weight AUDI A3 2012 Owner´s Manual

126 Airbag system
-Never place additiona l items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
F ig . 131 Location of driver airbag: in steer ing whee l
Fig. 132 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the in ­
strument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced
A irbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ( FM VSS) 208 as app licab le at the time your
ve hicl e was manufac tured. The safe ty belts
for the front seats have "pretensioners" that
he lp to take slack out of the belt system. The
pretensioners are also activated by the elec­
tronic control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety be lts a lso have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
i n a crash.
The airbag fo r the driver is in t he s teer ing
wheel hub¢
fig. 131 and the airbag for the front passenger is in the
instrument panel
¢
fig. 132 . The general location of the airbags
is marked "AIRBAG".
T here is a lot you need to know about the a ir­
bags 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 up the owner's literature.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of you r passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
_&. WARNING
Neve r rely on airbags a lone for p rotection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide
only supplemental protect ion.
- Ai rbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts
a nd make sure that eve rybody in your ve­
h icle is p roperly restrained.
_&. WARNING
=
A pe rson on the front passenger seat, es-
pe cial ly infants and sma ll children, w ill re­
ce ive ser io us in ju ries and can even be kil­
l ed by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates .
- Altho ugh the Advanced Airbag Sys tem in
your vehicle is designed to tur n off the
front passenger airbag if a n in fant or a
sma ll child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
that deployment under these special
conditions is imposs ible in all conceiva­
b le si tua tions that may happen during
the useful life of your v ehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy
i n acco rdance with the "low risk" option
unde r the U.S. Fede ral Standa rd if a child
t hat is heav ie r th an the typical o ne-year
old ch ild is on the front passenger seat
and the other conditions for ai rbag de ­
p loyment are met .

-Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating posit ion.
- For their own safety, all children, espe­
cially 12 years and younger, sho uld al­
ways ride in the back properly restrained
for their age and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your veh icle is equipped w ith a front Advanced
A irbag System in compliance with Un ited
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety S tanda rd
208 as applicab le a t the time your vehicle was
manufac tured .
The front Advanced Airbag System supple­ ments the safety belts to provide add it iona l
p rotection fo r the driver's and fron t passeng­
e r' s heads and upper bodies in fronta l crashes.
The airbags inflate only in frontal impacts
when the vehicle dece leration is high enough .
The fron t Advanced A irbag Sys tem for the
front seat occ upants is no t a substi tute for
your safety bel ts. Rather, it is part of the over ­
a ll occupa nt restraint system in your vehicle.
A lways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you, if you are s itting up­
right, wearing your safety belt and wearing it
properly . This is w hy you and your passenge rs
must always be properly restrai ned, not just
because the law requires you to be .
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle
has been certified to meet the " low r isk" re ­
qu irements for 3 and 6 year-o ld childre n on
the passenger s ide and very small adu lts on
the dr iver side. The low ris k dep loymen t cr ite­
ria are intended to he lp red uce the risk of i n­
j ury thro ugh in teraction with the front airbag
that can occ ur, fo r example, by being too
close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates.
I n addition, the sys tem has been certif ied to
comp ly with the "suppression" requirements
of the Safety Standard, to turn off the front
airbag for infants 12 months old and younger
who are restra ined on the front passenger
A irbag system 127
seat in child rest raints that are listed in the
Standard
¢ page 145 .
"Supp ress ion" requi res the fron t airbag on t he
passenge r sid e to be turned off if:
- a child up to abo ut one year of age is re­
strained on the front passenger seat in one
of t he rear-fa cing o r fo rward -f a cing infan t
res traints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System in your ve hicle was
cert ified. For a listing o f the chi ld restraints
that were used to certify your vehicle's com­
pliance w ith the US Safety Standard
¢page 145,
- weight less than a thresho ld level stored in
the control unit is detected on the front pas­
senge r seat.
When a person is detected on the front pas­
senger seat, weighing more than the total
weight of a chi ld that is about 1 year old re­
stra ined in one of the rear -fac ing or forward ­
facing infant restraints ( listed in Fede ral Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with whic h
t h e Advanced A irbag Sys tem in yo ur vehicle
was certified), the fron t airbag on the passen­
ger side may or may not dep loy .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
whe n the elect ro nic cont ro l unit de tects a to ­
ta l we igh t on the front p assenger sea t that re­
quires the front airbag to be t urned off .
If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front ai rbag on the passenger
s ide has not been t urned off by the contro l
u nit and can dep loy if the control un it senses
an impact that meets the cond itions stored i n
its memory .
If the total weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old,
but less than the we ight of a small adu lt, the
front a irbag on t he passenger side may dep loy
(the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on) .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small chi ld that is heav ie r than a typical 1
year-old ch ild is on the front passenger seat ..,. •
•

