airbag off AUDI A4 AVANT 2008 User Guide

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increases the ability of the supplemental airbags to do their job in a
collision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally required in
most countries including much of the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you still have to wear
the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front airbags are not activated in
all frontal collisions, in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration through impact to the
front of the vehicle. The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt and make sure every­
body in your vehicle is properly restrained!
•
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned across the strongest bones of your body.
-Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
this chapter.
- Make sure that your safety belts are always ready for use
and are not damaged.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death. Safety belts can work
only when used correctly.
• Always fasten your safety belts correctly before driving off and
make sure all passengers are correctly restrained.
• For maximum protection, safety belts must always be posi­
tioned properly on the body.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt.
& WARNING (continued)
• Never place a safety belt over a child sitting on your lap.
• Always keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven.
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct posi­
tioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the system.
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer . Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
.,_

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Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
=> page 168,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 96,
-Wear safety belts properly=> page 180 ,
- Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children
=> page 210 .
In a col lision airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force . The suppl emental airbags can caus e injuries if
t he driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. There ­
fore in order to help the airbag to do its job , it is important, both as
a driver and as a passenger to sit properly at a ll times.
By keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplementa l protect ion in certain frontal
collisions => page 168, "Proper occupant seating positions" . For
detai ls on the operation of the seat adjustment
contro ls => page 97.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=> page 210.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system .
Proper sea ting position is important so that the fron t airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If you have a physical impairment or
condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat
with the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, or if
you have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, please contact your authorized Audi
dea ler or qualified workshop, or ca ll Audi Customer CARE at 1 -800-
822 -2834 for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator wi ll fill the
airbags , break open the padded covers, and inflate between the
steering whee l and the driver and between the instrument pane l
and the front passenger. The airbags will deflate immediately after
deployment so that the front occupants can see through the wind ­
shie ld again without interruption .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy. Front airbags in combination with proper ly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement .
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside the vehicle while reducing the forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help to
reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body .
Both front airbags wi ll not inflate in all frontal collisions. The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehic le dece leration
rate caused by the collision and registered by the electronic contro l
unit . If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car
may be badly damaged as a result of the collision . Vehicle damage, _,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessarily an
indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle speeds that will cover
every possible kind and ang le of impact that wil l always trigger the
a irbags, since the circumstances wi ll vary cons iderably between
one co llision 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 inf late
in s ide or rear co llisio ns, or in rol l-overs .
Al way s remember : Airbags wi ll deploy only once , and on ly in certain
kinds of collisions. Yo ur safety belts are a lways there to offer protec ­
tion in those situat ions in which airbags are not supposed to deploy ,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehic le
str ikes or is struck by another after the first co llision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplem entary
r es tra int and is not a substitute for a safety be lt. The a irbag system
works most effective ly when used with the safety be lts . T herefore,
a lways properly wear your safety
be lts ~ page 176 .
& WARNING
Sitting too clo se to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
de cre ase the effect ivene ss of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a colli sion.
• N ever si t closer than 10 in ches (25 cm) to the steer ing wheel or
in strument panel .
• If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , inve stigate whether ad aptive equipment may be available
to held you re ach the pedal s and in crease your s eating distanc e
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestr ained , le aning forward , sitting sideways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury i s much higher.
• You will also receive seriou s injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it infl ates
-
even with an Advanced A irbag .
& WARNING (continued )
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates , always
we ar s afety belt s
properly ~ page 181, "Safety belt s".
• Alway s make certain that children age 12 or young er always
ride in the rear sea t. If children are not properl y re st ra ined , they
may b e severely injured or killed when an airbag inflate s.
• Never let children ride unre str ained or improperly restr ained in
the vehicle. Adjust the front seat s properly .
• Ne ver rid e w ith the b ackrest re clined.
• Alway s sit as far a s po ssible from the steering wheel or the
i nst rument
panel ~ page 168.
• Alway s sit upright with your ba ck ag ain st th e ba ckre st of your
s eat.
• Ne ver pla ce your feet on the in strument panel or on the seat.
Alwa ys keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent seriou s injuri es to th e le gs and hips if the airbag infl ates.
• Never re cline the front pa ssenger's seat to tran sport object s.
Item s can al so mo ve into the a re a of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden m aneuver. Objects near the
airbags can becom e projectile s and cau se injury wh en an airbag
i nflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deplo yed in a cr ash must be replaced .
• Use only original equipment airb ag s a pproved by Audi and
in stalled by a trained techni cian who has the nece ssary tool s and
diagno stic equipment to pr operly repl ace any airbag in y our
vehicle and a ssure sys tem effectiv enes s in a crash .
• N ever p ermit salv aged or re cycled airb ags to be in sta lled in
y our vehicle. •

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Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important information and head the
WARNINGS for important details about children and
Advanced
Airbags=> page 210.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, always 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 child 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 vehicle has been certified to comply with the Requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a child up to about one year of age
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-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
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard ::::, page 212.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight-sensing
mat ::::, page 198, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
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 passenger seat is more than that of
a typical 1 year-old child 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 control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi­
tions stored in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year-old child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats
listed ::::, page 212), or
• a child who has outgrown child 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 side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting 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
=> page 168, "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 through interaction with the airbag . "Low risk" deploy­
ment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations _,,.
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as defi ne d i n th e el ectronic contro l unit=> page 19 9, " PA SSE NGER
AI R B AG OFF lig ht ".
A lways remember, a c hild safety s eat or infant carrier instal led on
the front seat may be struck and knocked out of po sition by the
r a pi dly i nfla ting passe nger's ai rbag in a fron tal c olli sion . The a irbag
co uld greatly red uce the effectiveness of the child restraint and
e ven se riou sly inju re the child d urin g infla tion .
F or th is reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest plac e for
chi ldr en
-whe n prop erly r estrain ed accord in g to t he ir age an d size
-we stro ngly recomme nd that ch il d ren a lwa ys sit in the bac k se at
=> p age 210, "Child S afety".
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates
-even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the ba ckrest , center arm rest , 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 circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause serious personal injury to the child .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 side airbag .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury , make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on, perform
the checks
described => page 198, "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer immedi ­
ately .
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu ­
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward or
rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat :

-Airbag system
----:=-..:....--------------------------------------------
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
protection .
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts.
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained.
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, especially infants and small children, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed 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
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System will 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 deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position.
• For their own safety, all children, especially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size.
•
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan­
dard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manufactured .
The front Advanced Airbag System supplements the safety belts to
provide additional protection for the driver's and front passenger's
heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags inflate only
in frontal impacts when the vehicle deceleration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is
not a substitute for your safety belts. Rather, it is part of the overall
occupant restraint system in your vehicle . Always remember that
the airbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
upright, wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is why
you and your passengers must always be properly restrained, not
just because the law requires you to be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
meet the "low risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year-old children on the
passenger side and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to help reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for example, by being too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates .
In addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standard, to turn off the
front airbag for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
listed in the
Standard~ page 272 .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off if:
• a child up to about one year of age is restrained on the front
passenger seat in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified. For
~

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a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your
veh ic le 's compliance wi th the US Safety
Standa rd => page 212,
• weight less than a threshold leve l stored in the contro l unit is
de tected on the fro nt passenger sea t.
When a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing mo re t han the total weight of a c hild that is about 1 yea r old
restra ined in one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant
restraints (listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
wh ic h the Adva nced Airba g System in your ve hicle was certified),
the front airbag on the passenger side may or may not deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight c omes on whe n the e le ctr oni c
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
r equi res t he front a irbag to be tu rned o ff . I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger s ide
has no t been tu rned off by t he con tro l uni t and can dep loy if the
co ntrol unit se nses an i mpact that meets t he conditio ns store d in its
memo ry .
I f t he total we ig ht on the front passe nge r seat is more than t hat of
a typical
1 year -old, but less than the we ight of a small adult, the
fr ont airbag on the passe nger s ide may dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not come on) .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small c hild t hat is heavier than a typ ical 1 yea r-old child is on
the front passenger seat (regard less of whether the child is in one
o f t he child sa fe ty sea ts
liste d=> page 212),
• a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is on the front
passenge r seat .
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the ce nter of the i nstrument pa nel wi ll come on and stay
on.
T he front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t does not illum inate a nd stay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• a passenger who is not s itting upright with their back against a
no n-rec li n ed bac kres t wi th th eir fee t on th e ve hicle flo or in fro nt of
the seat is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requi res
the airbag to meet t he "low r isk" deploy ment cr iteria to help reduce
the risk of injury th roug h interaction with the airbag. "Low risk"
dep loyment occu rs in those cras hes t hat take place a t lo wer decel ­
erations as defined in the electronic control
unit=> page 198.
Always remember: Even though yo ur vehicle is equ ipped w ith
Advanced Airbags, the safest p lace for children is properly
res tra ined on the back sea t. Please be s ure to rea d th e impo rtant
i nformat io n i n t he sections tha t follow a nd be sure to heed a ll of the
WA RNIN GS .
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts properly .
• If you are unrestrained , leaning forward , sitting sideways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury is mu ch higher .
• You will al so receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced
Airbag => page 187.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflate s -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• Although the Advan ced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward -facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat , nobody
can ab solutely guarantee that deployment is impo ssible in all
c onceivable situat ions that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle. _,,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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&, WARNIN G (continu ed )
• The inflating airbag will hit the child s afety seat or infant
car rier with gre at for ce and will sma sh the child safe ty se at and
c hild agai nst the ba ckre st, center arm re st, door , or roof .
• Alwa ys in sta ll re arw ard -f aci ng child re str aint s in the b ack se at .
• If you mu st in stall a rearw ard facing child safety seat on the
front p assenger se at be cause of e xce pti ona l ci rc um stan ce s a nd
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not come on and stay on ,
immedi atel y insta ll the re ar-f a cing child s afet y s ea t in a re ar
se ating position and h av e the airb ag sy stem inspe cted by your
Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in e xception al c ir cum sta nces, you mu st in sta ll a forward -f ac in g
c hild re straint on the front p assenger 's seat:
• Alway s mak e sure the forward-f acing seat ha s been designed
and certified by it s manufacturer for u se on a front seat with a
p asseng er front and side airb ag .
• Never put the forw ard -fa cing child re straint up again st or very
near the instrument panel.
• Alway s move the p assenger seat into it s re armost position in
the se at's fore and aft adju stment range , as far a way from the
a irbag a s pos sible , before installing the forward -f a cing child
rest raint . The ba ckrest must be ad justed to an upright po sitio n.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light come s on
a nd stay s on all th e time whenever the ignit ion i s swi tched on .
•
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very impo rtant
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it . These parts include the
we ight -sensing mat , sensors, wiring, brackets , and more. The func -tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the e
lec ­
tronic contro l unit w hen t he ignit ion is on . The co ntrol uni t monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
whe n a malfunction i n the system components is detected. T he
function of the airbag ind icator light is described in greater detai l
below. Because the front passenger seat contains important parts
o f the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it
from being damaged . Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from do ing its job in
a crash .
The front Adva nc ed Airbag S ystem consi sts of th e
following :
• Crash sensors in the front of the ve hicle that measure veh ic le
acce leration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
A irbag System about t he severity of t he crash .
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impacts. The control unit "dec ides" whethe r to fire the
front airbags based on the information received from the crash sensors . The control unit also "dec ides" whether the safety be lt
pretensioners should be activated.
• A dual -stage Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver
inside the steering wheel hub.
• A dual-stage Advanced A irbag and gas generator inside the
instrument pane l for the front passenger .
• A we ight -sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the tota l weight on the seat .
T he information registered is sent continuously to the electronic
control un it to regu late dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side .
• An airbag monitor ing system and indicator light in the instru ­
ment
cluster=> page 198 .
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in t he
center of the instrument panel
=> page 199, fig . 180 and te lls you
when the fron t Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off.
~

