light AUDI A4 2019 Owners Manual

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem

Monitoringthe
AdvancedAirbagSystem

‘oringindicatorlight
Twoseparateindicatorsmonitorthefunctionof
theAdvancedAirbagSystem:the2]lightand
thePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;ON@light.
TheAdvancedAirbagSystemaswellastheside
airbagsandsidecurtainairbagswithejection
mitigationfeatures(includingtheelectroniccon-
trolunit,sensorsandsystemwiring)areall
monitoredcontinuouslytomakesurethatthey
arefunctioningproperlywhenevertheignitionis
on.Everytimeyouturnontheignition,theair-
bagsystemindicatorlightkawillcomeon fora
fewseconds(functioncheck).
The systemmustbeinspectedwhenthe
indicatorlightBa:
—doesnotcomeonwhentheignitionisswitched
on
—doesnotgooutafewsecondsafteryouhave
switched
ontheignition,or
— comesonwhiledriving
Ifanairbagsystemmalfunctionisdetected,the
indicatorlightwillcomeontoserveasaconstant
remindertohavethesysteminspectedimmedi-
ately.
If amalfunctionoccurs thatturnsthefrontair-
bagonthepassengersideoff,thePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF%;lightwillcomeonandstayon
whenevertheignitionison.

Z\WARNING
Anairbagsystemthatisnotfunctioningprop-
erlycannotprovidesupplementalprotection
inafrontalcrash.
-Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page23
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.

PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF2%;ON@light

Fig.230Sectionfromtheheadliner:PASSENGERAIRBAG
OFF2%,ON@light
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#¥;ON@lightis
locatedintheheadliner>fig.230.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;lightwillcome
onandstayontotellyouwhenthefrontAd-
vancedAirbagonthepassengersidehasbeen
turnedoffbytheelectroniccontrolunit.Ifthe
bulbforthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3¥;ON@
lightburnsout,theairbagindicatorlightkawill
comeontosignalamalfunctionintheAdvanced
AirbagSystem.Althoughtheburned-outbulb
willnotchangethewaythefrontpassenger's
frontalairbagworks,itwillnolongerbepossible
touse thePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#7;ON®
lighttomakesurethattheairbagon/offstatusis
correctfortheoccupantonthefrontpassenger
seat.Havetheairbagsysteminspectedimmedi-
atelybyyourauthorizedAudidealer.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;ON@light
willblinkforabout5secondswhen:
—thecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystem,
whichswitchesthefrontseatpassenger'sfron-
talAdvancedAirbagonandoff,detectsa
changeinthestatusofthefrontpassenger
seat.
AssoonasthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#¥;ON
®lightstopsblinking,alwaysmakesurethatthe
airbag status(onoroff)asshownbythelightis
properfortheage,sizeandelectricalcapacitance
ofthepersonoccupyingthefrontpassengerseat.
Alwaysmakesurethatthesafetybeltforthe
frontpassengerseatisproperlyfastened.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;/PASSENGER
AIRBAGON@lightwillshowthestatusofthe>
273

Airbagsystem

frontseatpassenger'sfrontalAdvancedAirbag.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light:
—willcomeonifthefrontpassengerseatisnot
occupied;
—willcomeoniftheelectricalcapacitancemeas-
uredby thecapacitivepassengerdetectionsys-
temforthefrontpassengerseatequalsthe
combinedcapacitanceofaninfantuptoabout
oneyearofageandoneoftherearward-facing
orforward-facingchildrestraintslistedinFed-
eralMotorVehicleSafetyStandard208with
whichtheAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehi-
cle wascertified;Foralistingofthechildre-
straintsthatwereusedtocertifyyourvehicle's
compliancewiththeU.S.SafetyStandard
=>page287.
—willgooutifthefrontpassengerseatisoccu-
piedbyanadultasregisteredbythecapacitive
passengerdetectionsystem.
—ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#¥;lightmust
comeonandstayoniftheignitionisonand...
—a-carbedhasbeeninstalledonthefront pas-
sengerseat,or
—arearward-facingchildrestrainthasbeenin-
stalledonthefrontpassengerseat,or
—aforward-facingchildrestrainthasbeeninstal-
ledonthefrontpassengerseat,
—andiftheelectricalcapacitanceregisteredon
thefrontpassengerseatisequaltoorlessthan
thecombinedcapacitanceofatypical1year-
old infantandoneoftherearward-facingor
forward-facingchildrestraintslistedinFederal
MotorVehicleSafetyStandard208withwhich
theAdvancedAirbagSysteminyourvehiclewas
certified.
Ifthefrontpassengerseatisnotoccupied,the
frontairbagwillnotdeploy,andthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF3;lightwillstayon.
Neverinstallarearward-facingchildrestrainton
thefrontpassengerseat,thesafest placefora
child
inanykind ofchildrestraintisatoneofthe
seatingpositionsontherearseat>page262,
Childrestraintsonthefrontseat-someimpor-
tantthingstoknowand>page285,Childsafe-
ty.
274
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;light
comeson...
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightcomes
onwhenoneoftheconditionslistedaboveis
met, besuretocheckthelightregularlytomake
certainthatthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;
lightstaysoncontinuouslywhenevertheignition
ison.IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotappearonanddoesnotstayonallthe
time,stopassoonasitissafe todosoand
—reactivatethesystembyturningtheignitionoff
formorethan4secondsandthenturningiton
again;
—removeandreinstallthechildrestraint.Make
surethatthechildrestraintisproperlyinstalled
andthatthesafetybeltforthefrontpassenger
seathasbeencorrectlyroutedthroughthe
childrestraintasdescribedinthechildrestraint
manufacturer'sinstructions;
—makesurethattheconvertiblelockingretractor
onthesafetybeltforthefrontpassengerseat
hasbeenactivatedandthatthesafetybelthas
beenpulledtight.
—makesurethatnoelectricaldevice(suchasa
laptop,CDplayer,electronicgamesdevice,
powerinverterorseatheaterforchildseats)is
placedorusedonthefrontpassengerseatif
thedeviceisconnectedtothe12-voltsocketor
thecigarettelightersocket;
—makesurethatnoseatheater hasbeenretrofit-
tedorotherwiseaddedtothefrontpassenger
seat;
—makesurethatnothingcaninterferewiththe
safetybeltbucklesandthattheyarenotob-
structed;
—makesurethattherearenowetobjects(such
asawettowel)andnowaterorotherliquidson
thefrontpassengerseatcushion.
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF&,lightstill
doesnotcomeon...
IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;lightstill
doesnotcomeonanddoesnotstayoncontinu-
ously(whentheignitionisswitchedon),
—takethechildrestraintoffthefrontpassenger
seatandinstallitproperlyatoneoftherear>

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem

seatpositions.Havetheairbagsysteminspect-
ed byyourAudidealerimmediately.
—movethechildtoarearseatpositionandmake
sure thatthechildisproperlyrestrainedina
childrestraintthatisappropriateforitssize
andage.
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3;light
shouldNOTcomeon...
ThePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF3%;lightshould
NOTcomeonwhentheignitionisonandanadult
issittinginaproperseatingpositiononthefront
passengerseat.IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF
¥;lightcomesonandstaysonwhiledriving,un-
derthesecircumstances,makesurethat:
—theadultonthefrontpassengerseatisproper-
lyseatedonthecenteroftheseatcushionwith
hisorherbackupagainstthebackrestandthe
backrestisnotreclined,
—theadultisnottakingweightofftheseatby
holdingontothepassengerassisthandle
abovethefrontpassengerdoororsupporting
theirweightonthearmrest,
—thesafetybeltisbeingproperlywornandthat
thereisnotalotofslackinthesafetybeltweb-
bing,
—therearenoaftermarketseatcoversorcush-
ionsorotherthings(such as blankets)onthe
frontpassengerseatthatmightcausetheca-
pacitivepassengerdetectionsystemto miscal-
culate
electricalcapacitance.
Macatawa)
monitoringtheAdvancedAirbagSystem
ZAWARNING
—IfthestatusoftheAdvancedAirbagSystem
haschangedwhilethevehicleismoving,the
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;ON®light
blinksforabout5secondstocatchthedriv-
er'sattention.Ifthishappens,alwaysstop
assoonasitissafe todosoandcheckthe
stepsdescribedabove.
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotgooffwhenanadultwhoisnot
verysmallissittingonthefrontpassenger

makesuretheadultisproperlyseatedand
restrainedatoneoftherearseatingposi-
tions.Havetheairbagsysteminspectedby
yourauthorizedAudidealerbeforetrans-
portinganyoneonthefrontpassengerseat.


