AUDI A8 2018 Owners Manual

seat. It ca n be a very dangerous place fo r an
infant or a child in a rearward-facing seat .
The Advanced Airbag System in your ve hicle has
been ce rt ified to comp ly with the requ irements
of United States Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Ve hicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applica ­
b le at the time your veh icle was man ufactu red.
Accord ing to requ irements, the front Advanced
Airbag System o n the passenger s ide has been
cert ified for "suppression" for infants of about
12 month old and yo unger and fo r
"low risk de­
p loyment " for children aged 3 to 6 years o ld (as
defined in the standa rd).
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru­
ment panel tells you w hen the front Advanced
A irbag on t he passenger side has been tu rned off
by the elect ronic con trol unit.
E ach t ime you sw itch on t he ignit ion, the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight will come on fo r a
few seconds a nd:
- wi ll stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied,
- will stay on if there is a small c hild or chi ld re­
straint on the front passenge r seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as reg istered by the weight­
sensing mat
c> page 23 7, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control unit detects a total we ight on
the fro nt passenge r seat that requ ires the front
a ir bag to be t urn ed off .
If the total weigh t on the front passenger seat is
mo re t han that of a typical 1 year -old child but
less t han the weight of a small adult , the front
a ir bag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does no t come
on). If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
no t come on, the front a irb ag on the passenger
side has not been turned o ff by the e lectronic
control unit and can dep loy if the control unit
~ senses an impact that meets the condit ions sto r-
.... ~ ed in its memory.
N ....
g For e xample, the airbag may deploy if:
:c '<t
Airbag syste m
- a sma ll ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ica l 1
year -o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regard less o f whethe r the child is in one o f the
child seats listed
c> page 251), or
- a child who has outgrown c hild rest raints is on
the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenge r airb ag is t urned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
inst rument cluste r and stays on.
T he front airbag on the p assenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not ill uminate and stay lit) even if a small adu lt
o r teenager, or a passenge r who is not sitting up ­
right w ith their bac k against a non-recl ined back­
res t with the ir feet on the vehicle floor i n front of
the seat is on the fron t passenger seat
c> page 209, Proper seating position for the driv ­
er .
If the front passenger a irbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requires t he airbag to meet the
"low
risk" deployment cr iteria to reduce the r isk of in ­
j ury throug h interact ion w it h the airbag . "Low
risk" deployment occurs in t hose cr'1s hes th'1t
tak e place at lowe r decele rations as defined in
t h e e lec tron ic co ntrol un it
c>page 237, PASSEN ­
GER A IR BAG O FF light.
Always remembe r, a ch ild seat o r infant ca rr ie r
i n sta lled on the front seat m ay be s truck and
k nocked out of pos it io n by the rap idly inf lat ing
passenge r's airbag in a fron tal coll is ion . The a ir ­
bag cou ld great ly reduce the effectiveness of the
c h ild rest raint and even seriously injure the child
during inflat ion.
F o r thi s reason, an d beca use the back seat is the
safest p lace for children
-w hen proper ly restrain ­
ed according to their age and size
-we strongly
recommend that chi ldren always sit in the back
seat
c> page 249, Child safety .
A WARNING "---
A child in a rearward-fac ing child seat instal­
l ed on the fron t passenger seat will be se ri­
ously injured a nd ca n be killed if the fron t air­
b ag inflates
-even with an Advanced Airbag
S ys tem.
229

Airbag syste m
-The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier w ith great force and will
smash the ch ild seat and c hild against the
backrest, center armrest , door or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
seat on the front passenger seat because of exceptional c ircumstances and the
PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
facing child seat in a rea r seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer.
- Forward-facing ch ild seats insta lled on the
front passenge r's sea t may in terfe re with
the deployment of the airbag and cause se­
rious persona l injury to the child.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward -facing seat
has been designed and cert ified by its man­
ufact urer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the h ighest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward-facing child res trai nt.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front o f the child restrain t
so tha t the safety belt will be properly pos i­
tioned.
- Make s ure tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
230
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will
be d isplayed whenever a ch ild restraint is in­
stalled on the front passenge r seat and the
ignit ion is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not stay on, perform the checks desc ribed
~ page 23 7, Monitoring the Advan ced Air­
bag System.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ge r seat an d install it prope rly at one of the
rear sea t positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on .
- Have the ai rb ag system inspec ted by your
Aud i dea ler immediately.
- Always carefully follow ins truc tions from
child restrain t manufacture rs when instal­
ling child restra ints .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional ci rcumstances, you must in ­
stall a forward or rearward-fac ing child re­
stra int on the front passenger's seat:
- Improper installat ion of child restraints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from provid ing any protect ion.
- An improperly installed child restra int can
inter fere with the airbag as it deploys and
serious ly injure or even kill the child - even
w ith an Advanced A irbag System.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with the child seat or
car rier.
- Never p lace add itiona l items on the seat
that can increase the tota l weight registered
by the weight -sensing mat and can cause in ­
jury in a crash.

Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu ­
pants .
Fig. 229 Location of driver airbag: in steering wheel
Fig. 230 Location of front passenger's airbag : in the in­
strument panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at
the time your vehicle was manufactured .
The airbag for the driver is in the steer ing wheel
hub ~ fig. 229 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 230. The
general location of the airbags is marked
"AIR ­
BAG" .
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle. We urge you to read the detailed
information about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
lL ~ up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
~ the WARNINGS -they are extreme ly important N ...... 0 0 :c '<I"
Airbag system
for your safety and the safety of your passengers,
especially infants and small children.
A WARNING
-
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small children, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­ ing too close to the airbag when it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these specia l conditions is impossib le in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the "low risk" opt ion 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, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehi-
cle was manufactured .
IJJ,,
231

Airbag syste m
The front Advanced Airbag System supp lements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the dr iver's and front passenger's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags in­
flate only in frontal impacts when the veh icle de­
celerat ion is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety belts. Rather, it is part of the overall occupant re­
stra int system in your vehicle. Always remember
that the a irbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitt ing upr ight, wear ing your safe­
ty belt and wear ing it prope rly. This is why you
and your passengers must always be prope rly re ­
stra ined, not just because the law req uires yo u to
be .
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle has
been ce rt ified to meet the " low r isk" requ ire­
men ts for 3 and 6 yea r-old children on the pas­
senger side and very sma ll adults on the driver
side . The low risk dep loyment criteria are intend ­
ed to he lp reduce the risk of injury through inter­
action with the front airbag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering wheel
and instrument panel when the airbag inflates .
In addition, the system has been certified to
comp ly w ith the "suppression" requirements of
the Safety Standard, to turn
off the front a irbag
for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in c hild re­
stra ints that are listed in the Standa rd
¢ page 251, Child restraints and Advanced Air­
bags.
"Suppress ion" requ ires t he front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned
off if:
- a chi ld up to about one year of age is restra ined
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear­
facing o r fo rward-fac ing infant restra ints listed
i n Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208
with wh ic h the Advanced Airbag System in your
vehicle was ce rt ified. For a l isting of the c hild
restra ints that were used to certify your veh i­
cle's compliance with the US Safety Standard
¢ page 251,
232
-weight less than a threshold leve l stored in t he
control unit is detected on the front passenger
seat.
When a person is detected on the fron t passen ­
ger seat, weig hing more than the total weight of
a chi ld that is about 1 year old restrained in one
of the rea r-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard
208 with w hich the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified), the front
a irbag on the passenger s ide may or may not de­
ploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF light comes on
whe n the electronic control unit detects a tota l
weight on t he front passenger seat that requ ires
t h e front a irbag to be tur ned
off . If t he PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front a irbag on the passenge r side has no t been
tu rne d
off by t he control unit and can dep loy if
the control unit senses an impact t hat meets the
conditions stored in its memory.
If the total weig ht on the front passe nger sea t is
more than that of a typ ica l 1 year-o ld, but less
than the weight of a small adult, the front airbag
on the passenger side may dep loy (the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF
light does not come on).
For example , the airbag ma y deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ica l 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (regard less of whethe r the child is in one of t he
child seats listed
¢ page 251),
-a child who has outgrown c hild res traints is on
the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is tu rned
off, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
t h e i nstr ument pane l w ill come on and s tay on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not ill uminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not s itting upright with
their back against a no n-reclined backrest with
their feet on the veh icle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat .

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c '<t
If the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Feder ­
a l 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" dep loyment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined in the electronic control unit
r;:;. page 23 7.
Al way s remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith Advanced A irbags, the s afest p lace
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat . Please be sure to read the important infor­
mat io n in the sect ions that follow and be su re to
h eed a ll of the WARN INGS.
A WARNING
T o red uce the r isk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, a lways wear safety be lts properly .
- If you are unrest rained, lean ing fo rwa rd, s it ­
t ing s idew ays or o ut of pos it ion in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is much higher .
- Yo u will also receive se rious injur ies a nd
cou ld even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates
-
even with an Advanced Airbag I!!> page 22 7.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld seat insta l­
led 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 .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
yo ur vehicle is designed to turn off t he front
airbag when a rearward-facing ch ild re­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can abso lutely g uara n­
tee that deployment is impossible in a ll con ­
c e ivable s ituat ions that may happen dur ing
the usefu l life o f yo ur vehicle .
- T he inf lat ing air bag w ill hit th e chi ld sea t or
infant carrier w it h great fo rce and will
smash the c hild seat and child against the
backrest , center a rmrest, door, or roof.
- Always install rearward -fac ing c hild re ­
straints on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearwar d fac ing c hild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
Airbag syste m
except io n al circumstances and the PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on
and stay on, immed iate ly install the rea r­
faci ng chi ld seat in a rear seating pos it io n
a nd have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r.
A WARNING
-
If, in exceptional c ircu mstances, you must in­
stall a forward-fa cing child rest ra in t on the
fron t passenger's seat:
- Always make su re the forward-facing seat
has bee n des igned and certified by its man­
uf acture r for use o n a front sea t with a pas ­
senge r front and side airbag.
- N eve r put the fo rw ar d-faci ng chi ld restra in t
up ag ainst o r very ne ar th e i nstr ument pan ­
el.
- Always move the fro nt passenge r seat to
the hig hest posit io n in the up and down ad ­
justment range and move it bac k to the
rearmost positio n in the seat's fo re and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir ­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for ­
ward-facing ch ild restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the c hild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the ch ild restraint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned .
- Make sure that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r th e ignit ion is switched o n.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenge r seat in your ve hicle has a lo t
of ve ry important parts of t he Advanced A irb ag
System in it. These parts incl ude the weight ­
sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and
more . The f unction of th e system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electronic con­
trol unit when the ign ition is on. The control unit
moni tors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the a irbag ind icator light on when a malfunction
i n the system compone nts is detected . The func­
t ion of the a irbag ind icator light is described in
greate r deta il be low. Because t he front
233

Airbag syste m
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 front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sist s
o f the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/decelerat ion to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electron ic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides " whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The contro l 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 unde r th e upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that meas ures the tota l weight on the seat . T he
information registered is sent continuously to
the e lec tronic control unit to regu la te dep loy­
ment of the front Adva need A irbag on the pas ­
senger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
c> page 23 7 .
- A sensor in each front sea t registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic cont rol u nit to regulate deployment
of the fro nt Advanced A irbags.
- T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instr ument
pane l
c> page 23 7, fig. 232 and tells you w hen
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off.
-A sensor be low the safety belt latch fo r the
front seat passenger to meas ure the tension on
234
the sa fety be lt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight -sens­
ing mat he lp the contro l unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not c> page 228, 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 or not and
transmits this informat ion to the e lectronic
cont rol u nit.
_&, WARNING
Da mage to the front passenge r seat can pre ­
vent the front airbag from work ing prope rly .
- I mp roper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning
proper ly.
-Repairs to the front passenger seat mus t be
performed by qualified and proper ly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle.
-Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
-N ever d is a ssemble o r remove pa rts from the
seat or disconnect wi res from it.
- N ever carry sharp objects in your pocke ts or
p lace them on the seat. If the weight-sens ­
ing mat in the passenger seat is p unctured
it ca nnot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase t he weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­ formation to the a irbag control u nit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat cou ld be dam­
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from worki ng p roperly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by A ud i on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from recognizi ng ch ild

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-sensing mat in the seat from accu­
rately registering the child restraint or per­
son 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 man­
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger 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 Audi dealer .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts and the adjustable head restraints to help reduce the risk 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 this 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
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side , regardless of safety belt
use, the airbag will be turned off if the weight on
~ the passenger seat is less than the amount pro-...,
~ gram med in the electronic control unit. The front N
8 airbag on the passenger side will also be turned 0 :c '<I'
Airbag system
off if one of the child seats that has been certi­
fied under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on to tell you when the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side has been turned off
~ page 228, Child restraints on the front seat ­
some important things to know .
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting 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 227.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 231 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and provide sup­ plemental 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:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag,
- and the head restraints have been properly ad-
justed .
.,.
235

