airbag off AUDI A4 2015 User Guide

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angle of impact that will always trigger the
airbags, since the circumstances will vary con­
siderably between one collision and another.
Important factors include, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the object which the
car hits, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. The front airbags will also not inflate in
side or rear collisions, or in ro ll-overs .
Alwa ys rem ember : Airbags will deploy only
once, and only in certa in kinds of collisions .
Your safety belts are always there to offer pro­
tection in those s ituations in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy , or when they have
a lready deployed ; fo r example , when yo ur ve­
h icle strikes or is struck by another after the
first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
a supplementary restra int and is not a s ubst i­
tute for a safety belt . The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the
safety belts. Therefore, always properly wear
your safety belts
¢ page 136.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing wheel or
instrument panel will decrease the effec­
tiveness of the airbags and will increase
the risk of pe rsonal injury in a co llision .
- Never sit closer than
10 inches (25 cm)
to the stee ring wheel or instrument pan­
el.
- If you cannot sit more than
10 i nches
(25 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi­
gate whether adaptive equipment may
be available to help you reach the pedals
and increase your seating dis tance from
the steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, yo ur risk of inj ury is much highe r.
- You w il l also receive serio us inju ries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in ­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r isk o f injury when an air ­
bag inflates, a lways wear safety belts
proper ly ¢
page 139, Safety belts .
Airbag system 145
-Always make certain that chi ld ren age 12
or younger a lways ride in the rear seat. If
children are not properly restrained, they may be severe ly inju red or killed when an
airbag inf lates .
- Never let ch ildren ride unrestra ined or
improperly restrained in the vehicle . Ad ­
just the front seats prope rly.
- Never ride with the backrest reclined.
- Always sit as far as possible from the
steer ing whee l or the instrument pane l
¢page 127.
-Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the f loor in front of the seat to
he lp prevent serio us in juries to the legs
a nd h ips if the airbag inflates.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to tra nsport objects. Items can a lso
move i nto the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra king or in a
sud den maneuve r. Obje cts ne ar the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
injury when an airbag inflates.
_&. WARNING ~
A irbags that have de ployed in a crash must
be replaced.
- Use on ly original equipment airbags ap­
proved by Audi and installed by a trai ned
technician who has the necessary too ls
and d iagnost ic equipment to properly re­
place any airbag in your vehicle and as­
sure system effectiveness in a crash .
- Never perm it salvaged or recycled air­
bags to be installed in your vehicle .
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be su re to read t he importa nt information
and head the WARNINGS fo r important de­
tails about children and Advanced Airbags
¢ page 165. ..,.
•
•

146 Airbag system
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag System, make certain that
all chi ldren, especially those 12 years and
younger, a lways ride in the back seat properly
restrained for their age and size. The airbag
on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a ch ild to ride.
The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or
a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle
has been certified to comply with the Requ ire­
ments of United States Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned off ("sup­
pressed") if a child up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear-facing or for­
ward -facing infant restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed on the front passenger seat . For a listing of the child re ­
strai nts that we re used to certify compliance
with the US Safety Standard
r=v page 167.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the in­
strument panel te lls you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the e lectronic control unit.
Each t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go off if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat
r=v page 154, Monitor­
ing the Advanced Airbag System .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight
on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenge r
seat is more than that of a typica l 1 year -old
chi ld but less than the weight of a small
adult, the front airbag on the passenger side
can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not
been turned off by the electronic con trol unit
and can deploy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the cond itions stored in its
memory .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typical 1
year-old ch ild is on the front passenger seat
( re gard less of whether the child is in one of
the child safety seats listed
r=v page 167), or
- a child who has outgrown ch ild restraints is
on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in
the instrument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger s ide may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illum inate and stay lit) even if a
small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is
not sitt ing upright with their back against a
non-reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front
passenger seat
r=v page 12 7, Proper seating
position for the driver.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the
Federal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce
the risk of injury t hroug h interaction with the
airbag. "Low risk" deployment occurs in those
crashes that take place at lower dece lerat ions
as defined in the electronic control unit
r=v page 155, PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carr ier installed on the front seat may be
struck and knocked out of posit ion by the rap­
idly inflat ing passenger's airbag in a frontal
collision . The air bag could greatly reduce the
effectiveness of the ch ild restraint and even
seriously injure the child during inflation .