ZAWARNING
Anairbagsystemthatisnotfunctioningprop-
erlycannotprovidesupplementalprotection
inafrontalcrash.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page23
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.



seataftertakingthestepsdescribedabove,
ZA\WARNING
Ifthefrontairbaginflates,a childwithouta
childrestraint,orinarearward-facingchild
safetyseat,orinaforward-facingchildre-
straintthathasnotbeenproperlyinstalled
willbeseriouslyinjuredandcanbekilled.
—Eventhoughyourvehicleisequippedwith
anAdvancedAirbagSystem,makecertain
thatallchildren,especially12yearsand
younger,alwaysrideonthebackseatprop-
erlyrestrainedfortheirageandsize.
—Alwaysinstallforwardorrear-facingchild
safetyseatsontherearseat-evenwithan
AdvancedAirbagSystem.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearward-facingchild
safetyseatonthefrontpassengerseatbe-
causeofexceptionalcircumstancesandthe
PASSENGERAIRBAGOFF#;lightdoesnot
appearandstayon,immediatelyinstallthe
rear-facingchildsafetyseatinarearseating
positionandhavetheairbagsysteminspect-
edbyyourauthorizedAudidealer.
—If,inexceptionalcircumstances,youmust
installaforward-facingchildrestrainton
thefrontpassengerseat,alwaysmovethe
seatintoitsrearmostpositionintheseat's
foreandaftadjustmentrange,asfaraway
fromtheairbagaspossible.Thebackrest
mustbeadjustedtoanuprightposition.
MakesurethatthePASSENGERAIRBAG

275

Airbagsystem


OFF$¥;lightcomesonandstaysonallthe
timewhenever theignitionisswitchedon.

ZAWARNING
—IfthePASSENGERAIRBAGOFF%;light
doesnotgooutwhenanadultissittingon
thefrontpassengerseataftertakingthe
stepsdescribed above,makesuretheadult
isproperlyseatedandrestrainedatoneof
therearseatingpositions.
—Havetheairbagsysteminspectedbyyour
authorizedAudidealerbefore transporting
anyoneonthefrontpassengerseat.
G)Tips
Ifthecapacitivepassengerdetectionsystem
determinesthatthefrontpassengerseatis
empty,thefrontalairbagonthepassenger
sidewillbeturnedoff,andthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF;lightwillstayon.
Repair,careanddisposaloftheairbags
Partsoftheairbagsystemareinstalledatmany
differentplacesonyourAudi.Installing,remov-
ing,servicingorrepairingapartinanareaofthe
vehiclecandamageapartofanairbagsystem
andpreventthatsystemfromworkingproperly
inacollision.

Therearesomeimportantthingsyouhaveto
knowtomakesurethattheeffectivenessofthe
systemwillnot beimpairedandthatdiscarded
componentsdonotcauseinjuryorpollutethe
environment.

ZA\WARNING
Impropercare,servicingandrepairproce-
durescanincreasetheriskofpersonalinjury
anddeathbypreventinganairbagfromde-
ployingwhenneededordeployinganairbag
unexpectedly:
—Nevercover,obstruct,orchangethesteer-
ingwheelhornpadorairbagcoverorthein-
strumentpanelormodifytheminanyway.
—Neverattachanyobjectssuchascupholders
ortelephonemountingstothesurfacescov-
eringtheairbagunits.

