seats AUDI A3 SEDAN 2018 Owner's Guide

Airbag syste m
-Never hold the steering whee l at the 12
o'clock pos it ion or w ith your han ds any­
where inside the steering wheel or on the steering wheel hub. Holding t he steering
wheel the wrong way increases the risk of severe injury to the arms, hands, and head if
the d river a irbag deploys.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag w il l in­
crease the risk of inj ury in a crash by interfer­
ing w ith the way the airbag unfo lds and/or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Always make sure nothing is in the front air-
bag deployment zone that could be str uck
by the airbag when it inflates.
-
- Objects in the zone of a deploying airbag
can become projectiles when the airbag de ­
ploys and cause serious persona l injury .
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never place accessor ies or other objec ts
(s uch as c up ho lders, telephone brackets,
note pads, navigation systems, or things
that are large, heavy, o r bulky) on the doors;
never attach then to the doors or the wind­
shield; never place them over or near or at­
tach them to the area marked
,,AIRBAG" on
the steering wheel, instrument panel or the seat backrests; never p lace them between
these a reas and yo u or any other person in
the vehicle.
- Never attach objects to the w indshield
above the passenger front airbag, s uch as
accessory GPS navigation uni ts or mus ic
players . S uch objects could ca use serio us in ­
jury in a collision, especially when the air­ bags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger seat to transport objects . Items can also move into
the deployment area of the side a irbags or
the front a irbag during breaking o r in a sud­
den maneuver. Objects near the airbags can
fly dangerous ly through the passenger com­
partment and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in­
flate.
274
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small ch ildren, wi ll receive
serious in juries and can even be k illed by be­
ing too close to the airbag when it inflates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant o r a small child
is on the fron t passenger sea t, nobody can
absolu tely guarantee tha t deployment un­
de r these specia l condi tions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of yo ur vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the
,. low risk" option for 3-
and 6-year-old children under the U.S. Fed­
eral Standard if a child w ith electrical capac­
itance greater than the combined capac i­
tance of a typical one-year o ld infant re­
strained in one of the forward facing or rea r­
ward-facing chi ld seats with which yo ur ve­
hicle was certified is on the front passenger
seat and the o ther conditions for airbag de-
ployment are me t.
- Accident s tatisti cs have shown th at children
are generally safer in the rear seat are a than
in the front seat ing pos ition.
- For their own s afety, all ch ildren, especi ally
12 years and younger, should alw ays ride in
the back proper ly restrained for their age
and size .
Advanced front airbag system
-
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Veh icle Safety Standard
(CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the t ime your vehi­
cle was manufactu red .
The front Advanced A irbag System supplements
the safety belts to provide add itiona l protect ion
for the driver 's and front passenger's heads and
upper bod ies in fronta l crashes. The a irbags in­
flate only in frontal impacts when the vehicle de-
ce le ra tion is high e no ugh.
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The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety
be lts. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occupant re­
stra int system in your vehicle. A lways remember
that the airbag system can on ly help to protect
you, if you are sitting upr ight, wear ing your safe­
ty belt and wear ing it properly . This is why you
and your passengers must always be prope rly re­
stra ined, not just beca use the law req uir es yo u to
be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your ve hicle has
been ce rt ified to meet the " low r isk" requ ire­
ments fo r 3 and 6 yea r-o ld children o n the pas­
senger side and very sma ll adul ts on the d rive r
side . The low r is k dep loymen t cr iteria are intend ­
ed to he lp reduce t he ris k of injury through inter­
action with the front airbag that can occ ur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering whee l
and instrument pane l when the airbag inflates .
I n addition, the system has been certified to
comp ly with the "suppression" requirements of
the Safety Standard, to t urn off the front a irbag
for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in c hild re­
stra ints that are listed in the Standard
<=:> page 297, Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system.
"Suppress ion" requ ires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned
off if:
- a ch ild up to about one year of age is restra ined
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear­
facing or forward-fac ing infant restra ints listed
in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208
with wh ic h the Advanced Airbag System in your
vehicle was ce rt ified. For a listing of the c hild
r estra in ts tha t were used to certify your ve hi­
cl e's comp lian ce wi th t he US S afety St andard
<=:> page 29 7,
- When a person is de te cte d on the fron t passen ­
ger sea t th at has an electr ica l capaci tance t hat
is mo re t han t he tota l electrical capac itance of
a chi ld that is about 1 year old restrained in one
of the rea r-facing or forward-facing infant re ­
straints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced A irbag
System in your ve hicle was certified), the front
Airbag syste m
airbag on the passenger side may or may not
dep loy.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
whe n the elect ronic con trol uni t detec ts a t otal
electrica l capacitance on the front passenger seat
t h at requires the front airbag to be turned
off . If
t h e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned
off by the contro l unit and
can deploy if the contro l unit senses a n impact
t h at meets the cond it ions stored in its memory .
If the total electr ica l capacitance reg istered o n
the front passenger seat is more t han that of a
typ ical 1 year-old , but less than the weight of a
small ad ult, the front a irbag on the passenger
s ide may dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on) .
For example, the airbag may deploy if :
-a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ica l 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of the
child seats listed
¢ page 297),
- a child who has outgrown c hild rest raints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenge r ai rbag is t urned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
the instr ument pane l will come on and stay on.
If the front passenge r airbag deploys, the Feder ­
al Standard requi res t he airbag to meet the " low
risk" deployment criteria to he lp reduce the r is k
of i njury through interaction with the a irbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
t h at take place at lower decelerations as defined
i n t he electron ic co ntro l
unit ¢ page 281 .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for ch ildre n is properly restra ined o n the back
seat . Please be s ure to read the impo rtant in for­
mation in the sect ions that fo llow a nd be sure to
heed all of the WAR NIN GS.
_&. WARNING
To redu ce th e r is k of injury when an air bag in -
fl ates, always wea r sa fe ty be lts properly .
...,
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Airbag System for the front passenger seat from
doing its job in a crash.
The front Ad vanced Airbag System con sists
o f th e follo wing :
-Cras h sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System a bout the severity of the crash.
- An electronic control 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 control unit also "de­
c ides" whether the safety belt pretens ioners
shou ld be activated .
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the
dr iver inside the steering wheel hub.
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator ins ide
the instrument panel for the front passenger.
-A capac itive passenger detect io n system under­
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the elect rical capac ita nce of the
person in the seat. The info rmat ion registe red
is sent cont inuous ly to the electro nic cont rol
u nit to regula te deployment of t he front Ad ­
vanced Airbag on the passenge r side.
-An a irbag monito ring system and indica tor
li gh t in the ins trument
cluste r¢ page 281 .
-A se nso r in each front seat reg isters the dis ­
tance between the respec tive sea t and the
steering wheel or instrument pane l. The infor ­
mation registered is sent continuous ly to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Adv a need A irbags.
-T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel
¢ page 318 and tells you when the front
Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off .
-A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transm its this info rmat ion to the elect ronic
contro l unit.
Airbag syste m
.&, 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 p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unct ion ing
p roperly.
-Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
pe rformed by qualified and p roperly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
-Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle .
-Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
-Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat o r disconnect w ires from it.
-Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacit ive pas­
senger de tect ion mat in the front passenger
seat will not function p roperly if i t is punc­
tured.
-Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenge r seat. S uch ob­
jects can influence the capacitance reg is­
tered by the cap aci tive passenger detection
sys tem, so that incorrect in formation is pro­
vided to the ai rbag control unit.
-Never store i tems unde r the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from wor king p roper ly.
-Never p lace 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 Air­ bag System from recognizing chi ld re­
stra ints 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 ins tall any child restra int system on
this seat.
-Never use cushions, p illows , blankets, or
similar items on the front passenge r seat .
T he addi tional laye rs prevent the capacit ive
277

Airbag syste m
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capac itance of the ch ild 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 dev ice, 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. S uch
devices can infl uence the capacitance reg is ­
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 ch ild restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger se at.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immedia tely in­
st al l child res traint in a rear seating posi tion
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer.
A 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, deact i­
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the a irbag indicator light
m in the instru­
ment cluster.
