warning AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET 2013 Owners Manual

144 Airbag sys tem
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, before insta lling
the forward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit io n.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime w henever the ignition is switched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The fron t passenger sea t in your vehicle h as a
lot of very important par ts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include t he
weight -sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brack­
ets, and more. The function of the system in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
e lectronic control u nit when the ignit ion is on.
The control unit mo nitors the Advanced Air­
bag System and turns the airbag indicator
l ight on when a ma lfunction in t he system
components is detected. The func tion of the
a ir bag ind icator light is described in greater
detai l be low . Because the front passenger
seat contains important parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to
prevent it from be ing damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airb ag Sy stem
consists of the following:
- Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/deceleration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­
bag System abou t the seve rity of the crash.
- An electron ic co ntrol unit, with integ rated
crash sensors for front and side impacts .
T he cont ro l unit "dec ides " w het her to fire
the front airbags based on the information
received from the crash senso rs . The contro l
unit a lso "decides" whethe r the safety be lt
pretensioners should be activated . -
An Advanced A irbag w ith gas generator and
cont ro l valve for the d river inside the steer­
ing wheel h ub.
- An Advanced A irbag with gas ge nerator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A weight-sensing mat under the up ho lstery
pad ding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat.
The informat ion registered is sent continu­
ously to the electronic contro l unit to regu­
late deployment of the front Advanced Air­ bag on the passenger side .
- An airbag monitor ing system and i ndicator
light in the i nstr ument cluster ~
page 148 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat a nd the
steer ing whee l o r i ns trument panel. The i n­
formation registered is sent cont inuo usly to
t he ele ctr onic cont ro l uni t to regula te de­
p loyment o f the front Advance d Airbags .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes
on and st ays on in the cen ter o f the instr u­
ment panel
~ page 148, fig . 155 and tells
you whe n the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been tu rned off .
- A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on the safety be lt . The tension on the safety
be lt and the weight registered by the
weight-sensing mat he lp the control unit
"decide" whether the front airbag for the
front passenger seat should be turned off or
not
~ pag e 138, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- A senso r in the safety belt latch fo r th e d riv­
er and fo r the front sea t passenger tha t
senses w het he r th at safety bel t is latched or
not and transmi ts this information to the
electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
p revent the front airbag from work ing
properly.
-

-Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly .
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat .
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat . Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­
ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat . The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re-
Airbag system 145
straint manufacturer's instructions re­
quire 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 re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install child restraint in a rear seat­
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters 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 impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. The amount of infla­
tion of the front airbags can also be adapted
to the front sea t position, depending on the
distance between the respective front seat
and the steering wheel or instrument panel as registered by sensors in the seats. Crash se­
verity depends on speed and deceleration 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 programmed in the electronic control
unit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will also be turned off if one of the child safe-
ty seats that has been certified under Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recogni zed on the seat . The
PASSENGER AIR .,,.
•
•

146 Airbag system
BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to te ll
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned off
c> page 138, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury whe n an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serious inju ries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
c>page 137.
More important things to know about
front airbags
F ig. 15 4 Inflated front airbags
-,.._
::: :i:.
"' a)
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated pos ition
so that airbags can u nfo ld properly and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in a frontal co l­
lision.
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protect ion for the chest and face of
the driver and the front seat passenger when :
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the
occupant is proper ly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag,
- and the head restraints have been properly
adjusted .
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 dan ­
gerous projecti les, and be p ushed into you if
the a irbag inf lates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
T his is norma l and is not caused by a fi re in
the vehicle . This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy. It could irritate skin .
It is important to remembe r that while the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other
injur ies, for example swelling, bruising and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate . A irbags do not protect the arms
o r the lower parts of the body. Front a irbags
only supp lement the three point safety belts
in some fronta l co llisions in wh ich the vehicle
deceleration is high enough to deploy the air­
bags .
Front a irbags will not deploy:
- if the ignition is switched off when a c rash
occurs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by
the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for airbag deployment as
reg istered by the electronic control unit.
The front pa ssenger airbag will al so not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu­
pied,
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem indicates that the front airbag on the
passenger side has to be turned off by the
electronic control un it (the
PASSENGER A IR
BAG OFF
l ight comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong pos ition can increase
the r is k of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air ­
bags i nflate, the driver and passengers

must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against or place any part
of the ir body too close to the area where
the a irbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
~ page 138.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
wi ll be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and wi ll smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the risk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag
inf lates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on
your lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat. Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuver and become dangerous projec-
A irbag system 147
tiles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the a irbags inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, tele­ phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could cause injury in a crash, es­
pecia lly when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects. Items can also
move into the area of the side a irbag or
the front airbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver . Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing problems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ ing cond itions.
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory
conditions shou ld get fresh air right
away by getting out of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any cuts or scratches .
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
f lush them with water. •
•