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For this reason, and because the back seat is
the safest place for children - when properly restrained according to their age and size - we
strongly recommend that children always sit in the back seat
Q page 165, Child Safety.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety sea t
and child against the backrest, cente r
armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you mus t inst all a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat beca use of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on , im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating posit ion and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer .
- Forward -fac ing ch ild safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat may in­
terfe re with the deployment of the air­
bag and cause se rious personal injury to
the ch ild.
A WARNING
If, in exception al c irc umstances, you mus t
install a forwa rd-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat:
- Alw ays make sure the forw ard -fac ing
sea t has been des igned and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward -facing child re ­
straint up aga inst or very near the instru­
ment pane l.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
A irbag system 147
aft ad justment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild restraint. The
backrest must be adj usted to an upright
position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time wheneve r the ignit ion is switched
on.
A WARNING
T o reduce the risk of ser ious injury, make
su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light w ill be displayed whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger
seat and the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not s tay on, per form the checks de ­
scribed
Q page 154, Monitoring the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG Off light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer immed iate­
ly .
- Always carefu lly follow instr uctions from
child restraint manufacturers when in­
stall ing ch ild restra ints .
A WARNING
If, in except iona l circumstances, you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child
restra int on the front passenger's seat :
- Improper instal lation of ch ild restraints
can reduce their effectiveness o r even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improper ly installed ch ild restra int
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously i njure o r even kill the
child -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- Always carefu lly follow the manufact ur­
er 's ins tructions p rov ided with the ch ild
safety seat or carrier . •
•

148 Airbag system
-Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 153 L ocation of driver airbag: in steer ing wheel
Fig. 154 Locatio n of fro nt passenger's airbag: in the in ­
st rument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured. The safety belts
for the seats have "pretensioners" that help
to take slack out of the belt system. The pre­
tensioners are also activated by the electronic
control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
in a crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel hub
¢ fig. 153 and the airbag for the front
passenger is in the instrument panel
¢ fig. 154 . The general location of the airbags
is marked "AIRBAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the air­
bags in your vehicle . We urge you to read the
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and child safety in this and the other
c h apters that make up the owner's literature.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
_&. WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide
only supplemental protect ion.
-Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts
and make sure that everybody in your ve­
h icle is properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
-A pe rson on the front passenger seat, es-
pecially infants and sma ll children, will re­
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil­
led by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the
front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
that deployment under these special conditions is imposs ible in all conceiva­
ble situat ions that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy
in accordance with the "low risk" option
under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child
that is heavier than the typical one-year
old child is on the front passenger seat
and the other conditions for airbag de­
p loyment are met .

-Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating posit ion.
- For their own safety, all children, espe­
cially 12 years and younger, sho uld al­
ways ride in the back properly restrained
for their age and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your veh icle is equipped w ith a front Advanced
A irbag System in compliance with Un ited
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety S tanda rd
208 as applicab le a t the time your vehicle was
manufac tured .
The front Advanced Airbag System supple­ ments the safety belts to provide add it iona l
p rotection fo r the driver's and fron t passeng­
e r' s heads and upper bodies in fronta l crashes.
The airbags inflate only in frontal impacts
when the vehicle dece leration is high enough .
The fron t Advanced A irbag Sys tem for the
front seat occ upants is no t a substi tute for
your safety bel ts. Rather, it is part of the over ­
a ll occupa nt restraint system in your vehicle.
A lways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you, if you are s itting up­
right, wearing your safety belt and wearing it
properly . This is w hy you and your passenge rs
must always be properly restrai ned, not just
because the law requires you to be .
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle
has been certified to meet the " low r isk" re ­
qu irements for 3 and 6 year-o ld childre n on
the passenger s ide and very small adu lts on
the dr iver side. The low ris k dep loymen t cr ite­
ria are intended to he lp red uce the risk of i n­
j ury thro ugh in teraction with the front airbag
that can occ ur, fo r example, by being too
close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates.
I n addition, the sys tem has been certif ied to
comp ly with the "suppression" requirements
of the Safety Standard, to turn off the front
airbag for infants 12 months old and younger
who are restra ined on the front passenger
A irbag system 149
seat in child rest raints that are listed in the
Standard
~ page 167, Child restraints and
Advanced Airbags.
"Supp ress ion" requires the fron t airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if :
- a child up to about one year of age is re­
s trained on t he front passenger sea t in one
o f the rear -fac ing or fo rward -facing infan t
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your ve hicle was
cert ified. For a listing of t he chi ld restraints
that were used to certify your veh icle's com­
plia nce w ith the US Safety Standard
~ page 167,
-weight less than a thres hold level stored in
the control unit is detected on the front pas ­
senge r seat.
When a person is detected on the front pas­
senger seat, weighing more than t he total
weight of a chi ld that is about 1 year old re ­
stra ined in one of the rear-fac ing o r fo rward­
facing infant restraints (listed in Federal Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety S tanda rd 208 w it h whi ch
t h e A dvan ced Airbag Sys tem in yo ur vehicle
was certified), the front airbag on the passen­
ger side may or may not deploy .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n the ele ct ro ni c cont ro l uni t detects a to­
ta l we igh t on the front passenger sea t that re­
quires the front airbag to be t urned off . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has not been turned off by the contro l
unit and ca n dep loy if the control un it senses
an impact that meets the cond itions stored i n
i ts memory .
If the total weig ht on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old, but less than the we ight of a small adult, the
front a irbag on the passenger side may dep loy
(the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on) .
For example, the airbag may deploy if: I),
•
•

150 Airbag sys te m
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of
the child safety seats listed
q page 167),
-a chi ld who has outgrown child restraints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off , the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center
of the instrument panel wi ll come on and stay
on.
The front ai rbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small ad ult or teenager is on the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upr ight w it h
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the vehicle floo r in front
of the seat is on the front passenger seat .
I f the front passenge r airbag deploys, the
F ederal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the " low risk" deployment criteria to help re ­
duce the risk of injury through interact ion
with the airbag. " Low risk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de­
celerations as defined in the electronic control
un it .
q page 154
Al way s remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle
is equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest
p lace for children is properly restrained on the
back seat . Please be sure to read the impor­
tant information in the sect ions that follow
and be sure to heed a ll of the WARNINGS .
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury whe n an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
s itting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of in jury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serio us inju ries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
fla tes - even with an Advanced Airbag
q page 144.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be seriously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
van ced A irbag System.
- Altho ugh the Advanced Airbag System in
your veh icle is designed to tur n
off the
front airbag when a rea rward-facing
chi ld res traint has been instal le d on the
front passenger seat, nobody can abso ­
lutely g uarantee that dep loyment is im­
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen dur ing the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and chi ld aga inst the backrest, center
armrest, doo r, or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild re­
straints in the back seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
ces and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and s tay on, im­
mediately inst all the rear -fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you m ust
i nsta ll a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never p ut the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible, before installing

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th e forward-facing child res traint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AI R BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a
l ot of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sens ing ma t, sensors, wiring, brack­
ets, and more. The function of the system in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
e lectronic control unit when the ignition is on .
The control unit monitors the Advanced Air­ bag System and turns the airbag indicator
light on when a malfunction in the system
components is detected. The function of the
airbag ind icator light is described in greater
deta il below. Because the front passenger
seat contains impo rtant parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to
p revent it from being damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash.
The front Advanc ed Airbag Syst em
con sis ts o f th e following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­
bag System about the severity of the crash.
-An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts .
The contro l unit "decides" whether to fire
the front airbags based on the information
r eceived from the c rash sensors. The control
unit a lso "dec ides" whet her the safety be lt
pretensione rs should be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steer­
i ng wheel hub.
A irbag system 15 1
- An Advanced Ai rbag with gas gene rator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger .
- A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat.
The informat ion reg istered is sent continu­
ously to the electronic control unit to regu­
late deployment of the front Advanced Air­
bag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and ind icator
light in the i nstr ument cluster ~
page 154 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance betwee n the respective seat and the
steer ing whee l or inst rument panel. The i n­
formation register ed is sent cont inuous ly to
the ele ct ron ic cont ro l uni t to regulate de­
ployment o f the front Advanced A irbags .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center o f th e instr u­
ment panel
~page 155, fig. 156 and tells
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned off .
- A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to meas ure t he tension
on the safety be lt . T he tension o n the safety
be lt and the weight registered by the
weight-sensing mat help the control unit
"decide" whether the front airbag for the
front passenge r seat should be turned off or
not~
page 145, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch fo r the driv­
er and fo r the front sea t passe nger that
senses w hethe r that s afety belt is latched or
no t and transmi ts this information to the
electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
p revent the front airbag from work ing
properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenge r and dr iver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning p roperly .
-
•
•

152 Airbag system
-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 place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­ senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­ ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­ straint manufacturer's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install child restraint in a rear seat­
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adva need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­ sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the amount programmed in the electronic control
unit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will also be turned off if one of the child safe­
ty seats that has been certified under Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
~ page 145, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know.
1111>

_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher .
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
fla tes - even with an Advanced Airbag
~ page 144.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fig. 155 I nf lated front a irba gs
Safety belts are impo rtant to help keep front
seat occupants in the p roper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfo ld properly and pro ­
v ide supp lemental protection in a fronta l col­
lision.
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l prote ction for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenge r when:
- safety belts are worn prope rly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the
occupant is proper ly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag ,
- and the head restraints 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 dan -
~ gero us projectiles, and be pushed into you if
~ the airbag inflates.
rl
:5: When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released.
rl ~ This is normal and is not caused by a fire in
A irba g sy stem 153
the vehi cle. 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 remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for example swelling, br uis ing and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body . Front a irbags
o nly supp lement the three point safe ty belts
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
decelera tion is h igh enough to deploy the air­
bags.
Front airbags will not deploy :
- if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
occu rs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
-when the crash deceleration measured by the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for airbag dep loyment as
reg istered by the electronic contro l unit .
The front pa ssenger ai rbag will also not
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu ­
pied ,
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem ind icates that the front airbag on the
passe nger side has to be turned off by the
electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light comes on and stays o n).
_& WARNING
-S itting in the wrong pos ition can in creas e
the r is k of se rious inj ury i n crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the drive r and passenge rs
m ust always s it in an upr igh t positi on,
m ust not lean against or pla ce any part
of their body too close to the area whe re
the airbags a re located. .,.

154 Airbag sys te m
- Occupants who are unbelte d, ou t of p osi­
t ion or too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds wi th grea t force i n the blink of an
ey e
~ pag e 145 .
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward -faci ng child safety
s e at insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and wi ll smash the chi ld safety seat
and child against the backrest , center
armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im ·
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
authori zed Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of inj ury in a crash by in­
terfering wi th the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into yo u as the a irbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on
yo ur lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenge r seat . Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other s udden ma­
neuver and become dangerous projec­
t iles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate .
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, te le­
phone brackets, la rge, heavy or b ulky ob -
-
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing whee l,
instr ument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could cause in jury in a crash, es­
pecia lly when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects . Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide airbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra kin g or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects nea r the air­
bags can become projec tiles and cause
inj ury, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined .
A WARNING ~
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ i ng cond itions .
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory conditions shou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors .
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and wate r before eating.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the res id ue should get into your eyes ,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
T wo separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag System (including the
electron ic cont ro l unit , sensor circu its and sys­
tem wiring) is mon ito red continuously to
make su re that it is funct io ni ng properly