- If liquid is poo led on the seat, but has not
soa ked in, this may also keep the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking properly and ca use the
passenge r frontal a irb ag to be enabled
(tu rned on), even though there is a properly
installed chi ld restraint system on the seat.
278
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger fronta l airbag is turned on,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will go
out .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The fro nt Advanced A irbag System and t he side
airbags supp lement t he protection offered by the
front t hree-point safety be lts and the adjustable
head restraints* to help red uce the risk of inj ury
i n a wide range of accident and crash sit uations.
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 dece leration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic contro l
unit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
e ration 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 a irbag will be
turned off if the electr ica l capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenge r detection system o n
t h e front passenger seat is less tha n the amount
prog rammed in t he elec tron ic cont ro l unit . The
front passenger frontal a irbag w ill 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 chi ld seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem under Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 . The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
o n and stays on to tell you w hen the front Ad­
vanced Airbag Sys tem on t he passenger side has
been t urned
off ~ page 281 .
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wea r safe ty belts p rope rly.
- If you are un res tra ined, le a ning forwar d, si t­
ting sideways or out of posi tion in any way,
your ris k of injury is much higher.
Ill>

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-Yo u will also receive serious injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates
-
even with an Advanced Airbag 9 page 269 .
More important things to know about front
airbags
F ig. 238 Inf lated fro nt a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold prope rly and provide sup­
p lemental pro tection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide add i­
tional protect ion for the chest and face of the
d river and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc -
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag,
- and for adjustable head restraints: the head re-
straints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
g reat fo rce, things you have on your lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in­
flates .
W hen an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
veh icle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy . It
could irr itate skin .
It is important to remember that whi le the sup ­
p lemental a irbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other injuries,
for example swel ling, bruising and minor abra -
Airbag system
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate . Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supp lement the three ­
po int safety belts only in some frontal collisions
in which the vehicle dece leration is high enough
to dep loy the airbags .
Front airbags will not depl oy :
- if the ignition is switche d off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear -end co llisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash decele ration measured by the
airbag system is less than the m inimum thresh­
old needed for airbag dep loymen t as registe red
by the electronic con trol un it.
The front passenger airbag also w ill not
deploy:
- when the fron t passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the e lectr ica l capacitance measured by
the capacit ive passenger detection system for
t he front passenge r seat ind icates that the pas­
senger side frontal airbag must be switched off
by the e lectronic control unit (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light c::> page 281 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the r isk o f injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright posit ion, m ust not
lean aga inst 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 serio usly
i n jur ed by an airbag as it unfolds with g reat
for ce in the blink of an eye
c::> page 2 70. jll,,,
279

Airbag syste m
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal­
led o n the front passenger seat will be ser i­
ously injured and can be k ille d if the front air­
bag in flate s - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child seat or
infant carrier w ith great force and will
smash the ch ild seat and child against the
backrest, cente r arm rest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rea r seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional c ircumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
facing child seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-
-
Objects between you and the a irbag w ill in­
crease the risk of in jury in a crash by interfer­
ing w ith the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the a irbag inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the fron t passenger seat . Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags du r­
ing bra king or other sudden maneuve rs and
become dangerous projec tiles that c an
ca use serious pe rsonal injury if the a irbags
inflate.
- Never pl ace or attach accessor ies or o ther
objects (such as cup ho lders, te lephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or nea r the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags infla te.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objects . Items can also move into
the a rea of the side airbag o r the front a ir-
280
bag du ring brak ing o r in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become pro jecti les and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined .
- Never p lace or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the front passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to ai rbag system
that the seat is occ upied by a person when it
in fact is no t, or that the pe rson on the seat
is he avie r th an he or she act ually is. The
change in electric capacitan ce beca use of
such objects can cause the passenge r front
airbag to be turne d on when it should be
off, or can cause the airbag to work in a way
that is different from the way it would have
wo rked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is noth ing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the sea t to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occup ied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier th an the person actu ally
si tting on the sea t. The presence of an o b­
ject could ca use the passenger front air bag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is diffe rent from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing prob lems for people with a
h istory of asthma or othe r breath ing cond i­
tions .
- To reduce the r isk of breathing p roblems ,
those wi th asthma o r other respiratory con­
ditions sho uld get fresh a ir rig ht away by
getting out of the vehi cle or opening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a co llision in which airbags de­
ploy, w ash yo ur hands and f ace with m ild
soap and water be fore eating.
- Be ca refu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue sho uld get into your eyes,
flush them w ith wate r.

Airbag system
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show the status of the front seat passenger 's frontal
Advan ced 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 passenge r seat is not
occupied;
- will stay on if the elect rical capac itance meas­
u red by the capac itive passenger detection sys ­
tem fo r the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of a n infant up to about
o n e year of age and o ne of the rearward -facing
o r fo rwa rd-facing chi ld restra in ts lis ted in Fed­
era l Mo to r Ve hicle Safety Sta ndar d 208 w it h
w hich the Advance d Airbag Syste m in your ve hi­
cl e w as c ertified; Fo r a listing o f the chi ld re ­
st rain ts that were use d to ce rtify you r ve hicl e's
com pliance with t he U.S . Safety Sta ndar d
¢page 297 .
-will go out if the front pas senge r seat is occu ­
p ied by an adult as reg istere d by the capacitive
passenger detection system.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht must come
o n an d stay on if the ignition is on and ...
- a ca r bed has been insta lled on t he fron t pas ­
senger seat, o r
- a rearwar d-faci ng child res train t h as been in ­
sta lled on t he front passe nger seat, or
- a f orwar d-f acing child res trai nt ha s bee n in sta l­
l e d on the front passenge r seat,
- and if the elec trical c apac it a nc e regis tered on
t h e fron t pa ssenger sea t is eq ual t o or le ss than
the comb ined ca pacitan ce of a typica l 1 yea r­
o ld infant a nd one of the rearwar d-fac ing o r
f o rwa rd-facing chi ld restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Sta ndard 208 w ith w hich
the Advanced A irbag System in yo ur vehicle was
ce rtified.
I f th e front passenger seat is not occ upied, the
front a irbag w ill not dep loy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay o n. Never install a
rearward -fac ing c hild rest raint on the front pas­
senge r sea t, the safes t place for a child in any
kin d of c hild r estrai nt is a t one of the sea ting po­
si tions on the re ar sea t
¢page 270, Child re-
282
s traints on the front sea t - some important
things to know
and ¢ page 294 , Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n one of t he conditions listed above is met,
b e su re to c heck the light regular ly to make cer ­
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously wheneve r the ignition is
o n. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht does
not appea r on and does no t stay on a ll the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so a nd
- reactivate the system by tur ning the ignit io n
off for more than 4 seconds and the n tu rni ng it
on again;
- remove and re install the ch ild restraint. Make
sure that the child restra in t is prope rly insta l­
l e d and tha t th e safe ty belt for the fro nt pas­
senge r sea t has been corre ct ly rou ted t hrough
t he child r estra int as d escribe d in th e child r e­
s tra int manufac tur er's in st ru cti ons ;
- mak e sure th at t he convert ible lo cki ng re trac ­
to r o n the
sa fety belt for t he fro nt passe nge r
seat h as been a ctivat ed a nd t hat t he s afety bel t
h as bee n pu lled tigh t.
- mak e sure th at no e lec trical device (s uch as a
lap to p, C D playe r, e lectro nic games dev ice,
power inverte r o r seat heater fo r chi ld seats) is
placed o r used o n the fro nt passen ger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-vo lt soc ket or
the c igarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat hea ter has bee n ret ro ­
fitted o r othe rw ise ad ded to t he front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that not hing can inte rfere with t he
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob­
st ructed;
- make sure that t here are no wet o bjects (such
as a wet towe l) and no water or ot her liquids on
the front passenge r seat c ushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does
not come on . ..
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come o n an d does not stay o n continuously
(whe n the ign ition is sw itched on) ,
.,.

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the a irbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
-move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is proper ly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age.
Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light shou ld NOT
come on whe n the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front passenger seat . If the
P A SSENGER AIR B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
S seconds while d rivi ng, under these c ir c umstan­
ces, make s ure 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 aga inst the bac krest and the
back rest is not recl ined,
-the ad u Lt is not ta king weig ht off t he seat by
hold ing on to the passenger
assist handle
above t he fron t passenger door o r su pporting
their weight on the armrest,
-the safety be lt is be ing properly wo rn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the sa fety be lt web ­
bing,
-there are no aftermar ket seat covers or c ush ­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca ­
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal ­
cu late electrical capac itance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
.&_ WARNING
-If the status of the Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
about S seconds to catch the driver's atten­
t ion. If th is happens, a lways stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri­
bed above.
-
Airbag syste m
- 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 adu lt is properly seated and
rest rained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions. Have the a irbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re t rans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat .
.&_ WARNING
= -
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection in a fronta l crash .
-If the ai rbag ind icator light ~page 26
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
.&_ WARNING
--If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild witho ut a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be serious ly injured and can be killed.
- Even though you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, espec ially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and size.
-Always install fo rwa rd or rea r-f acing child
seats on the rear seat -even w ith an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
-If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances an d the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
stay on, immed iate ly install the rea r-facing
child seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r seat, always move the
283

Airbag syste m
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright posit ion .
Make sure that the
P A SSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the t ime
whenever the ignition is sw itched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go o ut w hen 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 restrained at one of the
rear seating positions .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger seat .
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenge r detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the fronta l airbag on the passenger
side w ill be turned off, and the
PA SSE NGER
AIR BAG OFF light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent places on your Aud i. Install ing , remov­
ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an area of the
ve hicle can damage a pa rt of an airbag system
and p revent that system from working properly
in a co llision .
There are some important th ings you have to
know to make sure that the effect iveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and th at discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce ­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or dep loying an airbag
unexpectedly:
284
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in ­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup ho lders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the a irbag un its .
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened w it h plai n water . Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the st iffness or strength of the material so
that the ai rbag cannot deploy and p rotect
p roperly.
- Never repair, ad just, o r change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steer ing wheel, inst rument
pa nel, front seats o r electr ica l system ( in­
cl uding the insta llation of a udio eq uipment,
cell ular te lephones and CB radios, etc.)
m ust be performed by a qualified techn ician
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see yo ur a u­
thorized A udi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inf late wit hout interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not bee n specifica lly approved by
A udi .
- Never use additional seat c ushi ons that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
t h e seam in the area of the s ide a irbag
module mus t always be repai red immedi ­
ate ly by an authorized Aud i dealer.
- The airba g sys tem can deploy o nly on ce. Af ­
t er an airbag has been dep loyed, i t m ust be
replaced with new replaceme nt parts de ­
signed and approved especia lly for your
Aud i mode l version . Rep lacement of com­
plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be performed by qua lified workshops
only . Make sure t hat any airbag service

interior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll­
overs .
The s ide curta in a irbag system supplements the
safety be lts and can he lp to reduce t he r isk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
side of th e vehicle that is struck in a side co lli­
sion. The side curtain airbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg­
is tered by the control un it is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control un it, the s ide curta in a irbag w ill
not be tr iggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collis ion. It is
not poss ib le to define an airbag tr iggering r ange
that will cover every poss ible angle of impa ct,
since the circumstances will vary considerab ly be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include , for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the ang le of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
¢ page 292, How side
curtain airbags work .
Aside from their no rmal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re ­
membe r that the airbag system can only help to
p rotect you if you a re wea ring your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . T his is anot he r r eason
why you should always wea r your safety be lts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 260, General notes.
It is important to remember that wh ile the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp red uce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inj uries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certa in kinds of acc idents
-your safety belts are
::li always there to offer protection .
.-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
Airbag syste m
The side curtain airbag sy ste m basically
consists of :
-The e lectronic control module and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea ­
tures
- The airbag indicator lig ht in the instrument
pane l
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectro nica lly to
make certain it is functioning properly at a ll
times. Each time you switch on t he ignition, the
airbag system ind icato r light will come on for a
few seconds (se lf d iagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions whe n the ac cele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rea r-end co llisions.
_&. WARNING
- Safety bel ts an d the airbag system will only
p rovide protect io n when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 59,
Front seats.
- If th e ai rbag ind icator light ¢ page 26
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen it should .
291