the forward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENG ER AI R BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a
l ot of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sens ing ma t, sensors, wiring, brack­
ets, and mo re. The function of the system in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
e lectronic control unit when the ignition is on .
The control unit monitors 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
airbag ind icator light is described in greater
deta il below. Because the front passenger
seat contains impo rtant parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to
p revent it from being damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanc ed Airbag Syst em
con sis ts o f th e following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­ bag System about the severity of the crash.
-An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts .
The cont ro l unit "decides" whether to fire
the front airbags based on the information r eceived from the c rash sensors. The control
unit a lso "dec ides" whet her the safety be lt
pretensione rs should be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for
the d river ins ide the steer ing whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator in­
s ide t he instr ument pane l for the front pas­
senger.
A irbag system 129
- A weight-sensing mat under the upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat .
The informat ion reg istered is sent continu­
ously to the electron ic control unit to regu­
late deployment of the front Advanced Air­
bag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and ind icator
light in the instrument cluster
¢page 133.
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center of the instru­
ment panel
c:::> page 133, fig . 134 and tells
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passe nger side has been tu rned off.
- A senso r below the safety belt latch fo r the
front seat passenger to measure the tension
on the safety be lt. T he ten sion on the safety
be lt and the weight regis tered by the
weight -sensing mat he lp the control unit
"decide" whether the front airbag fo r the
front passenger seat should be turned off or not
¢ page 123, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
-A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driv­
er and for the front seat passenger that
senses whether that safety belt is latched or
not and transmits this information to the
electronic contro l un it .
A WARNING
D amage to the front passenger seat can
p revent the front airbag from wor king
properly.
- Imp roper repai r or d isassembly of the
fr on t passenge r and dr iver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning p roperly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be pe rformed by qualified and p roperly
trained workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upho lstery from the
front passenger seat .
- Never disassemble or remove p arts from
-
the sea t or disconnect wires from it. ..,.
•
•

130 Airbag system
-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
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 Adva 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. 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. If 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 123, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when 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 injuries 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
~ page 122.
More important things to know about
front airbags
F ig. 133 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfold properly and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in a fronta l co l­
lision .
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protection for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenger when :
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag,
- and the head restraints have been proper ly
adjusted .
Because airbags i nflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, things you have on your lap or have placed on the seat could become dan­
gerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if
the airbag inflates.
A irba g sy stem 131
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
This is norma l and is not caused by a fire 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 remember that whi le the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for example swelling, bruising and
minor abras ions, can also happen when air­
bags i nflate. A irbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body . Front a irbags
supplement the th ree -po in t safety belts only
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
deceleration is high enough to deploy the air­
bags .
Front airbags will not deploy :
-if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
o ccu rs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash dece leration measured by
the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
reg istered by the electron ic contro l unit .
The f ront pa ssen ger airbag als o will no t
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 ind icates that the front a irbag on the
passenger side has to be tu rned off by the
electronic contro l un it (the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light comes on and stays o n).
.&, WARNING
Sitting in t he wrong pos ition can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- T o reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passenge rs
m ust always s it in an upright position,
m ust not lean against or place any part

Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
I Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PAS SEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the
e lectronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignit ion is on . Each t ime you
turn on the ignition, the airbag monitor ing in­
d icator light
I will come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
t!i The syste m mus t be insp ected when the
indicato r light:
- does not come on when the ignit ion is
switched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after yo u
have switched on the ignition, o r
- comes on while d riving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the
I indicator light will first start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a irbag on the passenger side off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BA G OFF
light will come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supp lemen tal p ro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator l igh t comes on, it
means that there may be something
wrong wit h the Advanced Airbag System.
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not s upposed to, or wi ll not in­
flate when it should.
-
Airba g sy stem 133
-Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diate ly by you r authorized Aud i dea ler.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
F ig . 1 34 Sect ion from th e ce nter console: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center console
c::> fig. 134.
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electron ic control unit. Each
time you turn on the ignit ion, the
PAS SEN­
GER A IR BAG OFF
light will flash 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 ch ild or child
restraint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensi ng mat.
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and st ay on
if the ignition 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, or
- a forward -facing chi ld restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- t he weight reg iste red on the fron t passen-
ger seat is equal to or less than the com -
bined weight of a typical 1 year-old restrain­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward -fac-
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the ..,_

134 Airbag sys te m
Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occ upied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS·
SENGER AIR B AG OFF
light will stay on. Nev ­
er insta ll a rearward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seat ing positions on the rear seat
c:> page 123, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
c:> page 143, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on cont inuous ly whenever the
i gnit ion is on.
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- react iva te the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restraint.
Make su re that the child res traint is properly
insta lled and that the safety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
ro uted throug h the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint man ufacturer's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea ­
ture on the safety be lt for the front passen­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or have loops of slack so
t h at the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the sea t can do its job
¢ page 152.
- make sure that th ings that may increase the
we ight of t he chi ld and child safety seat are
not be ing tra nspo rted on the front passen ­
ger seat;
- make su re that the safety be lt tension sen­
so r is not b locked. Shake t he safety be lt
l atch on the front passenger seatbac k and
forth;
- If a st rap or te ther is being used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger seat, make sure that
it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con ­
tin uous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- t ake the child res train t off the front passen-
ge r seat and ins tall it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dea ler
immed iate ly .
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure t hat the c hild is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when t he ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes fo r about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
c:> page 104, Proper seating position for the
driver,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the fron t passenger door or s upport­
ing their weight on the armres t,
- t he safety belt is be ing properly wo rn and
t hat the re is not a lot o f slack in the safety
be lt webb ing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or othe r
t hings tha t may cause an incorrec t reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or

PASSENGER AIR B AG ON will briefly appear
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 comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or w ill not in ­
flate when it should .
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diately by your author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restra int, or in a rearward-fac ing
child safety seat, or in a forward-facing
child restraint that has not been prope rly
installed will be serio usly injured and can
be killed.
- E ven though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System , make
certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and si ze.
- Always install forward or rea r-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
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme­
diately install the rear-fac ing ch ild safety
sea t in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag sys tem inspected by you r au­
tho rized Aud i dea ler.
-
A irbag system 135
-A t ight tether or other strap on a rea r­
ward-facing child rest raint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and reg iste r more weight
than is actually on the seat . The heavie r
weight registered can make the system
wo rk as tho ugh an adult we re on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
m ust be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to the chi ld .
- If , in exceptiona l c ircumstances , you
m ust 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 a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be adjust ­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make su re that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
eve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rear seating pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author iz ed Audi dealer before trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger
seat .
(j) 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 the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Pa rts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Aud i. Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an ..,.
•
•

140 Airbag system
-Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders, tel ­
ephone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag dep loyment and can cause personal
injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat ­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer .
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
q page 143, Child Safety .
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rectly measure increasing air pressure in­
side the doors when air escapes through larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additiona l speakers
or other equipment is installed in the inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
workshop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of curtain airbags
The curtain airbags can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 137 Cur tain airbag , drive r's sid e: s ide cu rtain a ir­
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows
c;, fig. 137 . T hey are identified
by the word "AIRBAG " on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
liJI,

142 Airbag sys te m
vehicle that is struck in a side co llision
~ fig . 138.
When the system is triggered , the side c urtain
a irbag is filled wi th propellant gas and b reaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows ide ntified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and w ith
great force. The side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seat ing pos ition is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the suppleme nta l side cu rtain airbag
i nflates . This applies espe cial ly to childre n
~page 143.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they ca n he lp to redu ce the r isk of in­
ju ry to the head and the upper part of the
body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ p loys. This is q uite norma l and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
a irbags do the ir job to provide s upplementa l
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
prope r seat ing positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used .
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of
their bodies in the a rea from wh ich the
side cu rtain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curta in
airbags can inflate w ithout interference .
Unsuitable accessor ies fitted inside the expansion range of a curtain airbag can
dangerously interfere with its funct
ion. A
deploying head airbag develops enough
force to catapult any p iece of add-on
component out of its path of infla tion
and into the passenger compa rtment. An
o ccu pant hit by such a projectile can suf­
fe r serious injury or death~
page 262,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swive l the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them
(for examp le pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects .
- Use the bui lt -in coat hooks only for light ­
weight clothing . Never leave any heavy o r
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with a irbag dep loyment
and can cause personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang cloth ing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
veh icle leaves the factory, on ly Audi roll­
up sunscreens may be used
~ page 261,
Additional accessories and parts re­
placement.
- Always sit in proper seat ing pos ition and
wear safety belts wh ile traveling so that
the side curtain airbag s can help p rov ide
p rotec tion.
- T he a irbag system can only be triggered
once .
If the airbag has been triggered,
t he system mus t be rep lace d by an au­
thor ized A udi dealer or qualified work ­
shop .
- Always have work involving the side c ur­
tain airbag system, removal and insta lla­
tion of the airbag components, or ot her
repairs performed by a qua lified work­
shop. Otherwise the airbag system may
not work correct ly.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .