airbag off AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2011 User Guide

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Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be su re to re ad t he i mpo rt a nt i nfo rmation a nd head the
WA RNINGS fo r i mporta nt details about chil dre n and
Advanced Airbags ~
page 221.
Even t hough your ve hicle is eq uipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, ma ke ce rtain that a ll chi ld ren, especia lly those 12 years an d
younger, always r ide in the back seat prope rly rest rained fo r th eir age
and si ze. The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a
po tentially da ngerous place fo r a child to r ide. The fro nt seat is not
the safest place for a ch ild in a forward-facing child safety seat. It can
be a very dange rous place fo r an i nfan t or a child in a rearward-fac ing
seat.
Th e Advanced Ai rbag System in your vehicle has been cer tified to
comply with the Req uirements of Uni ted States Federa l Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your veh icle
was ma nufact ured .
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be tu rne d off ("s uppressed") if a c hild up to abou t one ye ar of age
restra ined in o ne of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant
restra ints listed in Fed era l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
whic h the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle was cert ified has
been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the ch ild
restra in ts that were used to certify compliance with the US Saf ety
Standard =>
page 223.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t in th e in st rume nt p anel t ells you
when the front Advanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
tur ned off by the ele ct ronic con trol uni t.
Each time you t urn on the ignition, t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if th e front passenger se at is no t oc cupie d,
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child restra int on the front
p assenge r se at,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occup ied by an adult as
reg iste red by t he weight -sens ing mat =>
page 210, "M oni tor ing t he
Advanced Airbag System" .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes o n when t he control unit
de tects a total weight on t he front passenger seat that req uires the
front airbag to be t urned off .
If th e total weight o n the front passenger seat is more than th at of a
typical 1 year-o ld child but less than the weight of a small adult, the
fr on t a ir bag on the passenge r si de c an deploy (t he
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 co ntrol unit and can deploy if
the control unit senses an impact t hat meets the conditions 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 (rega rd less of whether the chi ld is in one of the
child safety seats listed =>
page 223), or
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenger
sea t.
If the fro nt passenger a irbag is tur ned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht comes on in the instr ument cluster an d stays on.
Th e fron t airbag on t he pa sse nger side may
not de ploy ( the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not illum inate and stay lit) even
if a small a dult or teenager, o r a passenger who is no t sitti ng upright
with their back against a non-reclined backrest w ith the ir feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=>
page 178, " P roper seat ing pos itio n for the dr iver".
If the front passenger ai rbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
t he a irbag to mee t the "low risk" deployme nt cr iter ia to reduce the
risk of inj ury through interaction with the a irbag. "Low r isk" deploy­
me nt o ccurs in those cras hes t hat tak e pla ce a t lower decelerat io ns as
I),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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defined in the elect ronic contro l unit~ page 211, "PASSE NGER AIR
BA G OFF l ight ".
Always r emembe r, a c hild safety seat o r infa nt ca rr ie r i nsta lled on th e
fro nt seat may be struc k and k noc ke d out of position by t he ra pidly
i nflat ing pass enge r's air ba g in a fr ontal c oll ision. Th e airba g could
g reat ly re duce the effectiveness o f th e ch ild restraint an d even seri­
ousl y injur e th e child d uring inf lation .
For this r easo n, and b eca use the back seat is th e sa fest plac e for chil­
dre n -whe n pro per ly restra ined acc ordin g to their age and size -we
s tr ong ly r ecommen d that childr en a lways sit in the back s eat
~ pa ge 22 1, "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 backrest, center armrest, door or roof .
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional 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
authorized 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 210, "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 authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
• 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:

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& WARNING (conti nued)
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
protection.
• Airbag work most effectivel y 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
c hildren, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the a irbag 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 i s on the front pa ssenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these spec ial conditions is
impos sible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in a ccordance 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 po sition .
• For their own safety , all children , especially 12 years and
younger, should alway s ride in the back properly re strained for
the ir age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced A irbag System in
comp li a nce wi th Unit ed State s F edera l Motor Vehicle Sa fety Sta ndar d
208 as applicable at t he time your veh icle was manufactured.
Th e front A dvanced A irbag System s upplements the safety belts to
prov ide addit ional p rotect ion fo r the driver's a nd front passenger's
hea ds and uppe r bodies in fronta l crashes . The airbags inflate only in
fronta l impa cts when the vehicle dece leration is high enoug h.
T he front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is not
a subs titu te for your s afe ty be lts. R athe r, it is part o f the ove rall occu­
pant restra int system in your ve hicle. Always remember t hat the
airbag sys tem ca n on ly hel p to protect you, if yo u are sitting upr igh t,
wearing your safety be lt and wear ing it prope rly . T his is why you and
your passengers must always be p roperly restra ined, not just beca use
t he law requires you to be .