276

—Forcleaningthehornpadorinstrument
panel,useonlyasoft,dryclothoronemois-
tenedwithplainwater.Solventsorcleaners
coulddamagetheairbagcoverorchange
thestiffnessorstrengthofthematerial so
that
theairbagcannotdeployandprotect
properly.
—Neverrepair,adjust,orchangeanypartsof
theairbagsystem.
—Allworkonthesteeringwheel,instrument
panel,frontseatsorelectricalsystem(in-
cludingtheinstallationofaudioequipment,
cellulartelephonesandCBradios,etc.)
mustbeperformedbyaqualifiedtechnician
whohasthetrainingandspecialequipment
necessary.
—Foranyworkontheairbagsystem,we
stronglyrecommendthatyouseeyourau-
thorizedAudidealerorqualifiedworkshop.
—Nevermodifythefrontbumperorpartsof
thevehiclebody.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesideairbagcan
inflatewithoutinterference:
—Neverinstallseatcoversorreplacement
upholsteryoverthefrontseatbacksthat
havenotbeenspecificallyapprovedbyAu-
di.
—Neveruseadditionalseatcushionsthat
covertheareaswherethesideairbagsin-
flate.
—Damagetotheoriginalseatcoversorto
theseamintheareaofthesideairbag
modulemustalwaysberepairedimmedi-
atelyby anauthorizedAudidealer.
— Theairbagsystemcandeployonlyonce.Af-
teranairbaghasbeendeployed,it mustbe
replacedwithnewreplacementpartsde-
signedandapprovedespeciallyforyourAudi
model
version.Replacementofcomplete
airbagsystemsorairbagcomponentsmust
beperformedbyqualifiedworkshopsonly.
Makesurethatanyairbagserviceactionis
enteredinyourAudiWarranty&Mainte-
nancebookletunderAIRBAGREPLACEMENT
RECORD.
—Forsafetyreasonsinsevereaccidents,the
alternatorandstarterareseparatedfrom

Airbagsystem

Remembertoo,airbagswilldeployonlyonceand
onlyincertainkindsofaccidents-yoursafety
beltsarealwaystheretoofferprotectioninthose
accidentsinwhichairbagsarenotsupposedto
deployorwhenthey havealreadydeployed,for
examplewhenyourvehiclestrikesorisstruckby
anotherafterthefirstcollision.
Thisisjustoneofthereasonswhyanairbagis
notasubstituteforthesafetybelt.Theairbag
systemworksmosteffectivelywhenusedwith
thesafetybelts.Therefore,alwayswearyour
safetybeltscorrectly.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilethesup-
plementalkneeairbagsystemisdesignedtore-
ducethelikelihoodofseriousinjuries,otherinju-
ries,forexample,swelling,bruisingandminor
abrasionsandfrictionburnscanalsooccurwhen
anairbaginflates.
Thekneeairbagsystembasicallyconsistsof:
—Theelectroniccontrolmodule
—Twoinflatableairbags(airbagandgasgenera-
tor),oneforthedriverandoneforthefront
passenger
—Theairbagindicatorlightintheinstrument
panel
Thekneeairbagsystemwillnotdeploy:
—whentheignitionisswitchedoff
—infrontalcollisionswhenthedeceleration
measuredbythecontrolunitistoolow
—insidecollisions
—inrear-endcollisions
—inrollovers
—inthe eventofasystemmalfunction(warning/
indicatorlightison)>page23.


Z\WARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemcanonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page271.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page23
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.

278
ataan-\-i-liaey1emela
Theriskofinjurytothelegareacanbereduced
byfullyinflatedkneeairbags.
5 ¢
2
=a 3
Fig.232Inflatedairbagsprotectinginafrontalcollision
Thekneeairbagsystemhasbeendesignedso
thattheairbagsforthedriverandfrontpassen-
gerdeployincertainbut notallfrontalcollisions.
Ifthefrontairbagsdeploy,thekneeairbagsalso
deployinfrontalcollisionswhenthedeployment
thresholdstoredinthecontrolunitismet.
Whenthesystemdeploys,theairbagsfillwitha
propellantgas,andinflatebetweenthelower
partoftheinstrumentpanelandthedriverand
thelowerpartoftheinstrumentpanelandthe
frontpassenger>page271,fig.229.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,theycan
“cushion”theimpactandinthiswaythey can
helptoreducetheriskofinjurytothelowerex-
tremities.
Allofthistakesplaceintheblinkofaneye,so
fastthatmanypeopledon'tevenrealizethatthe
airbagshavedeployed.Theairbagsalsoinflate
withagreatdeal offorceanditisimportantfor
occupantsafetythatnothingshouldbeintheir
waywhentheydeploy.
Fullyinflatedairbagsincombinationwithproper-
lywornsafetybeltsslowdownandlimittheoc-
cupant'sforwardmovementandhelptoreduce
theriskofinjury.

