airbag off AUDI A4 SEDAN 2013 Owners Manual

20 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Contact your authorized Audi dealer as
soon as possible.
-USA models: If the la warning light
and the
E warn ing light come on to­
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock­
up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an acc ident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light . and the ABS warning light
li]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking. Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle
control and an accident. Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your author­
ized Audi dea ler or a qualified workshop.
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applicat ions.
I I !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models),£,1 (Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems (e.g.
airbags, pretensioners) and ill uminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on.
If the fl (USA models)/ fll (Canada mode ls)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driv ing, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a ma lfunction somewhere
in the system.
If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ignition on, this also
means there is a malfunction.
& WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your author ized Audi dealer
immediate ly. Otherw ise the safety sys­
t ems may not work properly in an acci­
dent.
l ) - : USA mod els only
(0) Worn brake pads
EiJ Brake pads!
If the warning light illuminates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­ ed . On USA models the warn ing light
EiJ
comes on together with the warning light
la-Both sets of brake pads on an ax le
must a lways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the warning light
EiJ and the warning
light
la1 l with the message Brake
pads! comes on in the instrument cluster
d isplay, immediately contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warning/indicator light (Electronic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check.
(D Tips
If this warning/ indicator light illuminates
while you are driving, then there is a mal­
funct ion in the engine electronics. Have
the malfunction corrected as soon as pos­
s ib le by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repa ir facility.
Ci Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
T he Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is par t
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
-
The symbo l ¢4' lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
IJ>,

32 Openin g and clo sing
Opening and closing
Power locking system
General description
The power locking system locks or unlocks all
doors and the rear lid simultaneously.
You can lock and unlock the vehicle centrally.
You have the following choices:
- Remote master key~
page 35,
-Door handles with convenience key*
~page 36,
-Lock cy linder at the dr iver's door
~ page 37, or
- Power loc king switch inside
~ page 36.
Automatic l ocking
The automatic locking feature locks all the ve ­
h icle doors and the rear lid when you drive
faster than 9 mph ( 15 km/h) .
The car is unlocked again once the ignition key is removed. In addition, the veh icle can be un ­
locked if the opening function in the power
lock ing system switch or at one of the door
leve rs is actuated. The Auto Loc k function can
be turned on and off in the rad io or
MMI*
~ page 37.
Addit ionally, in the event of a crash with a ir­
bag deployment the doors are automatically
un locked to allow access to the veh icle.
Selective unlocking
When you lock the vehicle, the power locking
system w ill lock the doors and the rear lid .
When unlocking, you can set in the rad io or
MMI* whether
only the dr iver's door or the
enti re ve hicle should be unlocked
~ page 37.
Anti -th eft alarm warning system
If the anti-theft alarm warning system de­
tects a break- in into the vehicle, acoust ic and
visua l wa rning signals are triggered.
The anti -theft warn ing system is act ivated au ­
tomatically when you lock the vehicle .
It is de­
activated when u nlocking using the remote key, with the mechanica
l key, and when yo u
switch on the ignition.
T he alarm a lso t urns off when t he a la rm cycle
has expired.
Turn signals
When you u nlock the veh icle, the turn s ignals
flash twice , when you lock it once . If they do
not flash, one of the doo rs, the luggage com ­
partment lid or the hood is not locked or the
ignition is s till sw itched on.
Unint entionally locking yourself out
In the follow ing cases there safegua rds to
prevent you lock ing you r remote master key in
the vehicle:
- The vehicle does not lock w ith the power
lock ing switch ~
page 36 if the drive r's
door is open .
- On veh ides with convenience key*, if the
most recently used master key is in the lug­
gage compa rtment, the rear lid is automat i­
cally un locked again after it is closed.
Do not lock your veh icle w ith the remote mas­
ter key or convenience key* unt il all doors and
the rea r lid a re closed . In this way you avoid
locking yourself out accidentally .
_& WARNING
-
-When you leave the veh icle, alw ays re ­
move the ignition key and take it with
you . This will prevent passengers (chil­
dren, for example) from acc identally be­
ing locked in the vehicle should they acci­
dentally press the power locking switch in the front doors .
- Do not leave ch ildren inside the vehicle
unsuperv ised. In an emergency it would
be imposs ible to open the doors from
the o utside without the key .
(D Tips
- In the event of a crash with airbag de­
ployment all locked doors will be auto­
matically unlocked to give access to the
vehicle occupants from the outside.