Airbag system 111111
-------------------------------------------- -=-:~--___.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
t o m easure the tens io n on t he sa fety be lt. T he tension on the safe ty
belt and the weight registered by the weight -sensing mat help the
contr ol unit "decide" whe the r the front ai rbag for the fron t
passenger seat should be turned off or
not=> page 189, "Child
r est ra ints on the front seat - some important th ings to know".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver and for the front
seat passenge r that senses whether t hat safety bel t is la tched or no t
and transmits this information to the e lectronic control unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front pas senger seat can pre vent the front airbag
from working properly.
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from func ­
tioning properly .
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual ­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front pa ssenger or driver seat from the
vehi cle .
• Ne ver remo ve 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 -sen sing mat in the passenger seat i s pun ctured
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 informat ion to the
airbag control unit .
• Never store items under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be
d amaged , preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued )
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically appro ved by Audi on the front seat s.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraint s or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly.
• Never use cushions, pillows , blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat. The additional padd ing will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Ad vanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
• If you mu st use a child re straint on the front pas senger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instru ctions require the use
of a towel , foam cu shion or something el se to properly position
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint i s
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , immed iately install child re straint in a re ar seat ing position
and have the airbag sy stem inspected by your Audi dealer . •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side airbags supplement
the prote ction off ered by the fro nt three -p oi nt safe ty belts with
pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head restra ints
to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the important informat ion about
safety and heed the WARNI NGS in this chapter.
Dep loyment of the Adva nced Ai rbag Sys tem a nd th e activation of
the safety belt pretensioners depends on the dece leration
measu red by the crash senso rs and registered by the electro nic _.,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_b _ a_ g
=-- s
-=- y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
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 .
When the electronic control unit registers a low severity crash and
the safety belt is being used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety belt is not being used, the first stage deploys, followed by the
second stage after a much later time in the crash sequence .
If the electronic contro l unit registers a crash of medium severity,
t he fi rst stage of the airbag deploys followed by the second stage at
a much later time in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety be lt is be ing used or not. In higher severity crashes as regis ­
tered by the e lectronic contro l unit , both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of sa fety belt use, the airbag w ill
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than th e
amount programmed in the electronic contro l un it . The front airbag
on the passenger side wi ll also be turned off if one of the child
safety seats that has been certified under Federa l Motor Vehic le
Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on and stays on to tel l you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned
of f=> page 189 , "Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the ri sk of inju ry when an airbag infl ates , always wear
s afety belts properly .
• If you a re unrestr ained , leaning forward , sitting sideway s or out
of po sition in any way , your risk of injury i s much high er.
• You will al so rece ive se riou s injur ie s a nd could e ven be killed if
y ou are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
e ven with an Advanced
A irbag => page 187. •
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 179 Inflate d fr ont
airbag s
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so that airbags can unfold properly and
provide supplemental protection in a fronta l collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide additiona l protect ion for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
• safety be lts are worn properly,
• the seats have been pos itioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as p ossi ble from the airbag,
• and the head restra ints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force , thi ngs
you have on your lap or have placed on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inf lates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released. This is norma l and is
not caused by a fire in the vehic le. This dust is made up most ly of a
powder used to lubricate t he airbags as they deploy . It could irritate
skin.
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