Airbagsystem

—thetwosideairbagslocatedinthesidesofthe
frontbackrests
—tworearsideairbags*
—theairbagwarninglightintheinstrumentclus-
ter.
Theairbagsystemismonitoredelectronicallyto
makecertainthatitisfunctioningproperlyatall
times.Eachtimeyouturnontheignition,theair-
bagsystemindicatorlightwillcomeonforafew
seconds(selfdiagnostics).
Thesideairbagsystemsupplementsthesafety
beltsandcanhelptoreducetheriskofinjuryto
thedriver's,frontandrear*passenger'supper
torsoonthesideofthevehiclethatisstruckina
sidecollision.Theairbagdeploysonlyinsideim-
pactsandonlywhenthevehicleaccelerationreg-
isteredbythecontrolunitishighenough.Ifthis
rateisbelowthereferencevalueprogrammedin-
tothecontrolunit,thesideairbagswillnotbe
triggered,eventhoughthecarmaybebadly
damagedasaresultofthecollision.Itisnotpos-
sibletodefineanairbagtriggeringrangethat
willcovereverypossibleangleofimpact,since
thecircumstanceswillvaryconsiderablybetween
onecollisionandanother.Importantfactorsin-
clude,forexample,thenature(hardorsoft)of
theimpactingobject,theangleofimpact,vehicle
speed,etc.>page281,Importantsafetyin-
structionsonthesideairbagsystem.
Asidefromtheirnormalsafetyfunction,safety
beltsworktohelpkeepthedriverorfrontpas-
sengerinpositionintheeventofasidecollision
sothatthesideairbagscanprovideprotection.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysre-
memberthatthesideairbagsystemcanonly
helptoprotectyouifyouarewearingyoursafety
beltandwearingitproperly.Thisisanotherrea-
sonwhyyoushouldalwayswearyoursafety
belts,notjustbecausethelawrequiresyoutodo
so>page253,Generalinformation.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhilethesup-
plementalsideairbagsystemisdesignedtore-
duce
thelikelihoodofseriousinjuries,otherinju-
ries,forexample,swelling,bruising,friction
280
burnsandminorabrasionscanalsobeassociated
withdeployedsideairbags.Remembertoo,side
airbagswilldeployonlyonceandonlyincertain
kindsofaccidents-yoursafetybeltsarealways
theretoofferprotection.
Vehicledamage,repaircosts oreventhelackof
vehicledamagearenotnecessarilyanindication
ofover-sensitiveorfailedairbagactivation.In
somecollisions,bothfrontandsideairbagsmay
inflate.Remembertoo,thatairbagswilldeploy
onlyonceandonlyincertainkindsofcollisions-
yoursafetybeltsarealwaystheretoofferprotec-
tioninthoseaccidentsinwhichairbagsarenot
supposedtodeployorwhentheyhavealready
deployed.
Thesideairbagsystemwillnotdeploy:
—whentheignitionisturnedoff
—insidecollisionswhentheaccelerationmeas-
uredby thesensoristoolow
—infront-endcollisions
—inrear-endcollisions
—inrollovers.
Insometypesofaccidentsthefrontairbags,side
curtainairbagsandsideairbagsmaybetriggered
together.

Z\WARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemwillonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page281.
-Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page23
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.

Airbagsystem


bybeingpushedintoyouastheairbagin-
flates.
—Neverplaceorattachaccessoriesorother
objects(suchascupholders,telephone
brackets,orevenlarge,bulkyobjects)on
thedoors,overorneartheareamarked
“AIRBAG”ontheseatbackrests.
—Suchobjectsandaccessoriescanbecome
dangerousprojectilesandcauseinjury
whenthesupplementalsideairbagde-
ploys.
—Nevercarryanyobjectsorpetsinthede-
ploymentspacebetweenthemandtheair-
bagsor allowchildrenorotherpassengers
totravelinthisposition.
—Alwaysusethebuilt-incoathooks*onlyfor
lightweightclothing.Neverleaveanyheavy
orsharp-edgedobjectsinthepocketsthat
mayinterferewithsideairbagdeployment
andcan causepersonalinjuryinanaccident.
—Alwayspreventthesideairbagsfrombeing
damagedbyheavyobjectsknockingagainst
orhittingthesidesoftheseatbacks.
— Theairbagsystemcanonlybetriggered
once.Iftheairbaghasbeentriggered,the
systemmustbereplacedbyanauthorized
Audidealership.
—Damage (cracks,deepscratchesetc.)tothe
originalseatcoversortotheseaminthe
areaofthesideairbagmodulemustalways
berepairedimmediatelybyanauthorized
Audidealer.
—Ifchildrenareseatedimproperly,theirrisk
ofinjuryincreasesinthecase ofanaccident
=page285,Childsafety.
—Neverattempttomodifyanycomponentsof
theairbagsysteminanyway.
—Inasidecollision,sideairbagswillnotfunc-
tionproperlyifsensorscannotcorrectly
measureincreasingairpressureinsidethe
doorswhenairescapesthroughlarger,un-
closedopeningsinthedoorpanel.
—Neverdrivewithinteriordoortrimpanels
removed.
—Neverdrivewhenpartshavebeenremoved
fromtheinsidedoorpanelandtheopen-