148 Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BA G OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the
electronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioni ng properly
whenever the ignit ion is on. Each t ime you
turn on the ignition, the
rl airbag monitoring
indicator light w ill come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The system must be inspected when the
(I indicator light :
-does not come on when the ignit ion is
swit ched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
h ave swi tched on the ign ition, o r
- comes on wh ile d riving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator light will first start flash ing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to se rve as a constant reminde r
to have the system inspec ted immediately .
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a irbag on the passenger side off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght will come on and stay
on w henever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An air bag system th at is not func tionin g
prope rly ca nnot provide supp lemen tal pro­
t ect ion in a fron tal cr ash .
-If the airbag indic ator light¢ page 20
comes whe n the vehicle is be ing used,
have t he system inspected immediate ly
by you r a uth o rized Aud i dea le r. It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inf late when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it shou ld.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
Fig . 1 55 Sec tion fro m the instr ument pa ne l: PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF lig ht
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is loca ted
in the center of t he in st rument p anel
¢fig. 155.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light w ill come
o n and stay o n to tell you w hen the front Ad ­
van ced Air bag o n the pas senge r side has been
tu rned off by the ele ct ronic contro l uni t. Each
t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flas h for a few
seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- wil l sta y on if t here is a small ch ild or child
restrai nt on the front passenge r seat,
- will go out i f th e front p assenge r sea t is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight -sensing mat .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and stay on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, o r
- a forward-fac ing ch ild restra int has been in­
s talled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg iste red on the front passen­
ger seat is equal to or less than t he com­
b ined weight of a typical 1 year -o ld restra in­
ed in one of the rea r-facing or forwa rd-fac­
ing infant restra ints listed in Federal Motor
Veh icle Safety Stan dard 208 wi th wh ich the
Advanced A irbag System in you r vehicle wa s
cert ified.
II>-

150 Airbag system
in the instrument cluster display. This is to in­
form the driver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light¢
page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authori zed Audi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without
a child restraint, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing child re­
straint that has not been properly installed
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always install forward or rear-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme­
diately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too
much pressure on the weight-sensing
-
mat in the seat and register more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the airbag
as possible. The backrest must be adjust­
ed to an upright position. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING
-
-
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
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 positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer before trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger
seat.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side will be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Par ts of the airb ag system are ins talled at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision. .,..

There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
Airbag system 151
-Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version. Re­ placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only.
Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a
pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
{® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per-
ch lorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­ ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi .,..
•
•

152 Airbag system
dealer is familiar with these re quirements
and we recommend that you have your
dea ler perform this serv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire-r im combinations not app roved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, incl uding the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors a nd make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in w hich it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas ­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle fo r the
d river and front passe nger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not.
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is poss ible that an a irbag
will not deploy at a seating position whe re the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position whe re the safety belt is not bei ng
used. It is important tha t noth ing inte rfe re
with the safety belt buckles so t hat the sen­
sors can send the correct information a bout
safety belt use to the electronic contro l unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim c ombina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of ser ious
personal i njur y in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characterist
ics as the components origi­
na lly installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim com binations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
= -
Items stored between the safety be lt
b uckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­ bag System from wo rking prope rly.
- Always make s ure that nothing can inter­
fe re with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 1 56 Dr iver 's k nee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
Q fig . 156, the knee a irbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the inst rument
pane l underneath the g love compar tme nt.
The knee airbag offers additional p rotection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lowe r th igh a reas and suppleme nts
the p rotec tion provided by t he safety be lts.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in fron tal coll is io ns w hen the de­
ployment th reshol d sto red in the control un it ..,,

is met c::> page 146, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do soc::>
page 129, General notes .
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the a ir­
bag control module if the safety belt is being
used or not . If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher
ra te of deceleration than if the belt is not be­
ing used . Therefore, in a particu lar collision, it
is possible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, for example when your vehi ­
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
f ir st coll is ion.
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
supplemental knee air bag system is des igned
to reduce the like lihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
and minor abras ions and frict ion burns can al­
so occur when an airbag inflates.
Airbag system 153
The knee airbag system basically consists
of:
-The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas gen- erator), 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 turned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/indicator light is on) c::>
page 20.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
c::>
page 146.
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
How knee airbags work
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re­
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fig. 157 Inflated air bags protecting in a frontal colli­
s ion

154 Airbag sys te m
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger dep loy in certain but not all frontal
collisions.
I f the front air bags deploy, the knee airbags
a lso deploy in frontal co llisions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When t he system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and i nflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and t he
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the front passenger
q page 146 ,
fig . 154.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can
cushion the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
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 a irbags also
inflate wit h a great deal of force and it is im­
po rtant for occupant safety that not hing
should be in their way when they dep loy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly wor n safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forwa rd moveme nt and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: wit h kn ee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al ­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passenge rs
m ust know and do to help the safety be lts and
air bags to provide supp lemental protection .
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used. -
The knee a irbag system cannot p rotect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locat ions. When ad­
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal inj ury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you a re
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk in­
creases even more should the a irbag de­
ploy.
- Always ma ke sure that th e knee airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rea se
the risk of injury in an ac cident by inte r­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the air bag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, espec ia lly children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. I f the airbag de­
ploys, th is can resul t in serious o r fa tal
injur ies.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell are a in front of the dr iver's or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop ­
ping bags, fo r example) can inte rfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the a irbag. Small ob jects can be
thrown thro ugh the veh icle if the air­
bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
b ags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
q page 158, Child Safety.