warning light AUDI TT ROADSTER 2011 Service Manual

98 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as for that of your passengers.
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures desc ribed in this sec tions may be
standa rd equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Make certain that you follow the instruc­
t ions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the
interest of your passengers .
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will a lways be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if yo u have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a lis ting o f just a
few of the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- safety belt pre-tensione rs,
- fro nt airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- ad justab le steering column .
T hese ind iv idual safety features can wor k to­
ge ther as a sys tem to he lp p rotec t you and
you r passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot wo rk as a system if
they are not always p roper ly adjusted and
properly used!
Safet y is everybody's re sponsibilit y!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For yo ur safe ty and the safety of you r passen­
gers,
befor e driving alwa ys:
"' Make s ure that all lights and signa ls are op­
erati ng correctly .
"' Ma ke su re t hat the t ire p ressu re is co rrec t.
"' Mak e su re that all windows are clean and a f­
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide.
"' Sec ure all luggage and other items caref ully
I:!) page 7 3.
"'Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
"' Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
"' Inst ruct passe ngers to adjust the head re­
st raints accord ing to the ir height .
"' Ma ke sur e to use the r igh t chi ld restraint
correc tly to protect c hild ren
¢ page 136,
Child Safety .
"'Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
I:!) page 66,
General recommendations. .,_

.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten the ir
safety belts proper ly ¢
page 107 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distrac ted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
veh icle and a ll of its occupants . If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢
,&..
Therefore:
.,. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen ­
gers or by us ing a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER dr ive when your driv ing ability is im ­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
.. Observe all traffic laws, ru les of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adj ust yo ur speed to road, traff ic
and weather condit ions .
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips . Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired , under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used .
Drivin g Sa fely 99
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig . 107 The correct d istance betwee n drive r an d
stee ring wheel
Fig . 1 08 Co rrec t head rest raint pos it ion fo r dr ive r
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
fol low ing position:
.,. Adjust the driver 's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
<=> ,& .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatbac k so that it is
in an upright position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when yo u drive .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast
bone
c:> fig . 107 . If not possible, see your au ­
thorized Audi dealersh ip about adaptive
equ ipment .
.. Adjust t he steer ing wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and a irbag cover poi nts at your
chest and not at your face .

100 Driving Safely
• Grasp the top of the steering wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as
possible but no lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
t::;> fig. 108 .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢page 67 .
.&_ WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect­
ed Ly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
t::;> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
t::;> page 115.
Proper seat ing position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as possible but not lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
¢ page 101.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 66.

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapte r exp lains why safety be lts a re nec­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read a ll the informat ion that fo llows and
heed all of the inst ruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
imp roperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of se­
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci­
dents . For your prot ecti on and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrec tly wear
sa fe ty bel ts when the ve hicle is mov ing.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically
impa ired perso ns must also use safe ty
belts. L ike a ll vehicle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser ious ly injure d if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fet us is to protect the mother -
thro ughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi TT Roadster has two seating posi­
tions. Each seat ing pos ition has a safety be lt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improper ly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death.
- Never st rap more than one person, in­
clu ding small ch ild ren, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- Never let mo re people ride in the ve hicle
t h an t he re a re safety be lts ava ilable.
Sa fety belts 107
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate sa fe­
ty belt or child restra int.
4 Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger to remind you
about the importance of buckling-up.
Fi g. 1 10 Safety be lt warn ing lig ht in the instr ume nt
cl uster -enla rged
Befor e driv ing off, always :
~ Fasten your sa fe ty belt and make su re you
wear it p roperly.
~ Make s ure that yo ur passenge rs a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
~ Protect childre n with a child rest raint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age .
The wa rning light . in the instrument cluster
li ghts up w hen the ig nit ion is switched on as a
remi nder to fasten the safety belts. In addi­
tion , you will hear a warning tone for a certa in
per iod of t ime .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their saf ety belts .
A WARNING
-Safety belts are the s ingle most effect ive
means ava ilable to reduce t he risk of se­
rio us i nju ry and de ath in au tomobile a cci­
dents . Fo r yo ur pro tection and tha t of
your passen gers, a lways correctly wear
safety belts when t he ve hicl e is moving .
- Fail ure to p ay att ent io n t o the wa rni ng
lig ht that come on , could lead to person ­
a l injury . •
•

During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt p re­
tensione r that helps to t igh ten the safety be lt
and remove s lack when the pretensione r is ac­
tivated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a warning light
¢ page 16.
Switchable locking feature
Every safe ty belt excep t the one on the driver
seat is eq uipped w ith a switchab le locking fea­
ture that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat . Be s ure to read the
important informat ion about th is f eature
c:;, page 144.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
¢ page 111, Safety belt position .
-Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
belts are properly positioned on the
body .
-
-Never attach the safety belt to the buck ­
le for another seat . Attach ing the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effect iveness and ca n cause seri ous per­
sonal in jury.
- A passenger who is no t properly rest rain­
ed can be se rio usly inju red by the safety
belt itself when it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen .
- Always lock the convert ible locking re ­
tractor when yo u are secur ing a chi ld
seat in the vehicle
c:;, page 146 .
Safety belts 111
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig . 1 16 Head restra int a nd safety be lt pos it io n as
see n fr om t he side
Use the height adjustment to change the posi­
tion of the shoulder straps of the fro nt seat
safety belts .
A WARNING
Imp roperly posit ioned safety be lts can
cause ser ious persona l injury in an acci­
dent.
- The shou lder belt portion of the safety
be lt must be posi tioned over the midd le
of the occupant's shoulder and never
across the neck or throat.
- The safety be lt must lie fla t and sn ug on
the occupant's upper body¢
fig. 116.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
-
- The lap be lt po rtion of the safety belt
must be posit ioned as low as possib le
across pelvis and never over the abdo ­
men. Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug ¢
fig. 116 . Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary .
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri­
ous injuries by shifting its pos it ion on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulne rable , soft tissue and cause ser ious
in jury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢page 109.

Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be t urned off ("sup­
pressed") if a child up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear -facing or for­
ward -facing infant restra ints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed o n the front
passenger seat. Fo r a listing of the child re­
straints that were used to certify compliance
with the US Safety Standard
q page 138.
The PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF light in the in­
strument panel tells you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has bee n
turned off by the e lectronic control u nit.
Each t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight w ill come on for a
few seco nds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or ch ild
restraint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go off if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat
q page 125, Monitor­
ing the Advanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight
on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be tu rned off .
If the total weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old
chi ld but less than the weight of a sma ll
ad ult, the front airbag on the passenge r side
can dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
l igh t does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not
been turned off by the electronic control unit
and can dep loy if the control u nit senses an
impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
For example , the airbag may deploy if :
Airbag system 117
- a small ch ild that is heav ie r th an a typical 1
year -old chi ld is o n the front passenger seat
(regard less o f whether the child is in one o f
the child safety seats listed
q page 138), or
- a child who has outgrown child restraints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger ai rbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in
the instr ument cluster and stays on .
T he front airbag on the passenge r side may
not deploy (t he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate a nd stay lit) even if a
small ad ult o r teenager, or a passenger who is
not sitting upright with their back against a
non-recl ined backrest w ith their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front
passenger seat ¢
page 99, Proper seating po ­
sition for the driver.
If the front passenger airbag dep loys, the
Federa l Standard requ ires the airbag to meet
t h e "low risk" dep loyment criteria to reduce
t h e risk of injury th rough inte ract ion w ith the
airbag. "Low risk" deployment occurs in those
crashes that ta ke pla ce at lower dece le rat io ns
as de fined in the e lectronic co ntrol unit
¢ page 1 26, PASSENG ER AIR BAG O FF light.
Always remember, a c hild safety seat o r in fant
car rie r in st alled on the fron t seat may be
stru ck and kno cked ou t of po sitio n by the rap­
i dly i nflat ing passenger 's airbag in a fronta l
collision. The ai rbag co uld great ly red uce the
effectiveness of the chi ld restraint and even
seriously in jure the child during inflation.
For t his reason, and because the back seat is
the safest place for c hildren - when proper ly
rest rained according to their age and size -we
strong ly recommend that chi ldren a lways sit
i n the back seat¢
page 136, Child Safety .
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety
seat ins talled on the fron t passenger seat
will be ser io us ly injure d and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad-
v anc ed Airbag System . ..,_
•
•

118 Airbag sys te m
- The inflati ng airba g will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backr est, door or
ro of.
- If you must install a rearwar d facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat b ecause of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rea r-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
- Forward -fac ing ch ild safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat may in­
terfere with the deployment of the air­
bag and cause serious personal injury to
the ch ild.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing
seat has been des igned and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up aga inst or very near the inst ru­
me nt pane l.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat 's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irb ag as poss ible be fore instal ling
the fo rward-facing child restraint. T he
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position .
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
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 re- straint is
insta lled on the front passenger
seat and the ignition is sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not stay on, per form the checks de­
scribed ¢
page 125, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Ta ke the chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not s tay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r i mmediately .
- Always carefully follow instructions from
child restraint manufacture rs when in­
stalling child restra ints.
A WARNING
=
If, in except ional circumstances, you m ust
i nsta ll a forward o r rearwa rd-facing child
r estra int on t he front passe nger's seat:
- Imp rope r installation of ch ild restra ints
can reduce their effectiv eness o r even
p reven t them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed ch ild restra int
can inter fere with the airbag as i t de­
p loys and seriously inj ure o r even k ill the
child -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- Always carefu lly follow the manu fact ur­
er 's instructions p rov ided with the chi ld
safety seat or carrier .
- Never p lace add itiona l items on the seat
that can increase the total weight reg is­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.