282
ingstheyleavehave notbeenproperly
closed.
—Neverdrivewhenloudspeakersinthe
doorshavebeenremovedunlessthe
speakerholeshavebeenproperlyclosed.
—Alwaysmakecertainthatopeningsare
coveredorfilledifadditionalspeakersor
otherequipmentisinstalledintheinside
doorpanels.
—Alwayshaveworkonthedoorsdonebyan
authorizedAudidealerorqualifiedwork-
shop.

Sidecurtainairbags
pyreeteelmeee]ilarleh
Theside curtainairbagscanprovidesupplemen-
talprotectiontoproperlyrestrainedoccupants.

B8W-0056.

Fig.235Sidecurtainairbags,driver'sside:location
Thesidecurtainairbagsarelocatedonbothsides
oftheinteriorabovethefrontandrearsidewin-
dows>fig.235.
Thesidecurtainairbagscontainfeaturesthat
provideejectionmitigationtohelppreventvehi-
cleoccupantsorparts oftheirbodiesfrombeing
completelyorpartiallyejectedfromthevehicle
interiorincertainsideimpactsandvehicleroll-
overs.
Thesidecurtainairbagsystemsupplementsthe
safetybeltsandcanhelptoreducetheriskofin-
juryforoccupants'headsanduppertorsoina
sidecollision.Thesidecurtainairbaginflatesin
sideimpactsandonlywhenthevehicleaccelera-
tionregisteredby thecontrolunitishighenough.
Ifthisrateisbelowthereferencevalueprogram-
medintothecontrolunit,thesidecurtainairbag>

8W0012721BG
Airbagsystem

willnot betriggered,eventhoughthecarmaybe
badlydamagedasaresultofthecollision.Itis
notpossibletodefineanairbagtriggeringrange
thatwillcover everypossibleangleofimpact,
sincethecircumstanceswillvaryconsiderablybe-
tweenonecollisionandanother.Importantfac-
torsinclude,forexample,thenature(hardor
soft)oftheimpactingobject,theangleofim-
pact,vehiclespeed,etc.>page283,Howside
curtainairbagswork.
Asidefromtheirnormalsafetyfunction,safety
beltsworktohelpkeepthedriverorfront pas-
sengerinpositioninthe eventofacollisionso
that
thesidecurtainairbagscanprovideprotec-
tion.
Theairbagsystemisnotasubstituteforyour
safetybelt.Rather,itispartoftheoveralloccu-
pantrestraintsysteminyourvehicle.Alwaysre-
memberthattheairbagsystemcanonlyhelpto
protectyouifyouarewearingyoursafetybelt
andwearingitproperly.Thisisanotherreason
whyyoushould alwayswearyoursafetybelts,
notjustbecausethelawrequiresyoutodoso
=page253,Generalinformation.
Itisimportanttorememberthatwhiletheside
curtainairbagsystemisdesignedtohelpreduce
thelikelihoodof seriousinjuries,otherinjuries,
forexample,swelling,bruising,frictionburns
andminorabrasionscanalsobeassociatedwith
theseairbagsupondeployment.Remembertoo,
theseairbagswilldeployonlyonceandonlyin
certainkindsofaccidents-yoursafetybeltsare
alwaystheretoofferprotection.
Thesidecurtainairbagsystembasically
consistsof:
—Theelectroniccontrolmoduleandexternalside
impactsensors
—Thesidecurtainairbagsabovethewindowsof
theouterseatingpositionswithejectionmiti-
gationfeatures
—Theairbagindicatorlightintheinstrument
panel
Theairbagsystemismonitoredelectronicallyto
makecertainitisfunctioningproperlyatall
times.Eachtimeyouturnontheignition,theair-
bagsystemindicatorlightwillcomeonforafew
seconds(selfdiagnostics).
Thesidecurtainairbagisnotactivated:
—iftheignitionisturnedoff
—insidecollisionswhentheaccelerationmeas-
uredbythesensoristoolow
—inrear-endcollisions.