The Advanced A irbag System in your veh icle has been cert ified to
meet the " low r isk " req uirem ents fo r 3 a nd 6 year-old childre n on the
passenger s ide and very small adu lts on the driver s ide. T he low r isk
dep loyme nt crite ria are in tende d to hel p r educe t he ris k of injury
throug h interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for example,
by being too close to the steering wheel and instr ume nt pane l whe n
t he airbag i nflates.
In addit ion, the system has been cert ified to comply with t he
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand ard, to turn off the
front airbag for infants 12 mont hs old and younger who are
res trained on the fron t passenger sea t in child re strai nts th at ar e
listed in the Standard~
page 223, "Child restraints and Advanced
Air bags".
" Sup pression" requ ires the front a irbag on the passenger side to be
turned off if:
• a chi ld up to about one year o f age is restra ined on the fron t
passenge r seat in one of t he rear-faci ng or forward-facing infant
res train ts lis ted in F eder al Motor Vehicle S afety Stand ard 208 wit h
w hich the Advanced A irbag System in yo ur vehicle was ce rtified . Fo r a .,_

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listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the US Safety Standard ~
page 22 3,
• weight less than a threshold level sto red in the contro l unit is
de tected o n the front p assenge r seat.
When a person is detected on t he front passenger seat, weigh ing
more tha n the tota l we ight of a child that is about 1 year old
restra ined in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant
restraints (listed in Federal Motor Ve hicle Safety Standard
208 with
w hich t he Advan ced Ai rbag System in your veh icle was cert ified), the
front airbag on the passenger s ide may or may not dep loy.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on when the elect ronic
control u nit detects a tota l weig ht on the front passenger seat that
req uires the front airbag to be turned off . If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OF F
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the
cont rol un it senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
If the tota l we ight on the fro nt passenger sea t is more than th at of a
typical
1 year-o ld, but less than the weight of a small adult, the front
airbag on the passenger side may dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on) .
For example, the airb ag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heav ie r than a typical 1 year-old child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whether the ch ild is in one of the
child safety seats listed ~
page 223),
• a child who has outgrown child restra ints is on the front passenger
sea t.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the center of the instr ument panel will come on and stay
on .
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not i llumi nate and s tay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
a passenger w ho is not sitt ing uprig ht with their back against a
non-recline d backrest wi th t he ir feet on the veh icle floor in fro nt o f
the seat is o n the fro nt passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Federa l Standard requires
t he a irbag to mee t the " low ris k" deployment c riter ia to help reduce
the risk of injury through interaction with the a irbag. "Low risk"
dep loyment oc curs in those c rashes that ta ke p lace at lowe r de cele r­
ations as defined in the electronic contro l unit.~
page 210
Alw ays remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle is eq uipped with
Advanced A irbags, the safest place for children is properly restrained
on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important information in
the sections t hat follow and be su re to heed all of the WAR NINGS.
& WARNING
To reduc e the ri sk of injury w hen an airbag inflate s, alwa ys w ear
safet y belt s properly .
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward , sitting sidewa ys or
out of po sition in any way , your ri sk of injury i s much high er.
• You will also recei ve serious injurie s and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it wh en it inflates -
e ven with an Ad vanced Airbag ~
page 199.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
pa ssenger seat will be seriou sly injured and can be killed if the
front a irbag inflates · even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• Although the Ad vanced Airb ag System in your v ehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward-facing child
re straint has been installed on the front pas senger seat , nobody
c an absolut ely guarantee th at deployment is impo ssible in all
c onceivable situation s that may happen during the u seful life of
your vehicle. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (conti nued)
• The inflating ai rbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with gr eat force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
c hild again st the backrest , center armrest , door , or roof.
• Alway s install rearward-facing child restraints in the back seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of e xceptional 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
s eating po sition and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front pas senger' s seat:
• Always make sure the forward-fac ing se at has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for u se 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.
• Alway s move the passenger seat into it s rearmost position
in
the seat 's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag a s possible, before in stalling the forward -facing child
restraint. The back rest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the t ime whenever the ignition is switched on .•
Advanced Airbag System components
Th e front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot of very important
parts of t he A dvanced A irbag System in it. These parts incl ude t he
we ight-sens ing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func- tion of the system
in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec­
t ronic c ontro l unit w hen the ignitio n is o n. The contr ol unit mon itors
t he Advanced Airbag System and tu rns the airbag indicato r light o n
w hen a malfunction in t he system components is detected. The func­
t ion of the a irbag indicator light is descr ibed in greater deta il below .