The front airbag on the passenger side may
not dep loy (the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adu lt or teenager is on the fron t pas ­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upright w ith
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the vehicle floor in front
of the seat is on the front passenger seat .
I f the front passenger airbag deploys, the
F ederal Standard requires the a irbag to meet
the " low risk" deployment criteria to help re­
duce the risk of injury through interaction
with the airbag. "Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower de­
celerations as defined in the electronic co ntrol
un it
o page 125 .
Alway s rem ember : Please be sure to read the
important information in the sections that
follow and be sure to heed all of the WARN­
INGS.
8, WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts prope rly.
- 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 serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
fla tes - even with an Advanced Airbag
opage 115 .
A WARNING ,~
A child in a rearward -facing child sa fety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
wi ll be seriously injured and can be ki lled if
the front a irbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
yo ur vehicle is designed to turn
off the
front a irbag when a rearward-fac ing
child restraint has been installed on the
front passenger seat, nobody can abso­ lute ly guarantee that deployment is im-
A irbag system 12 1
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen dur ing the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, door, or roof.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
ces and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and s tay on, im­
media tely ins ta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dea le r.
A WARNING
If, in except iona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified
by
its manufacturer fo r use on a front seat
wit h a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat's fore and
aft ad justment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible, before install ing
the forwa rd-fa cing ch ild restra int. The
bac krest mus t be adju sted to a n up right
posi tion.
- Ma ke su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
T he front passenger seat in yo ur vehicle has a
lot of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sensing mat, sensors, w iri ng, brack-
ets, and more . The funct ion of the system in ..,.
•
•

122 Airbag sys te m
the front passenger seat is checked by t he
e lectronic control unit when the i gnition is on .
The control unit mon itors the Advanced Air ­
bag System and turns the airbag indicator
light on when a malfunction in the system
components is detected. The function of the
a irbag ind icator light is described in greater
deta il be low. Because the front passenger
seat conta ins impo rtant parts of t he Ad­
v a nce d Airb ag System, you m ust ta ke ca re 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 f ront Advanced Airbag System
consi sts o f th e following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/dece leration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­
bag System about the severity of the crash.
- An electronic contro l unit, 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 a lso "dec ides" w hethe r th e safety be lt
pretensioners should be a ctivated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for
th e d river ins ide the steer ing whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator in­
s ide the instrument pane l for the front pas­
senger.
- A weig ht-sens ing mat under the upholste ry
padd ing of the front passenger seat cush io n
t h at meas ure s the tot al we igh t on the seat.
T he information registered is sen t con tinu­
o usly to the electron ic cont ro l u nit to regu­
l ate dep loyment of the front A dvanced Air­
bag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monito ring system and indicator
li ght in the instrument cluster
¢ page 125.
- The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center of the instru­
ment pane l¢
page 126, fig. 122 and tells
yo u when the front Advanced A irbag on the
passenger s ide has been turned off. -
A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on the safety belt . 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 passenge r seat should be turned off or
not
¢ page 116, 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 fro nt sea t passenger tha t
senses whet her t hat safety bel t is latche d or
not and transmi ts this information to t he
electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
p revent the front airbag from work ing
properly.
- Improper repair or d isassembly of the
front passenge r and dr iver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
fu nctioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenge r seat must
be pe rformed by qualified and p roperly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never rem ove t he front passenger or
driver seat from t he vehicle.
- Never
remove th e upho lstery from the
front passenge r seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in yo ur poc kets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenge r seat is
punctured it cannot work properly .
- Never carry things on you r lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong in formation to the airbag co ntrol
un it.
- Never store items under the front pas­
senger sea t. Parts of the Advan ced Air­
b ag Sys tem unde r the p assenger se at
-
could be damaged, p reven ting t hem and ~

the airbag system from working proper­ly.
- 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
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, 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 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 Advanced Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten-
Airbag system 123
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash .
When the electronic control unit registers a
low severity crash and the safety belt is being
used, the airbag will not deploy. I f the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys,
followed by the second stage after a much lat­
er time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash
of medium severity , the first stage of the air ­
bag deploys followed by the second stage at a
much later time in the crash sequence -re­
gardless of whether the safety belt is being
used or not . In higher severity crashes as reg­
istered by the electronic control unit, both the
first and second stages deploy almost at the
same time.
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
recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER 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 116, Child r estraints on the front s eat
- some important things to know.
_&, WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly .
- If you are unrestrained , leaning forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
¢ page 115.
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