sensor AUDI A8 2016 Owner's Manual

Parking system plus with
rearview camera
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with parking system plus with rear view
camera
. I -
Fig. 129 Illust ratio n: Cross parking
Fig. 130 Illust ration: parallel park ing
Vehicles with the parking system plus are equip­
ped with a rear view camera in addition to the
acoust ic and visual parking system .
You can use
cross parking for example, to park in
a parking space or in a garage ¢
fig. 129. You can
use
parallel parking if you would like to park on
the side of the road
c:> fig . 130 .
Parking systems
General information
Applies to: vehicles with parking system plus with rear view
came ra
Fig. 131 Area covered (D and area not covered @by the
r ear vi ew camera
rlFI)
AU lJ .a.
Fig. 132 Rear lid : Location of the rear view camera
Sensors
Sensors are located in the front and rear bump­
ers . If these detect an obstacle, visual and in
some s ituations audible signals warn you .
CD ~ M 0 :i:
~
M N
q
X .., m
Make sure the sensors are not covered by stick­
ers, deposits or any other obstructions as it may
impair the sensor function . For information on
cleaning, refer to¢
page 206 .
The display field begins approximately at:
front side
3
ft (0.90 m)
center 4 ft (1.20 m)
side 2 ft
(0.60 m)
rear center 5.2 ft (1.60 m)
The closer you get to the obstacle, the shorter
the interval between the audible signals. A con­
tinuous tone sounds when the obstacle is less
than approximately 1
ft (0.30 m) away. Do not
continue driving farther
c:> A in General informa­
tion on page 118,
~ 0 in General information on
pagellB!
liJ,
119

Parking systems
Parallel parking
Applies to: vehicles with parking system p lus with rear view
camera
This view may be used when parallel parking
along the side of a street.
Fig. 136 Infotainment: blue surface aligned in the pa rking
space
F ig . 1 37 Infotainment: contact of the blue curved line with
the curb
Parking on the right is described here. It is identi­
cal when parking on the left.
If there is an obstacle next to the parking space
(such as a wall), refer to information for "Parking
next to obstacles"¢
page 122.
.,. Activate the turn signal.
.,. Position your vehicle next to a parked vehicle in
front of the desired parking space. The d istance
to this vehicle should be approximately 3 ft
(1 m) .
.,. Turn the Infota inment on and shift into reverse
gear. The parking system is turned on and the
cross parking indicator is displayed .
.,. Press the con trol button on the Infotainment
un it (!)
c::> fig. 136. The parallel parking indica­
tor is displayed.
.,. Back up and align your vehicle so the blue area
@ borders on the rear end of the vehicle be-
122
hind you or on the parking space line c::> .&. in
General information on page 120,
c:,(D in Gen­
eral information on page 120.
The blue area
represents an extension of the veh icle's outline
by approximate ly 16 ft (5 m) to the rear. The
long side of the blue area should be on the
curb . The ent ire blue area must fit into the
parking space .
.,. With the vehicle stopped, turn the stee ring
wheel to the right as far as it will go .
.,. Back into the parking space unt il the blue curve
c::> fig. 137 touches the curb c:> .&. in General in­
formation on page 120,
c:, (D in General infor­
mation on page 120.
Stop the vehicle .
.,. With the vehicle stopped, turn the steering
wheel to the left as far as it will go.
.,. Continue to back into the parking space until
the vehicle is parked parallel to the curb
c:> .&.
in General information on page 120, c::>(D in
General information on page 120.@
marks
t he rear bumper . Stop the vehicle, at the latest,
when the red orientation line@ borders an ob­
ject . Keep an eye on the front of your vehicle
while doing this.
Parking next to obstacles
If there is an obstacle (such as a wall) next to the
parking space, posit ion the vehicle so there is
more space on that side. Position the long side of
the blue surface so that there is sufficient space
from the obstacle. The surface must not be
touching. You will a lso need to start turning the
steering wheel much earlier. The blue curve
c::> fig. 13 7 must not touch the obstacle and
sho uld have suff ic ient room .
@ Tips
The left or right orientation lines and surfaces
will be disp layed, depending on the turn s ig­
nal being used .
Peripheral cameras
Introduction
Applies to : vehicles with top v iew camera system
In addition to the functions from the sensors
c:, page 119, Sensors, c:, page 121, Visual display,
this parking system contains peripheral cameras . ..,_

Parking systems
Adjusting the display
and the warning tones
Applies to: ve hicles with parking system plus wit h rea r view
camera/top v iew camera system
The display and warning tones con be adjusted in
the Infotainment.
~ Se lect: ICARI function button> Car systems
contro l button > Driver assist > Parking aid.
Display
On* -
rear view camera image is shown for park­
ing system plus with rear view camera*.
Off -when the parking system is sw itched on, on­
ly audible signals are given.
Warning tones
Front volume -
Volume for the front area
Rear volume -Volume for the rear area
Front frequency -Frequency for the fron t area
Rear frequency -Frequency for the rear area
Music volume while parking -When the parking
system is turned on, the volume of the aud io/vid­
eo source is lowered .
The newly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generator.
(D Tips
- The warning tones can also be adjusted di­
rectly from the visua l display or the camera
i mage. Simp ly press the
Settings contro l
button .
- Changed settings are act ivated when the
parking system is switched on aga in.
- The settings are automat ically stored and
ass igned to the remote control key that is in
use.
Error messages
Applies to: veh icles w ith parking system plus with rear view
camera/top v iew camera system
There is an error in the system if the LED in the
P, YA button is blinking and you hear a continuous
a larm for a few seconds after switching on the
parking system or when the parking system is al-
128
ready activated. If the error is not corrected be­
fore you switch off the ignition, the LED in the
Po/A
button will blink the next time you switch on the
parking system by shifting into reverse.
If a sensor is faulty, the~ symbol will appear in
front of/behind the vehicle in the Infotainment display. If a rear sensor is faulty, only obstacles
that are in the front detect ion area are shown. If
a front sensor is faulty , only obstacles that are in
the rear area are shown .
Peripheral cameras*
There is also a system error if :
- the~" symbol appears in the display and the
corresponding display area is shown in blue.
The camera is not working in this area.
- all segments around the vehicles are red or if
no segments are disp layed.
D rive to your authorized Aud i dealer or author­
iz ed repair facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected.
Trailer hitch
Applies to: vehicles with parking system plus with rear view
camera/top view camera system
For vehicles using the trailer socket, the parking
system rear sensors do not turn on when you
shift into reverse gear or when you press the
P,YA
button. This resu lts in the following restrictions:
There is no distance warning for the rear. The
front sensors remain activated . Th e visual display
switches to the tra iler tow ing mode . The rear
view camera image will not show the orientation
lin es and the blue surfaces.
(D Tips
Trailer hitches that are not installed at the
factory may cause the parking system to mal­
function or they may restrict its function .

Safety belts
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er important informat ion
c:> page 140 .
(D Tips
You can also adjust the height of the front
seats to change the position of the safety
belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly posit ioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effective­
ness of safety belts and will even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt
to cr it ica l areas of the body . Improper seating
positions also increase the risk of serious injury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all
vehicle occupants and especia lly for children.
Therefore:
... Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle whi le traveling
c:> & .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seat ing pos ition whenever the veh icle is be­
ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c:> page 140.
144
Belt tensioners
' How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts
are tensioned automatically.
Rever sible safety belt tensioners
The safety belts on the front seats are equipped
with power reversible tensioners. The following
functions are available when the driver's/front
passenger 's safety belts are fastened:
- Automatic tensioners: at the start of a drive,
the safety belts automatically adjust to the
passenger after a certain time period or vehicle
speed. To switch the automatic tensioners off,
select the following in the MMI:
!CARI function
button
> Car systems > Vehicle settings >
Seats > Driver's seat or Passenger's seat > Au­
tomatic belt tensioner
> Off.
-In certa in driving situations , the safety belts
may tighten with a reve rsib le tensioning func­
tion
c:> page 187.
- Th e safety be lts may also tighten with this re-
vers ible tensioning funct ion in minor collisions.
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped w ith safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sensors
i n front, side and rear-end collisions of great se­
verity and in a rollover. This tightens the belt and
takes up belt slack
c:> .&. in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 145.
Taking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
A WARNING
- It is possible for the pretensioners to deploy
incorrectly.
- The pyrotechnic system can only provide protection for one collision. If the pyrotech­
nic pretens ioners deploy, the pretensioning
system must be replaced.
(1) Tips
The pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners can
only deploy once. ..,_