- You cannot open the doors or the rear lid
from the
outside (increased security, for ex­
ample when you are stopped at a red light).
- The diodes in the power locking switches il­
luminate when all the doors are closed and
locked.
- Front doors: you can unlock and open the
doors from the inside by pu lling on the door
handle .
- Rear doors: pull the door handle
once to re­
lease the lock . Pull the hand le
again to open
the door.
- If you have a crash and the airbag is activat­
ed, the doors automatically unlock.
A WARNING
- The power locking switch works with the
ignition off and automatically locks the
entire vehicle when it is actuated .
- On a vehicle locked from the outside the
power locking system switch is inopera­
t ive .
- locked doors make it more difficult for
emergency workers to get into the vehi­
cle, which puts lives at risk . Do not leave
anyone behind in the vehicle, especially
ch ildren.
@ Tips
Your vehicle is locked automatically at a
speed of
9 mph (15 km/h) (Auto lock)
r=:>poge 32. You can unlock the vehicle
again using the opening function in the
power locking system switch[@].
Setting power locking
In the radio/MM!*, you con set which doors
the central locking system will unlock.
~ Select : ICARI funct ion button > Central lock­
ing .
Or
~ Select: ~ I C~ A~R ~I funct ion button > Car systems
control button > Vehicle settings > (Central
locking)*.
Single door unlocking /Unlock doors * -
you
can specify which doors unl ock when you open
the vehicle .
Opening and closing 3 7
- Select ing off/All and pressing the Im button
on the remote control key unlocks the entire
veh icle.
- Selecting
on/Driver and pressing the Im but­
ton on the remote control key once un locks
only the driver's door. In vehicles with a con ­
venience key*, only the door whose handle
you pull will unlock. If you press the
l@J but­
ton twice, the entire vehicle will unlock . If
you press the
Ii button, the entire vehicle
w ill always lock .
luggage comp. lock/Lock exterior trunk han­
dle -
If you select On, you can no longer open
the luggage compartment using the rear lid
handle
r=:> page 39, fig. 28. In this case, the
rear lid can be opened with the
l""'I bu tto n on
the master key
r=:> page 35, fig. 22 or with the
l""'I * button in the driver's door.
Tone when locking -if you select On, a tone
will sound when you lo ck the vehicle.
Auto Lock /Lock when driving -if you select
On, the entire vehicle w ill lock automatically
when the speed reaches 9 mph (IS km/h).
Emergency locking
Fig. 25 D rive r's doo r: lock cylinder
Fig . 26 Fro nt passenger 's doo r/ rear doors*: eme rgency
lock .,..

46 Clear vis ion
The lea ving home function i lluminates the
area around the vehicle when unlocking it.
This funct ion can be switched on and
off.
The c o ming ho me and leav ing h ome func­
tions on ly operate when it is dark and the
light switch is in the AUTO position
c::> page 44, fig. 36 .
Auto headlight s*
When the light switch is in the AUTO
c::> page 44 position, the sw itch-on po int of the
lights can be changed in the automatic driving
light function.
Daytime running lights
USA model s: You can switch the day time run­
ni ng lights
on and off .
Canada mod els: The function cannot be
turned off .
It is activated automat ica lly each
time the ign ition is switched o n.
Travel mode*
The headlight beam is asymmetrical. This pro­
vides stronger illum ination on the s ide of the
road on wh ich you are driving . If you a re driv­
ing i n a count ry that d rives on the opposite
side of the road from you r own country, th is
will cause glare for oncoming dr ivers. To pre­
ve nt glare :
- T rave l mode must be selected in vehicles
with Xenon headlights*.
- In vehicles with halogen head lights, certain
areas of the head light lenses must be cov­
ered w ith wate rproof adhesive covers tha t
p revent light from passing through. For
more information, p lease see your author ­
i zed Audi dea ler or author ized repai r fac ility .
@ Tips
When trave l mode is activate d, a display in
the driver information system indicates
this each time you switch t he ignitio n on.
Emergency flashers
Fi g. 38 Center co nsole : em ergency flashe r sw itch
The emergency flashers makes other moto­
rists aware that you or your vehicle are in an
emergency situation .
... Press the switch~
c::> fig. 38 to turn the
emergency flashers on or
off.
When the emergency flas hers are on, all fo ur
turn s ignals b link at the same time. The turn
s ignal indicator lights
H II in the instr ument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
flasher switch ~ blink likewise.
You can indicate a lane change or a t urn when
the emergency flashers are switched on by us­
ing t he turn signal lever. The emergency flash­
ers stop temporarily .
T he emergency flashers also work when the
ignition is turned off .
T he emergency flashers wi ll turn on automat i­
ca lly if yo u are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D Tips
You sho uld turn on the emer gency flas hers
whe n:
- yo u are the last veh icle standing in a t ra f­
fic jam so that any other vehicles corning can see you, o r whe n
- yo ur vehicle has bro ken down or you are
in an emergency s ituation, o r when
- yo ur vehicle is be ing towed by a tow
tr uck or if you are towing ano ther vehicle
beh ind you .

54 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so
important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjust ing the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger . Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is prope rly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and airbag system can offer
maximum protection ¢
page 144.
In the following sec tions, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust you r seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat. Always follow the informa­
tion rega rd ing child safety provided in
G page 165, Child Safety.
WARNING
Refer to G page 126, Driving Safely for
important information, tips, suggestions
and warnings that you should read and fol­
low for your own safety and the safety of
your passengers.
A WARNING
, -
Incorrect seating position of the dr iver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal inj ury .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never put your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion. This app lies especially to the passen- gers
. If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the risk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an accident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect, this could result in pe rsonal
in ju ry or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and front passenge r to keep a distance of at
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strumen t panel.
If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can ­
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints m ust be
adj usted to your body height so that they
can give you max imum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the steer­
ing wheel or instrument panel.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas ­
senger's seat while the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpectedly , caus­
ing sudden loss of veh icle control and
personal injury. If you adjust you r seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of pos it ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving .
We recommend that you adjust the dr iver's
seat in the follow ing manner:
.. Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the pedals to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees slightly bent
G &. in Why is your seat adjustment so im ­
portant? on page 54 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against t he seatback, you can
s till grasp the top of the steering whee l.
.. Applies to veh icles with adjustable head re­
straints: Adjust the head restraint so the up­
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of yo ur head. If that is not possib le, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as .,.

close to this position as possible
c:>page 57.
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal function. In
case of sudden braking or an accident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate .
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position .
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
ploying, do not sit any closer to the instru­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three-point safety belt provided adjusted
correctly . We recommend that you adjust the
passenger's seat in the following manner:
.,. Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
position.
Do not ride with the seat reclined .
"" Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re­
stra ints: Adjust the head restraint so the up­
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this position as possible
c:> page 57.
.,. Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenger's seat .
Front seats
Manual seat adjustment
Appl ies to vehicles: with manu ally a djustable seats
Fig. 51 Fr ont seats: manual seat adjustment
Seats and storage 55
Controls
@-Moving the seat forward/back: pull the
lever and slide the seat
c:> A.
@ -Lengthening/shortening the upper thigh
support*: lift the handle. A spring moves the
support forward
c:> ,& .
@ -Adjust ing the angle* of the seat surface:
pull/press the lever
c:> ,& .
@) -Adjusting the lumbar support*: press the
button in the corresponding position
c:> ,& .
®-Moving the seat up/down: pull/press the
lever
c:> .&. .
@ -Adjusting the backrest angle : turn the ad­
justing wheel
c:> .&..
A WARNING ,--
-Never adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat while the vehicle is moving.
If you do this while the veh icle is moving,
you will be out of position. Always adjust
the dr iver's or front passenger's seat
when the vehicle is not mov ing.
- Be careful when adjusting the seat
he ight. Check to see that no one is in the
way, or ser ious injury could result!
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden braking or accident, front pas­
sengers must never rid e in a moving ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined. Safety
be lts and the airbag system on ly offer
maximum protection when the backrest
is upright and the safety belts are prop ­
erly positioned on the body. The more
the backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating position and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts.

56 Seats and storage
Power seat adjustment
App lies to vehicles: with power adjustable seats
Fig. 52 Front seats: power seat adjustment
Controls
@ -Adj usting the lumbar support*: press the
button in the corresponding position¢ .&..
@-Moving the seat up/down: press the but­
ton up/down¢ .&..
@-Moving the seat forward/back: p ress the
button fo rward/back
¢ & .
©-Adjusting the backrest angle: press the
button fo rward/back
¢ & .
©-Raising/lowering* the head restraints:
press the button up/down ¢ .&. .
@ -Lengthening/shortening the upper thigh
support*: lift the handle. A spring moves the
front seat cushion forward¢&.
A WARNING
- Never adjust the d river's or front pas­
senger 's seat while the veh icle is moving.
If you do this wh ile the vehicle is movi ng,
yo u will be out of posit ion. Always adjus t
the drive r's or front passenger's seat
when the vehicle is not moving .
- Be care ful when adjus ting the seat
heig ht. Check to see that no one is in the
way, o r serious injury could result!
- B eca use the sea ts can be elec trically ad­
justed with the ignit ion off or with the
ignition key removed, never leave chil­
dren unattended in the vehicle. Unsuper­
vised use of the electric seat adjust­ ments may cause serious injury. -
To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden braking or accident, front pas­
sengers must never r ide in a moving ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined. Safety
be lts and the airbag system only offer
maximum protection when the backrest is upr ight and the safety belts are prop­
e rly po sitioned on the body. The more
the backres t is reclined, the grea ter the
risk of persona l injury from an incorrect
seating position and imprope rly posi­
tioned safety belts.
Center armrest
The center armrest can be adjusted to several
levels .
Fig. 53 A rm rest between the driver's/front passenger's
seats.
Ad ju sting the center armrest
"" To adjust the ang le, raise the arm rest from
the starting position
¢ fig. 53 detent by de­
t en t.
.,. To bring the armres t back into the starting
position, raise it out of the top detent and
fold it back down.
T he armrest can slide forwar d and back .

-Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un ­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats <=:>
page 165 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat <=:>
page 144.
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas-
Driving Safely 129
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
.,. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position
<=:> page 64 .
.,. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seating position, slide the center head re­
straint upward at least to the next notch.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
<=:> page 139 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age
<=:> page 165.
& WARNING ~
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is securely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection . •
•

138 Safet y belt s
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Neve r rely on airbags a lone for p rotec tion.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
addit io nal p rotection . Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with a irbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to min i­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash .
Remember too, that airbags wi ll deploy on ly
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have a lready deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle whe re even more severe o r fatal in juries
can occu r.
It is also impo rtant for the rear passenge rs to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the re ar seats end anger no t on ly them­
selves but a lso the d river a nd other passen­
gers ~
fig. 133. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violent ly, where they can
h it and injure the dr iver and/or front seat pas ­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
F ig . 13 4 Driver is co rrectly re st ra ined in a s udden b rak ·
i n g m an euve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference . Safety be lts he lp to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the
uncontrolled movement that can
ca use serio us in juries . In addition, safety be lts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"abso rbing" t he kinetic energy over a longer
per iod of t ime, the safety belts make the
forces o n the body more " tolerable" and less
l ikely to ca u se inju ry.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
ta l co llision, saf ety belts can a lso substantia l­
ly red uce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
cr ashes. So, whether you're on a long t rip o r
j u st going to the corner store, a lways buckle
u p and make sure others do, too. Accident sta ­
tistics show that veh icle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of be ing
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety be lts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen ­
tal airbags to do the ir job i n a collision. Fo r
t hi s reason, wea ring a safety belt is legally re­
quired in mos t countr ies includi ng mu ch of
t h e Un ited States and C anada .
Althoug h your Aud i is equipped with a irbags,
you still have to wear the safety be lts prov id­
ed . F ront ai rbags, fo r example , a re ac tivated
o nly in some front al coll isions. The fron t air­
bags are not act ivated in a ll fron tal collis ions,
in side and rear co llisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not eno ugh deceleration
through impact to the front o f the veh icle.
The same goes for the other a irbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt and make su re everybody in your veh icle is
properly restrai ned !

144 Airbag sys tem
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 al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, a lways:
• Adjust the dr iver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 12 7,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
r=;page 55,
• Wear safety be lts properly r=:; page 139,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
stra int to protect children¢
page 165.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force .
The supplementa l airbags can cause injuries if
the dr iver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . T herefore in order to he lp the
a irbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r to s it properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenge r
compartment, the airbag ca n inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supp lemen tal p rotec­
tion in ce rtain frontal collisions
r=:; page 127,
Proper occupant seating positions .
For detai ls
on the operat ion of the seat adjustment con­
trols ¢
page 56.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained
r=:; page 165.
There is a lot tha t the driver and the passen­
ge rs can and must do to help the individua l
safety features ins talled in your A udi work to­
gether as a system.
Prope r seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver s ide can do i ts
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con- dition that prevents yo
u from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the peda ls , spec ial
modifications to your vehicle may be necessa­
ry.
Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler, or call
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834 .
When the airbag sys tem dep loys, a gas gener­
ator will f ill the ai rbags, break open the pad ­
ded covers, and inf late between the steering
whee l and the dr iver and between the instru ­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after dep loy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
th rough the w indshield aga in without inter­
ruption .
All of th is take s place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have dep loyed . The airbags also
inflate with a g reat dea l of force and nothing
sho uld be in their way when they deploy.
F ron t air bags in combination w ith properly
worn safety bel ts slow down and lim it the oc ­
c u pant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the drive r and front seat pas­
senger from hitting parts of the inside the ve­
hicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant dur ing the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and uppe r body i n the c rash . A irbags do not
protect the a rms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front a irbags w ill not i nflate in all fronta l
collisions . The t rigge ring of the a irbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
c a u sed by the co llision and reg istered by the
elect ron ic cont ro l u nit. If thi s rate is below
the re ference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be trigge red ,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a res ult of the collision . Veh icle damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is no t necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inflate or not .
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possib le kind and .,.