warning light AUDI A3 SEDAN 2018 Manual PDF

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

Airbag system
The airbag system is not a substitute for yo ur
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­ member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law req uires you to do so
q page 260, Gener­
al notes.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in ce rtain k inds of accidents
-yo ur safety
be lts are always there to offer protect ion in those
accidents in wh ich airbags a re not suppose d to
deploy or w hen they h ave already deployed, fo r
examp le when your vehicle str ikes or is str uck by
another after the firs t collision .
T his is jus t one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a subs titut e for the safety belt. The airbag
sys tem works most effec tively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, a lways wear your
safety belts correct ly.
It is important to remember th at whi le the sup­
p lemen tal knee a irbag system is des igned to re­
duce the like lih ood of se rious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swe lling, b ruising an d minor
ab rasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inf lates .
The knee airbag system basically consists of :
- The elec tronic control module
- T wo infl atab le airbags (airbag a nd gas genera-
t or), one for the driver an d one fo r the fron t
passenger
- T he airbag indic ato r ligh t in the ins trumen t
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-whe n the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the decele ration
measured by the control u nit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear -end collisions
- in rollove rs
- in the eve nt o f a sys tem ma lf u nct ion (wa rning/
indicator light is on)
q page 26 .
286
A WARNING
,-
- Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protect io n when occupa nts ar e in
the prope r seat ing pos ition
~ page 2 79 .
-If the a irbag ind icator light ¢ page 26
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
t he system inspected immedia tely by your
author ized A udi de aler.
It is possib le th at
the air bag will i nfl at e w hen i t is no t sup ­
po sed to , or w ill no t in fla te w hen it sho uld .
How knee airbags work
Applies to: vehicles wi th knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 241 Inflated a irbags protec ting in a fro nta l co llis io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in ce rtain but not all fronta l collisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy i n frontal col lisions when the dep loyment
th reshold stored in the cont rol unit is met.
When the system deploys , the a irbags f ill with a
compressed pro pellant gas, and inflate between
the lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel
and t he front
passenger¢ page 2 79, fig. 238 .
Althoug h they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they ca n
help to red uce the risk of in jury to the lower ex­
trem ities.
A ll of th is takes p lace in the b link of an eye, so
fast that many people don 't even rea lize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
with a g reat deal of force and it is important fo r
Ill-

Airbag syste m
can be used with properly insta lled child re­
straints. Please be sure to read the important in ­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a veh icle: Safety belts
c> page 260,
Airbag system c> page 269, Ch ild safety
c> page294 .
The s ide ai rb ag sy stem basic ally con sists of:
- the e lectron ic co ntrol mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- th e two airbags loca ted in t he sides of t he front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- th e a irbag wa rn ing light in the inst rument cl us-
ter.
The a irbag system is monito red elect ronically to
make certa in that it is funct ioning prope rly at all
t imes. Ea ch time you sw itch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicato r light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide a irba g system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear* passenger 's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle t hat is struck in a
side co llision . The airbag dep loys only in side im ­
pacts and on ly when the ve hicle acceleration reg­
is tered by the control unit is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control un it, the s ide a irbags w ill not be
tr iggered , even thoug h the ca r may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos­
sib le to define an a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le of impact , since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in ­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed , etc.
c> page 289, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front p as­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu­
pant restraint sys tem in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
288
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea ­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so c> page 260, General no tes.
It is important to remember that w hile the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re ­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other in ju­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too, s ide
a irbags w ill dep loy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of acc idents
-you r safety belts are a lways
t h ere to offer p rotect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-se nsit ive or fa iled a irbag act ivat ion. In
some coll is ions, bo th front and side airbags may
i nflate. Remember too, tha t airbags w ill dep loy
on ly once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions
-
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec ­
tion in those accidents in which ai rbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will n ot deplo y:
-when t he ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions when the a ccelera tion meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in fro nt-end coll is io ns
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are i n
the prope r sea ting pos it ion
c> page 289.
- If t he a irbag ind icator light c> page 26
comes w hen the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspe cted immedia tely by your
author ized A udi dealer. It is poss ib le that
the airbag will in flate when i t is not sup ­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should .

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

Airbag system
How side curtain a irbags work
A pplies to: ve hicles w ith s ide curta in a irbags
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
F ig . 246 Ill ustrat ion of pr inciple : In flated s ide curta in air ·
bags on the left side (example)
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows on the side of the vehi­
cle that is struck in a side collision
c::> fig. 246 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The s ide curtain airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
mental side curtain a irbag inflates . This applies
especially to children
c::> page 294.
Although they are not a soft pi llow, s ide curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle.
292
Important safety instructions on the side
c urtain airbag system
Appl ies to : vehicles wi th side curtain airbags
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 do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to provide supplemental protection.
A WARNING
-Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate without interference.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hooks.
- On ly use factory-installed sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use only genu ine Audi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the side
windows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc . are at­
tached to the sun visors. They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cur­
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fract ion of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a side curtain airbag .
- The airbag deployment zones must be kept clear at al l times. Make sure there are no
objects, pets, or other persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any time .
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors.

u. 00 ... N l'­ N ... 0 N > 00
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag i n­
flat es.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
doo r.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear ­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­ sition and have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Forward-fac ing ch ild seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the
deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If except ional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require the following special
prec autions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the fo rward-facing
seat has been designed and cert ified by its
manufacturer fo r use on a front passenger
seat with a front and s ide a irbag.
- Always care fully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
proper ly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used .
Child saf ety
- Never put the forward-fac ing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Applies to: vehicles with safety be lt height
adjustment: Always set the safety belt up­
per anchorage to the adjustment pos ition
that permits proper insta llation in accord­
ance with the child restrain t manufactur­
er's instr uctions .
- Always move the fron t passenger seat to
the h ighes t position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
re armos t position in the se at's fore a nd
a ft a dju stmen t range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, befo re installing
the forward-facing child restra int .
- Always make sure tha t the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range .
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop , CD player , electronic games de­
vice, power inverter o r seat heater fo r
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i­
tive p assenger detec tion system an d can
also fly around in an a ccid en t a nd c ause
serious person al injury .
- Never pla ce or use any ele ct rical devi ce
(s uch as a laptop, CD player, ele ctroni c
games device, powe r inverter or seat heat ­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise added to the front passenger
seat, never insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush io n.
295

Child safety
-Always make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on
all the time whenever the ignit ion is
sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­
ly install the forward-facing child seat in a
rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Aud i
dea le r.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child seat can fly around during a
sudden stop o r in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle ~ page 260, Safety belts, ~ page 269,
Airbag system
and ~ page 294, Impor­
tant information .
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash . Damage to
a child restraint that is not visib le could cause
it to fail in another collision situation .
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your veh icle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance w ith United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your ve hicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your veh icle has
been cert ified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger s ide and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment cr iteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for examp le, by being
too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppress ion" requ irements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas-
296
senger seat in child restraints t hat are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is eq uipped w it h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all childr en, especially
those 12 years and younger, shou ld always ride
in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and s ize. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous p lace for a
ch ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward -facing ch ild safety seat . It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­ pacit ive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres­
ence of a baby or a ch ild in a child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis­
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a chi ld restra int, and a baby b lanket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a chi ld, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child
restraint system resting on the seat. The meas­
ured capacitance of a child restraint system var­
i es depending on the type of system and specific
make and model.
The electrical capacitance of the various types, makes, and models of child restraints specified
by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Ad­
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typ ica l of infants and a 1-year old ch ild. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger detection
system with the data stored in the e lectronic con­
tro l unit .

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception­
al c ircumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and
heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child and child restraint are correct­
l y recognized by the capacitive passenger detec­
tion system in the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off, and that the
airbag status is always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new mode ls are in­
troduced regularly incorporat ing new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
product ion . Child restraints are not standardized .
Ch ild restraints of the same type typically have
different weights and size s and different "foot­
prints", the size and sh ape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtua lly impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your veh icle.
F or this reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ange l Guard Angel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Child safety
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E venflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit De luxe September 25, 2007
Hi gh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos- September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
E venflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25 , 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Plat inum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
~
297

Child sa fety
- Take the chi ld restraint off the front passen ­
ger seat and insta ll it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSEN GER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have
been statica lly tested by Aud i only for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially chi ldren:
~ A lways use the right chi ld safety seat for each
c h ild and a lways use it properly
c::> page 300.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe ­
ty seat .
~ When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll a
c hi ld safety seat , you must first activate the
conve rtible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
c::> page 305 .
~ Push the child safety seat down wit h your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 300 .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always r ide in the back seat prope rly re­
stra ined fo r th eir age and size.
_& WARNING
N ot using a c hild safety seat, usi ng the w rong
c hild safety seat or imp roper ly installing a
298
chi ld restraint increases t he risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
must be restra ined properly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by strik ing
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve­
h icle dur ing a sudden maneuve r o r i mpact.
An unrest rained or imprope rly rest rai ned
child is a lso at g rea ter r is k of inj ury o r death
through con ta ct w it h an infl ati ng a irbag.
- Commerc ia lly availab le child safety seats
a re requ ired to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle S afety Standard ( FMVSS) 2 13
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restra int, select one
that fits your chi ld and the vehicle .
- Only use child restra int systems that fully
contact the flat port ion of the seat cush­
i o n. The ch ild restraint must not tip or
lean to e ither side . Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
l egs or tube -like frames. They do not p ro­
v ide adequate cont act wi th t he seat.
- Always heed all lega l req uirements per­
ta in ing to the inst allation and use of child
sa fe ty seats and caref ully follow the in ­
str uctions provided by the manufact urer
of the seat you are using .
- Never a llow children under 5 7 inc hes
( 1. 45 meters) to wear a normal safety be lt.
They must a lways be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to t he abdomen and
neck areas dur ing sudden brak ing maneu­
vers or accidents .
- Never let more than one c hild occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder ch ildren ride in a
ve hicle w hile sitting on the lap of a nother
passenger.
- Holding a c hild in your a rms is never a s ub­
stitute fo r a ch ild restraint system .
- The s tronges t person cou ld no t hold the
c hil d with the forces tha t exist in an acc i­
dent. The c hild will strike the inte rior of
the ve hicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing chi ld safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be serious ly injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem .
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
o r roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Make sure there is enough space in front of
the ch ild in the child seat.
If necessary, ad­
just the angle and posit ion of the seat in
front of the child sea t.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety sea ts installed
on the front passenger's seat can inte rfe re
with the airb ag when i t inflates and cause
serious injury to the child . Always insta ll for ­
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward- facing child restraint on the
front passenge r's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fa cing seat h as
been designed an d certif ied by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas ­
senger front and side airbag.
- Always care fully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided with the child safety
seat o r ca rr ier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the highest posit ion in the up and down
ad justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt up­
pe r anchorage is behind the child restra int
and not next to or in front of the child re-
Ch ild saf ety
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in the upright posit ion.
- Never place or use any elect rical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connec ted to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter soc ket .
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise added to the front passenger
seat, neve r insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger sea t
cush ion .
- Never pla ce obje cts on the sea t (such as a
laptop, CD player, ele ct ronic games de­
vice, power inverter o r seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an acc ident and cause
serious personal injury .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firm ly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur ing
a sudden stop or in a co llision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
used ~ page 260, Safety belts,
~ page 269, Airbag system and
~ page 294, Child safety.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, ma ke sure
t hat the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ign it ion is switched on.
~
299