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 A irbag for the
front passenger seat from doing its job in a
crash.
The f ront Ad vanced Airb ag Sy stem con sist s
of the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle accelerat ion/decelerat io n to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides" whethe r to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also "de ­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
sho uld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A weight -sensing mat under t he upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat . The
information registered is sent continuously to
the e lectron ic control unit to regulate deploy­
ment of the front Adva need A irbag on the pas ­
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light i n the instrument cluster
¢ page 156.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation reg istered is sent cont inuous ly to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the fro nt Adv a need A irbags.
- T he
PASS EN GE R AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l
¢page 156, fig . 166 and tells you when
the fron t Advanced Airbag on the passenge r
side has been turned off.
- A se nsor below the safety bel t lat ch fo r th e
front seat passenger to meas ure the tens ion on
Airb ag sys tem
the sa fety belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight-sens­
ing mat help the contro l unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat should be turned off or not¢
page 147, Child
restraints
on the front seat -some important
things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched o r not and
t ransmits this information to t he electronic
cont rol un it.
_& WARNING
D amage to the front passenge r seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Imp roper repair or disassembly of the fro nt
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unctioning
p roperly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and p roperly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenge r or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat o r disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sh arp objects in your pocke ts or
p lace them on the seat. If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenge r seat. S uch items can
increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­
formation to the a irbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working p roper ly.
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
p roved by A udi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from recognizing chi ld
153

Airbag syste m
restraints or occupants on the front passen­
ger seat 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-sens ing mat in the seat from accu­
rately reg istering the ch ild restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from funct ioning prope rly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenge r seat and the child restraint man­
ufact urer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the chi ld restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child restrai nt in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
you r Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
ai rbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head re ­
stra ints to help reduce the r isk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to
read the important information about safety and heed the WARNINGS in th is chapter .
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­ pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
era tion as we ll as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object invo lved in the crash.
On the passenger s ide, regardless of safety belt
use, the a irbag will be t urned off if the weight on
the passenge r seat is less than the amount p ro­
g rammed in the e lectron ic cont rol unit . T he front
154
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the chi ld seats that has been certi­
fied under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PA S­
S EN GER AIR BA G OFF
light comes on and stays
on to tell you when the front Advanced A irbag on
the passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 147, Child restraints on the front seat ­
some important things to know .
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
f lates, always wear safety belts properly.
- I f you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or ou t of position in any way,
your ris k of injury is much highe r.
- You will a lso receive ser ious injuries and
could even be killed if yo u are up against the
airbag or too close to i t when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
r::!;>page 146.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 165 Inflated front a irbags
-,... N 0 :i: ;;i;
Safety be lts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfo ld properly and prov ide sup­
plemental protection in a fronta l co llision.
The front airbags a re designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- t he seats have been positioned so that t he oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possib le
from the airbag,
Ill-

The PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
¢ fig. 166 .
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you
sw itch on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light will flash for a few seconds and :
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a sma ll child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go out if the front passenger seat is occu ­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat.
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light mu st co me
o n and st ay on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat,
o r
- a rearward-facing child restrai nt has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal ­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg istered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-o ld restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced A irbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is no t occupied, the
fron t air bag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Never install a
rearward -fac ing child restraint on the front pas ­
senger seat, the safest p lace for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat
¢page 147, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 168, Child safety .
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
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF light
stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
Airb ag sys tem
not appear on and does not stay on a ll the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- react ivate the system by sw itch ing the ig nition
off and then switching it on aga in;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restraint. Make
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed through
the child restraint as desc ribed in the c hild re­
straint manufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the seat can do
its job
¢ page 177 .
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild seat are not being
transpo rted o n the front passenge r seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is
not b locked . Shake the safety belt la tch on the
front passenger seatback and fo rth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
seat to the front passenger seat, make su re
t ha t it is not so tight that it causes the weight­
sensing mat to measure more weight than is
ac tually on the seat.
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still doe s
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it p roper ly at one of the rear
seat pos itions . Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by yo ur Audi dealer immed iate ly.
- move the child to a rear seat pos ition and ma ke
sure that t he chi ld is proper ly rest rained in a
child restra int that is appropr iate for its s ize
and age .
T he
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignit io n is on and an adu lt is
s itting in a proper seat ing pos ition on the front
passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds whi le dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan-
ces, make sure that :
Ill-
157