Z\WARNING
—Safetybeltsandtheairbagsystemwillonly
provideprotectionwhenoccupantsarein
theproperseatingposition>page58,
Frontseats.
—Iftheairbagindicatorlight>page23
comeswhenthevehicleisbeingused,have
thesysteminspectedimmediatelybyyour
authorizedAudidealer.Itispossiblethat
theairbagwillinflatewhenitisnotsup-
posedto,orwillnotinflatewhenitshould.
Howsidecurtainairbagswork
Sidecurtainairbagscanworktogetherwithside
airbagstohelpreducetheriskofheadandupper
torsoinjuriesforoccupantswhoareproperlyre-
strained.

~iBSs
2 = S 3


Fig.236Illustrationofprinciple:Inflatedsidecurtainair-
bagsontheleftside
Thesidecurtainairbagsinflatebetweentheoc-
cupantandthewindowsinasidecollision
>fig.236.
When
thesystemistriggered,thesidecurtain
airbagisfilledwithpropellantgasandbreaks
throughaseamabovethefrontandrearside
windowsidentifiedby theAIRBAGlabel.Inorder
tohelpprovidethisadditionalprotection,the
283
>

Airbagsystem

sidecurtainairbagmustinflatewithintheblink
ofaneyeatvery highspeedandwithgreatforce.
The
sidecurtainairbagcouldinjureyouifyour
seatingpositionisnotproperoruprightorif
itemsarelocatedintheareawherethesupple-
mentalsidecurtainairbaginflates.This applies
especiallytochildren>page285.
Althoughtheyarenotasoftpillow,sidecurtain
airbagscan“cushion”theimpactandinthisway
theycanhelptoreducetheriskofinjurytothe
headandtheupperpartofthebody.
Afinedustmaydevelopwhentheairbagdeploys.
Thisisquitenormalanddoesnotmeanthereisa
fireinthevehicle.
Importantsafetyinstructionsontheside
curtainairbagsystem
Airbagsareonlysupplementalrestraints.Always
properlywearsafetybeltsandrideinaproper
seatingposition.
Thereisalotthatyou andyourpassengersmust
knowanddotohelpthesafetybeltsandairbags
dotheirjobtoprovidesupplementalprotection.

Z\WARNING
Improperlywearingsafetybeltsandimproper
seatingpositionsincreasetheriskofserious
personalinjuryanddeathwheneveravehicle
isbeingused.
—Neverletoccupantsplaceanypartsoftheir
bodiesintheareafromwhichthesidecur-
tainairbaginflate.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesidecurtainair-
bagscaninflatewithoutinterference.
—Usethebuilt-incoathooksonlyforlight-
weightclothing.Neverleaveanyheavyor
sharp-edgedobjectsinthepocketsthatmay
interferewithairbagdeploymentandcan
cause
personalinjuryinacollision.
—Neverusehangerstohangclothesonthe
hooks.
—Onlyusefactory-installedsunshadesor,if
shadesinstalledafterthevehicleleavesthe
factory,useonlygenuineAudisunshades.
—Neverswingthesunvisorsovertotheside

openers,hands-freespeakers,etc.areat-
tachedtothesunvisors.Theycouldcome
looseandcauseseriousinjuryifthesidecur-
tainairbaginflates.
—Adeployingairbaginflatesinafractionofa
secondandwithgreatforce.
—Neverattachobjectstothecoverorinthe
deploymentzoneofasidecurtainairbag.
—Theairbagdeploymentzonesmustbekept
clearatalltimes.Makesuretherearenoob-
jects,pets,orotherpersonsinthespacebe-
tweenanyvehicleoccupantandanyairbag
atanytime.
—Donotattachanyaccessoriestothedoors.