Airbag syste m
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro ­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in­
flates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
veh icle. Th is dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irr itate sk in .
It is important to remember that while the sup ­
p lemental a irbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example swelling, bruising and m inor abra ­
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate . A ir­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front a irbags supplement the th ree­
point safety belts only in some fronta l co llisions
in which the veh icle decelerat ion is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
- i f the ign it ion is switched off when a crash oc-
c ur s,
- i n s ide collisions,
- in rear -end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control unit .
The front passenger airbag als o will not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as
sensed by the Advanced A irbag System indi­
cates that the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has to be turned off by the electronic con­
trol unit (the
P A SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on).
_& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong pos ition can increase the
r is k of serious in jury in c rashes.
- To reduce the risk of inju ry when the airbags
inflate, the d river an d passengers must
al-
236
ways sit in an upright posit ion, must not
lean aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
- Occupants who are unbe lted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be serious ly
in jured by an airbag as it unfolds with g reat
force in the blink of an eye
~ page 228.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal­ led on the front passenger seat will be seri­
ously injured and can be killed if the front air­
bag inflates
-even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The infla ting air bag will h it the ch ild seat o r
infan t ca rrier wi th great force and wi ll
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -fac ing ch ild seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rea rw ar d facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because o f
except ional circumstances and the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immed iate ly install the rear­
facing chi ld seat in a rear seating posit ion
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r.
_& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the r is k of injury in a c rash by interfe r­
ing wi th the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing p ushed into you as the air bag infla tes.
- Never hold things in you r hands o r on your
lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the a rea of
the front passenge r seat. Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing b raking or other s udden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious persona l injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or othe r
objects (such as cup holders, telephone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob jects) on -

the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself . These objects
cou ld cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate .
-Never recline the front passenge r's seat to
transport objects. Items ca n also move into
the area of the side airbag o r the front air­
bag during bra king or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause in jury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
T he fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions.
-To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
gett ing out of the veh icle or opening w in­
dows or doo rs.
-If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eat ing .
-Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches .
-If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
~ ( USA models )/!{ (Canada models )
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 Airbag System (including the elec­
tron ic control unit, sensor c ircuits and system
~ wir ing) is monitored continuously to make sure
;:::: that it is funct ion ing prope rly whenever the igni-
" ~ tion is on. Each time you switch on the ignition,
~ the airbag monitoring indicator light fl (USA '<I'
Airbag system
models)/EI (Canada models) w ill come on for a
few seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II (USA models)tE,I (Canada
models) :
-does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
-does not go out a few seconds after you have
sw itched on the ignition, or
-comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detec ted, the
indica tor light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately .
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot prov ide supplemental protect ion
i n a fronta l crash.
-If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 23
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is poss ible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fi g. 232 Sect io n from th e instrument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF lig ht
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument
panel ¢ fig. 232. Ill>
237

Airbag syste m
The PASSENGER 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 ignit ion, the
P ASS ENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small c hild or child re ­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will 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 OFF light mu st come
on and sta y on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat,
o r
- a rearward-fac ing child rest ra in t has been in ­
stalled on the front passe nger seat, or
- a fo rwa rd-facing child restra int has bee n in stal­
led on the front passenger seat, o r
- the weight reg istered on the fro nt passenger
seat is equal to o r less than the comb ined
we ight of a typ ica l 1 yea r-old restrained in one
of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with w hich the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
I f t he front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag wi ll not dep loy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Never insta ll a
rearward-facing 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 228, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 249, Child safety.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the condit ions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
P A SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light
s tays o n cont inuous ly wheneve r the ig nition is
on.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
238
- reactivate the system by switching the ignition
off and then switching it on again;
- remove and reinsta ll the chi ld restraint . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been correct ly routed through
the child restraint as described in the ch ild re­
straint ma nufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convert ib le lock ing retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled t ight. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
be low the safety belt latc h on the seat can do
i t s
job¢ page 259 .
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and c hild seat a re not be ing
transpo rted on the front passenge r seat;
- ma ke sure that t he safety be lt te nsion sensor is
not b locked. S hake the safety belt latch on the
front passenger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to t ie the child
seat to t he fron t passenger sea t, make s ure
that it is not so tight that it causes the weight ­
sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat.
If th e PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light still do es
n o t come on
and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switc hed on),
- take the child restra int
off the front passenge r
seat and insta ll it p roperly a t one of the rear
seat pos itions. Have the airbag system inspect ­
ed by yo ur Audi dealer immediate ly .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat pos ition and m ake
sure that the child is proper ly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht sho uld NOT
come on when t he ignit ion is on and an ad ult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 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
..,.