child seat AUDI A3 2020 Owner´s Manual
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Page 262 of 400
Airbag system
— If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit-
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
— You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag > page 253.
Z\ WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal-
led on the front passenger seat will be seri-
ously injured and can be killed if the front air-
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
— Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re-
straint has been installed on the front pas-
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran-
tee that deployment is impossible in all con-
ceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door, or roof.
— Always install rearward-facing child re-
straints on the rear seat.
— If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear-
facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
Z\ WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in-
stall 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 manu-
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas-
senger front and side airbag.
260
— Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan-
el,
— Always move the front passenger seat to the
highest position in the up and down adjust-
ment range and move it back to the rear-
most position in the seat's fore and aft ad-
justment range, as far away from the airbag
as possible, before installing the forward-
facing child restraint.
— Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi-
tioned.
— Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some-
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of addi-
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it should
be off, or could cause the airbag to work ina
way that is different from the way it would
have worked without the object on the seat.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot
of very important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System in it. These parts include the capacitive
passenger detection system, wiring, brackets,
and more. The control unit monitors the system
on the front passenger seat when the ignition is
switched on and turns the airbag indicator light
on
when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is detected > page 265. Because the
front passenger seat contains important parts of
the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care
to prevent it from being damaged. Damage to
>
Page 263 of 400
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Airbag system
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem for the front passenger seat from doing its
job ina crash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists
of the following:
— Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash.
— An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control unit “decides” whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also “de-
cides” whether the safety belt pretensioners
should be activated.
— An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
— An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger.
— A capacitive passenger detection system under-
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys-
tem measures the electrical capacitance of the
person in the seat. The information registered
is sent continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad-
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
— An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster > page 265.
—Asensor in each front seat registers the dis-
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor-
mation registered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
— The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel > page 304 and tells you when the front
Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has
been turned off.
—Asensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the electronic
control unit.
ZA WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre-
vent the front airbag from working properly.
— Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent 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
put them on the seat. The capacitive passen-
ger detection mat in the front passenger
seat will not function properly if it is punc-
tured.
— Never carry things on your lap or carry ob-
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob-
jects can
influence the capacitance regis-
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro-
vided to the airbag control unit.
— Never store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam-
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys-
tem from working properly.
— Never place seat covers or replacement up-
holstery that have not been specifically ap-
proved by Audi on the front seats.
— Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag
System from recognizing child restraints or
occupants on the front passenger seat and
prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest
from deploying properly.
—If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth-
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
— Never use cushions, pillows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional layers prevent the capacitive
261
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Airbag system
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capacitance of the child safe-
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working properly.
— Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can influence the capacitance regis-
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro-
vided to the airbag control unit.
— If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man-
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to
properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas-
senger seat.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in-
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
Z\ WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im-
mediately.
— If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work-
ing properly and may, for instance, deacti-
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the airbag indicator light Ea in the instru-
ment cluster.
— If liquid is pooled on the seat, but has not
soaked in, this may also keep the airbag sys-
tem from working properly and cause the
passenger frontal airbag to be enabled
(turned on), even though there is a properly
installed child restraint system on the seat.
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger frontal airbag is turned on,
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will turn
off.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts and the adjustable
head restraints* to help reduce the risk of injury
in a wide range of accident and crash situations.
Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de-
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel-
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt
use, the front passenger frontal airbag will be
turned off if the electrical capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenger detection system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount
programmed in the electronic control unit. The
front passenger frontal airbag will also be turned
off if the capacitance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant
of about one year of age in one of the child seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on to tell you when the front Ad-
vanced Airbag System on the passenger side has
been turned off > page 265.
ZA WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in-
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
— If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit-
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
— You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
262
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Airbag system
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag > page 253.
TCM tee MoM dalla iol tLs
airbags
B4H-0271
Fig. 217 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
airbags can unfold properly and provide supple-
mental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi-
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
— safety belts are worn properly,
— the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated
—and for adjustable head restraints: the head re-
straints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have
placed on the seat could become dangerous pro-
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in-
flates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal 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 while the sup-
plemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra-
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate. Air-
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supplement the three-
point safety belts only in some frontal collisions
in which the vehicle deceleration is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
— if the ignition is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
— in side collisions,
—in rear-end collisions,
—in rollovers,
— when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh-
old needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control unit.
The front passenger airbag also will not
deploy:
— when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
— when the electrical capacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat indicates that the pas-
senger side frontal airbag must be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light > page 265 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
ZA\ WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of serious injury in crashes.
—To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al-
ways sit in an upright position, must not
lean against or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
— Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it unfolds with great
force in the blink of an eye > page 254.
ZA\ WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal-
led on the front passenger seat will be seri-
ously injured and can be killed if the front air-
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
263
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Airbag system
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
— Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
— If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear-
facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
ZA WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in-
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer-
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be-
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
— 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 could
move into the area of the front airbags dur-
ing braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate.
— Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
“AIRBAG” on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, seat backrests or between those
areas and yourself. These objects could
cause injury in a crash, especially when the
airbags inflate.
— Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air-
bag during braking or in a sudden maneuver.
Objects near the airbags can become projec-
tiles and cause injury, particularly when the
seat is reclined.
— Never place or transport objects on the front
passenger seat. Objects on the front passen-
ger seat could cause the capacitive sensor in
the seat to signal to airbag system that the
seat is occupied by a person when it in fact is
not, or that the person on the seat is heavier
than he or she actually is. The change in
electric capacitance because of such objects
can cause the passenger front airbag to be
turned on when it should be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is dif-
ferent from the way it would have worked
without objects on the seat.
— Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some-
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob-
ject could cause the passenger front airbag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that
is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
ZA\ WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi-
tions.
—To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con-
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win-
dows or doors.
— If you are in a collision in which airbags de-
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating.
— Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
— If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
264
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Airbag system
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni-
tion is switched on and the airbag indicator
light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light:
— will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
—will stay on if the electrical capacitance meas-
ured by the capacitive passenger detection sys-
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed-
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi-
cle was certified; For a listing of the child re-
straints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
=> page 280.
— will go out if the front passenger seat is occu-
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system.
— The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on if the ignition is on and...
—a car bed has been installed on the front pas-
senger seat, or
—arearward-facing child restraint has been in-
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
—a forward-facing child restraint has been instal-
led on the front passenger seat,
—and if the electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-
old infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will stay on. Never installa
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas-
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po-
sitions on the rear seat > page 254, Child re-
266
straints on the front seat - some important
things to know and > page 278, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer-
tain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
— reactivate the system by turning the ignition off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
again;
— remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions;
— make sure that the convertible locking retractor
on the safety belt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight.
— make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the cigarette lighter socket;
— make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit-
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
seat;
— make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob-
structed;
— make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does
not come on...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
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Airbag system
— take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect-
ed by your Audi dealer immediately.
— move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained ina
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan-
ces, make sure that:
— the adult on the front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
— the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the armrest,
— the safety belt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web-
bing,
— there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush-
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca-
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal-
culate electrical capacitance.
Mu elas see)
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small 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 posi-
tions. Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer before trans-
porting anyone on the front passenger seat.
ZA WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
—If the airbag indicator light > page 238
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup-
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
Z\ WARNING
— If the status of the Advanced Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
about 5 seconds to catch the driver's atten-
tion. If this happens, always stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri-
bed above.
Z\ WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, or 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 prop-
erly restrained for their age and size.
— Always install forward or rear-facing child
seats on the rear seat — even with an Ad-
vanced Airbag System.
— If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and
stay on, immediately install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
— If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
267
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Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the knee bags, for example) can interfere with or
airbag system prevent proper deployment of the airbag.
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags Small objects can be thrown through the
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper or your passengers.
seating position. — Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch-
es or other damage in the area of the instru-
There is a lot that you and your passengers must ment panel where the knee airbags are lo-
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags cated.
to provide supplemental protection. —If children are incorrectly seated, their risk
A WARNING of injury increases in a collision > page 278,
Child safety.
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in-
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im- Side ai rbags
proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a Description of side airbags
hicle is bei .
weteleis beingiuced The airbag system can provide supplemental
—Thek i . .
Boao eau otecuy cu protection to properly restrained occupants.
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances:
i KR R
Ry 2 eS oO
—at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
—at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru- Fig. 221 Side airbag location in the driver's seat
ment panel.
—The risk of personal injury increases if you The side airbags are located in the sides of the
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is front seat backrests > fig. 221 and the rear back-
improperly positioned and you are not wear- rest* facing the doors.
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even The side airbags installed for the front seating
more should the airbag deploy. positions have been designed and certified to
— Always make sure that the knee airbag can help reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
inflate without interference. Objects be- by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
tween you and the airbag can increase the the occupant sitting next to it is not seated prop-
risk of injury in an accident by interfering erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
with the way the airbag deploys or by being can be used with properly installed child re-
pushed into you as the airbag deploys. straints. Please be sure to read the important in-
— Never let anybody, especially children or formation and warnings whenever using a child
animals ride in the footwell in front of the restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts > page 245,
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this Airbag system > page 253, Child safety
can result in serious or fatal injuries. => page 278.
5 vetcary ables el any Ar einite jeer The side airbag system basically consists of: >
well area in front of the driver's or pas-
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
271
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Airbag system
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re-
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu-
pants who are properly restrained.
QD oF
S Ss
- o oO
Applies to: vehicles without power top
Fig. 222 Side impact protection: inflated side airbags (ex-
ample)
B8V-0329
Applies to: vehicles with power top
Fig. 223 Side impact protection: inflated side airbags
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked “AIRBAG”. It ex-
pands between the side trim panel and the pas-
senger. In order to help provide this additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with
great force. The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap-
plies especially to children > page 278, Child
safety. Supplemental side airbags inflate be-
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collision > fig. 222, > fig. 223.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
“cushion” the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
ZA WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
— In order to reduce the risk of injury when the
supplemental side airbag inflates:
— Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple-
mental side airbag is located.
— Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates.
— Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
— Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
— Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
— Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
— Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de-
ploy.
273
Page 276 of 400
Airbag system
— Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi-
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
— Objects between you and the airbag can in-
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in-
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
by being pushed into you as the airbag in-
flates.
— Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
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 become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de-
ploys.
— Never carry any objects or pets in the de-
ployment space between them and the air-
bags 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 airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident.
— Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
— The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
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 authorized
Audi dealer.
— If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
= page 278, Child safety.
— Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
— Ina side collision, side airbags will not func-
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
274
doors when air escapes through larger, un-
closed openings in the door panel.
— Never drive with interior door trim panels
removed.
— Never drive when parts have been removed
from the inside door panel and the open-
ings 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 additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
— Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work-
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
Applies to: vehicles with side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup-
plemental protection to properly restrained oc-
cupants.
10 rn
2 3
ro a
Fig. 224 A curtain airbags, driver's side: side curtain air-
bag location (example)
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win-
dows > fig. 224. They are identified by the word
“AIRBAG” on the windshield frame and the cen-
ter roof pillar.
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi-
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle >