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make su re that the a irbag
status ( on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light i s proper for the age, s ize an d
ele ctr ical ca p aci ta nce of the pe rs on occupying
t h e fro nt passen ger sea t. Always ma ke su re that
t h e safety be lt for the front passenge r seat is
proper ly fastene d.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni­
tion is switched on and the airbag indicator
light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light:
- will stay on if t he front passenge r seat is not
occu pied ;
-w ill stay on i f th e e lec trica l ca pacitan ce meas ­
ure d by the ca pacitive passenger detection sys­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
comb ined capac itance of an infant up to about
o ne year of age and one of the rearward-facing
o r forwa rd -facing c hild restra ints listed in Fed ­
er al M otor V ehicl e Safety Sta ndard 2 08 with
which the Advan ced A irbag System in yo ur vehi­
cle w as ce rtified; For a list ing of the chi ld re­
s tra in ts that we re use d to certify yo ur vehicle 's ..,.
155

Airbag system
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢page 169 .
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on if the ignition is on and .. .
- a car bed has been installed on the front pas­
senger seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in ­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a fo rward -facing child restraint has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectrica l capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year­
o ld infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing chi ld restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat ¢
page 144, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 167, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on contin uously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear on and does not stay on all the t ime,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint . Make
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
156
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the chi ld restraint
manufacture r's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertib le locking retractor
on the safety be lt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight .
- make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop,
CD player, electron ic games dev ice,
power inverter or seat heater for ch ild seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
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 towe l) and no water or other liquids on
the fron t passenger seat cushion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does
not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint
off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it p roperly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immed iately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is pro pe rly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its siz e
and age .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignit ion 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 or flashes for about
S seconds while dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with ..,.

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1
N \!) ,....,
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 be lt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of s lack in the safety be lt web­
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush ­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that m ight cause the ca­
pacit ive passenger detection system to miscal­
culate electrical capac itance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adva need A irbag System
has changed while the vehicle is mov ing, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
about S seconds to catch the driver's atten­
t ion . If th is happens, always stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri­
bed above.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small is si tting on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
t ions. Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer before trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger seat.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplementa l protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light c::;, page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by your
au thori zed Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the a irb ag will inflate when it is not s up­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
Airbag syste m
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing chi ld
safety seat, or in a forwa rd-fac ing child re­
straint that has not been proper ly installed
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed .
- Even though you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make ce rtain
that al l children, especially 1 2 years and
younge r, al ways ride on the back seat prop­
erly restra ined for their age and size.
- Always install forward o r rear-facing child
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad­
vance d Ai rbag System.
- If you must ins tall a rearwa rd-fa cing c hild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
stay on, immediately install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
install a forwa rd-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat , always move the
seat into i ts rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and a ft ad justmen t range, as fa r away
fr om the airb ag as possib le. The b ackrest
m ust be adjus ted to an upr ight position.
Make sure t hat the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- I f the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is s itting on the
front passenger seat after tak ing the steps
described above, make su re the adult is
p roperly seated and restrained a t one of the
rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r before t ransporting anyone on
the front passenger seat.
157

Airbag syste m
(D Tips
If the capaciti ve passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side w ill be turned off, and the
PA SSEN GER
AIR BA G OFF
light w ill stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d iffe rent p laces on your Audi. Insta lling, remov­
ing, servicing or repa iring a part in an area of the
veh icle can damage a part of an ai rbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important thi ngs you have to
know to make sure that the effect iveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that d isca rded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an a irbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­ ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument pane l or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or te lephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the ho rn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. So lvents or cleaners
c ould damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness o r strength of the ma ter ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly .
- Never repa ir, adjust, or change any parts of
the a irbag system.
- All work on the stee ring wheel, inst rument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in ­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
158
who has the training and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that yo u see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never install seat covers or rep lacement
u pholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the are a of the side ai rbag
module mus t always be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an autho rized Aud i dealer.
- The a irb ag sys tem can deploy on ly on ce. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, i t m ust be
rep laced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approved especially fo r your A udi
model version. Replacement of complete
airbag systems or a irbag components must
be performed by qualified workshops only.
Ma ke sure that any airbag serv ice action is
e ntered in your Aud i Warranty
& Ma inte­
nance booklet unde r
AIRBAG REPLAC EM ENT
R ECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
al ternator and starte r are separated from
the vehicle batte ry w ith a pyrotec hni c circ uit
interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic c ircuit interrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qua lified
techn ic ians who have the experience, in­
fo rmation and specia l tools necessa ry to
perfo rm the wor k safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter is
scrapped, all app licable safety precautions
must be followed.
~

Airbag system
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental knee airbag system is des igned to re ­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control modu le
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunct ion (warning/
indicator light is on) ¢
page 18.
.&, WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢page 152.
-If the airbag indica tor lig ht ¢page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inf late when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
160
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehicles: wi th kne e airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 162 Inflated airbags protect ing in a frontal collis ion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a
propellant gas, and inflate between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger ¢
page 152, fig. 159.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"c ushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
tremities .
A ll of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they dep loy .
F ull y inflated airbags in combination with proper ­
l y worn safety belts s low down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury .

Airbag syste m
-the e lectronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear backrest
- the ai rbag warning light in the inst rument cl us-
ter .
The a irbag system is monitored electron ica lly to
make certa in that it is function ing properly at a ll
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver 's, front and rear passenger 's upper tor­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side collision. The airbag deploys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle accelera tion reg­
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the contro l unit , the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision.
It is not pos ­
sible to def ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
t he impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 163, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir norma l safety function, safety
be lt s work to help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protect ion.
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Ra ther, it is part o f the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re ­
member that the s ide a irbag system can only
he lp to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
be lt and wearing it p roperly. This is another rea­
son why you shou ld always wea r you r safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires you to do
so ¢
page 135, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental side airbag system is des igned to re-
162
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other inju­
ries , for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abrasions can a lso be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certain
k inds of accidents -your safety belts are always
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are no t necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some collis ions, both front and side ai rbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill deploy
o nl y once and on ly in certa in kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts a re a lways there to offer p rotec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not s u pposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is swit ched off
- in side co llisions when the accele rat ion meas-
ured by the senso r is too low
- in front-end collisions
-in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 163.
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer .
It is possible that
the airbag will in flate when i t is not sup­
posed to, or will not infla te when it should.

Airb ag syst em
by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace 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.
- Su ch ob jects and ac cessories can become
dangerous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de ­
p loys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in t he de ­
p loyment space between them and the
airbags or allow chi ldren or other passen­
gers to trave l in this position .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing . Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be ing
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
o r hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be rep laced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (c racks, deep scratches etc.) to the
o rig inal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must a lways
be repaired immedia tely by an authori zed
Audi dealer .
-If children a re seated improperly, their risk
of injury i ncreases in the case of an a cciden t
~ page 167, Child safety .
-Never a ttempt to modify any com po nents of
the a irbag sys tem in any way .
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags w il l not fu nc­
t ion prope rly if sensors canno t correc tly
measure increas ing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r doo r tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re ­
moved from the ins ide door panel and the
open ings they leave hav e not bee n prope r­
ly closed.
164
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker ho les have bee n properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or f illed if add itiona l speakers or
other equipment is installed i n the inside
doo r panels.
- Always have work o n the doors done by an
autho rized Aud i dea le r or q ualified work­
shop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants .
Fig. 16 5 Sid e curt ain airba gs, dr iver's s ide: side cur tain air­
bag loca tion
The side curtai n airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win­
dows
~ fig. 165 . They are identif ied by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windsh ield frame and the cen ­
ter roof pi llar.
The side curtai n airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi ­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle
interior in certa in side impacts and ve hicle roll­
ove rs.
The side c urtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can he lp to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupan ts' heads and upper torso . The
side curtain airbag inflates in s ide impacts and
on ly when the ve hicle acceleration registered by
the control un it is h igh enough . If this rate is ..,.

M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
"' N I.O rl
below the refe rence value p rogrammed into the
control unit, the side curtain airbag will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision. It is not pos ­
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every poss ible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.¢
page 165, How side curtain air­
bags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function , safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a co llision so
that the side curtain a irbags can provide protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety be lt
and wearing it properly. Th is is another reason
why you should always wear your sa fety bel ts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 135, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curta in airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injur ies,
for example , swelling , b ruising, fr iction burns
and minor abras ions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain k inds of accidents -your safety belts are
always there to offer protectio n.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consis ts of :
- The elec tronic contro l mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side c urtain a irbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea­
tures
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ically to
make certa in it is function ing properly a t all
Ai rb ag sy stem
times . Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
Th e s ide curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions when the accele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
p rovide p rotection when oc cupan ts are in
the proper seating position ¢
page 52, Gen­
eral information.
- If the airbag ind ic a tor light~ page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re­
strained .
Fig. 166 Illust rat ion of pr incip le : I n flated si de curtai n air­
bags o n th e le ft side
The side curtain airbags inflate betwee n the oc­
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i-
cle that is struck in a side collision ¢
fig. 166 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled wi th propellant gas and breaks
t h rough a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the A IRBAG label. In order
ll>-
165