ZAWARNING
— Theairbagsystemcandeployonlyonce.If
theairbaghasbeentriggered,thesystem
mustbereplacedby anauthorizedAudi
dealerorqualifiedworkshop.
—Alwayshaveworkinvolvingthesidecurtain
airbagsystem,removalandinstallationof
theairbagcomponents,orotherrepairsper-
formedbyaqualifieddealership.Otherwise
theairbagsystemmaynotworkcorrectly.
—Neverattempttomodifyanycomponentsof
theairbagsysteminanyway.



windowsifthingssuchaspens,garagedoor

284

Childsafety


ZA\WARNING
Childrenonthefrontseat ofanycarevenwith
AdvancedAirbagscanbeseriouslyinjuredor
evenkilledwhenanairbaginflates.Achildin
arearward-facingchildsafetyseatinstalled
onthefrontpassengerseatwillbeseriously
injuredandcanbekilledifthefrontairbagin-
flates.
—Theinflatingairbagwillhitthechildsafety
seatorinfantcarrierwithgreatforceand
willsmashthechildsafetyseatandchild
againstthebackrest,centerarmrest,or
door.
—Alwaysinstallrear-facingchildsafetyseats
ontherearseat.
—Ifyoumustinstallarearwardfacingchild
safetyseatonthefrontpassengerseatin
exceptionalcircumstancesandthePASSEN-
GERAIRBAGOFF%;lightdoesnotcomeon
andstayon,immediatelyinstalltherear-
facingchildsafetyseatinarearseatingpo-
sitionandhave theairbagsysteminspected
immediatelybyyourAudidealer.


ZA\WARNING
—Forward-facingchildseatsinstalledonthe
frontpassengerseatmayinterferewiththe
deploymentoftheairbagandcauseserious
personalinjurytothechild.
—Ifexceptionalcircumstancesrequirethe use
ofaforward-facingchildrestraintonthe
frontpassenger'sseat,thechild'ssafetyand
well-beingrequirethefollowingspecialpre-
cautionstobetaken:
—Alwaysmakesurethattheforward-facing
seathasbeendesignedandcertifiedbyits
manufacturerforuseonafrontpassenger
seatwithafrontandsideairbag.
—Alwayscarefullyfollow themanufacturer's
instructionsprovidedwiththechildseator
infantcarrier.
—Neverinstalla childrestraintwithouta
properlyattachedtoptetherstrapifthe
childrestraintmanufacturer'sinstructions
requirethetoptetherstraptobeused.

286

—Neverputtheforward-facingchildre-
straintupagainstorveryneartheinstru-
mentpanel.
—Alwayssetthesafetybeltupperanchor-
agetotheadjustmentpositionthatper-
mitsproperinstallationinaccordancewith
thechildrestraintmanufacturer'sinstruc-
tions.
—Alwaysmovethefrontpassengerseatto
thehighestpositionintheupanddown
adjustmentrangeandmoveitbacktothe
rearmostpositionintheseat'sforeandaft
adjustmentrange,asfarawayfromthe
airbagaspossible,beforeinstallingthe
forward-facingchild restraint.
—Alwaysmakesurethatthesafetybeltup-
peranchorageisbehindthechildrestraint
andnotnexttoorinfrontofthechildre-
straintso thatthesafetybeltwillbeprop-
erlypositioned.
—Alwaysmakesurethatnothingprevents
thefrontpassenger'sseatfrombeing
movedtotherearmostpositioninitsfore
andaftadjustmentrange.
—Neverplaceobjectsontheseat(suchasa
laptop,CDplayer,electronicgamesdevice,
powerinverterorseatheaterforchild
seats).Thesemayinfluencetheelectrical
capacitancemeasuredbythecapacitive
passengerdetectionsystemandcanalso
flyaroundinanaccidentandcauseserious
personalinjury.
—Neverplaceoruseanyelectricaldevice
(suchasalaptop,CDplayer,electronic
gamesdevice,powerinverterorseatheat-
erforchildseats)onthefrontpassenger
seatifthedeviceisconnectedtothe12-
voltsocketorthecigarettelightersocket.
—Ifaseatheaterhasbeenretrofittedor
otherwiseaddedtothefrontpassenger
seat,neverinstallanychildrestraintsys-
temonthisseat.
—Makesurethattherearenowetobjects
(suchasawettowel)andnowateroroth-
erliquidsonthefrontpassengerseat
cushion.
—AlwaysmakesurethatthePASSENGER
AIRBAGOFF%;lightcomesonandstays