Airbag syste m
@ For the sake of the en vironment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts w ith pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regu lations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
cha nge the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preven t the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally insta l­
led on your veh icle .
- Never use tire-rim comb inations that have
not been approved by Audi.
160
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic contro l module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
- Always make sure that noth ing can inte rfe re
w ith the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obst ructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 167 Driver's kn ee ai rbag
The driver knee airbag is in the inst rument panel
u nderneath the s teer ing whee l
~ fig. 16 7, the
airbag fo r the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers add itiona l protection to
the d river's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas and supp lements the protec ­
tion prov ided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags a lso
deploy in frontal coll is ions when the deployment
th reshold stored in the control unit is met
~ page 154, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In add ition to their normal safe ty f unct ion, safe-
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in ..,

Airbag syste m
airbags have dep loyed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that noth ing shou ld be in their
way when they deploy.
F u lly inflated airbags in combination with proper ­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and he lp to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints. Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in­
jury. Wea ring safety belts incor rect ly and im­
proper seating pos it ions increase the r isk of
ser ious persona l injury and dea th whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- T he knee airbag system cannot protec t you
properly if you are seated too close to any o f
the airbag locatio ns. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
dr iver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the s teer ing whee l/instrumen t
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the i nstru­
ment panel.
- The r isk of persona l injury inc reases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
imp roperly positioned and yo u are not wear­
ing yo ur safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the a irbag 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
162
w it h the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into yo u as the a irbag deploys.
- Neve r let anybody, especia lly childre n or
anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat.
If the airbag de ploys, this
can result in serious or fa tal in juries.
- Never ca rry objects of any kind in the foot­
well a rea in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat . Bul ky objects (shopp ing
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper dep loyment of the airbag .
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys a nd injure you
or your passengers.
- 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 ch ildren are i ncorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a col lision
c::> page 168, Child safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 169 S id e airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests<=>
fig. 169 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag sy stem bas ically consi st s of:
- the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors

-the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- two rear side airbags
- the a irbag warning light in the inst rument clus-
te r.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you sw itch on the ign it ion, the
a ir bag sys tem indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supp lements the safety
be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear p assenger's upper to r­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side col lision . The airbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control un it is h igh enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control un it, the s ide curta in a irbag w ill
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision.
It is
n ot possib le to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover eve ry poss ible angle of impa ct,
since the c ircums tances will vary considerab ly be­
tween one collision and a nother. Impo rtant fac­
tors incl ude, fo r example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the ang le of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
c> page 164, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restraint system in your veh icle. Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wea ring it properly . This is another rea­
son why you shou ld always wear your safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires yo u to do
so
c> page 138, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup­
p lemental side a irbag system is designed to re­
duce the likeli hood of serious injur ies, other inju­
ries, fo r example, swell ing, b ruising, and m inor
Airb ag sys tem
abras ions can also be assoc iated wit h deployed
side airbags . Remember too, side airbags will de­
ploy only once and only in ce rtain k inds of acci­
dents - yo ur safety belts are always there to offer
protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens it ive or fa iled a irbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w il l deploy
only once and only i n certai n kinds of collisions -
you r safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t io n in those accide nts in wh ich airbags are no t
s u pposed to deploy o r when they h ave al re ady
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ignit io n is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collis ions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents t he front a irbags, s ide
c urt ain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
togethe r.
.&, WARNING ~
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition
c> page 164.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light c> page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen it should.
163