Because the front passenge r seat co nta ins impo rtant parts of t he
Adva nced Ai rbag System, you must ta ke care to p reve nt i t from be ing
damaged. Damage to the seat may p revent the A dvanced A irbag for
t he fro nt passenge r se at from do ing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Cras h sensors in the front of t he vehicle that measu re vehicle
a cc ele ration/de ce le ra tion to provi de i nfo rm ation to the Advanced
Airbag System about the severity of the crash .
• An e lec tron ic contro l unit, w it h i ntegrated crash sensors fo r front
and side impacts. The contro l unit "dec ides" w het her to fire the front
a irbag s based o n the inform ation receive d fro m t he c rash se nso rs.
The contro l unit also "decides" whether the safety be lt pretens ioners
shoul d be activ at ed .
• An Advanced Air bag with gas generator and control va lve for the
dr ive r in side t he steering wheel hub.
• An Advanced Air bag with gas generator and control va lve inside
t he inst rument pa ne l for the fron t passenge r.
• A weight-sensi ng mat unde r th e up ho ls tery pad ding of the front
passenger s eat cushion that measures the tota l we igh t on the seat .
Th e informat io n registered is sent continuous ly to the elect ronic
con trol unit to regulate deployment of t he front Advanced A irbag o n
the passenger side.
• An airbag mon itoring system a nd ind icator light in the ins trument
cl uster => page
210 .
• A senso r in each front seat reg isters the distance between the
res pective sea t and t he steeri ng whee l o r i nst rument p ane l. T he
info rmation reg iste red is sent co ntin uously to the e lectronic con trol
uni t to reg ulate dep loyment of the front Advanced Air bags . ..,

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• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
c en ter o f the inst ru me nt pane l=>
page 211, fig. 199 a nd t ells you
when the front Advanced A irbag on t he passe nger side has been
t u rne d off.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
t o meas ure t he tension on t he s afety be lt. T he tension on the s afety
belt and the we ight registe red by the weight-sensing mat help t he
cont rol unit " deci de" whether the front a irbag for the front
passenge r seat should be tur ned off o r not=>
page 201, "C hild
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know".
• A se nso r in the safety bel t latch for the driver a nd fo r the front
seat passenge r that senses whether that safety belt is latched or not
and transmits this information to t he e lec tron ic control un it .
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properl y.
• 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 pa ssenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat .
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it .
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat . If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry th ings on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
seat. Such items can in crease the weight registered by the weight­
sensing mat and send the wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Never store item s under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag Sy stem under the passenger seat could be
damaged , preventing them and the airb ag system from working
properly .
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats .
• Seat cover s can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child re straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
• Never u se cushions, pillow s, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from ac curately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Ai rbag System from functioning properly .
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position
the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on and stays on whenever the ch ild restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, immediately install child restraint in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
Th e fron t Adva nced A irbag System and t he side air bags supp lemen t
t he p ro tec tion offered by the front three- po int safety belts with
pretens ioners and load limiters and t he adjusta ble head restra ints to
help reduce the risk of injury in a w ide rang e of acc iden t and crash ..,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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situat ions . Be sure to read the important i nformat ion about safety
a nd hee d the WAR NIN GS i n t his ch apte r.
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and the act ivat ion of the
safety belt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured by
t he crash senso rs an d regis tered by the e lectroni c con trol u nit. The
amount of inflation of the front airbags can a lso be adapted to the
front seat pos it ion, depending on t he d istance be tween the respec ­
tive front seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel as reg is­
t ere d by sensors in the seats. Crash seve rity depends on speed and
deceleration as well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle or object
involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, rega rd less of safety be lt use, the a irbag will
be t urned off if the we ight on the passenger seat is less tha n the
amount prog rammed in the e lec tronic contro l uni t. The fro nt airbag
on the passenger side will a lso be turned off if one of the chi ld safety
sea ts tha t has been cert ified under Federa l Mo to r Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat . The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht comes on and stays on to tell you w hen the fron t
Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
=> page 201, "C hild restraints o n the front sea t - some impo rtant
things to know ".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of inju ry when an a irbag inflates, always wear
safety belt s properly.
• If you are un rest rained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of posit ion in any way , your risk of injury is much higher .
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too clo se t o it wh en it inflates ·
even with an Advanced Airbag=>
page 199. •
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fi g. 1 98 I nfl ate d
front a irb ags
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
pro per seated pos ition so that a irbags can unfold prope rly and
prov ide supp lemental protect ion in a frontal collision.
Th e front airbags are designed to provide add itio na l protec tion for
the c hest and face of the driver and the front sea t passenge r when:
• safety belts are worn properly ,
• t he seats have been posit ioned so that the occupant is prope rly
seated as far as possible from the airbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because air bags inflate in the b link of a n eye w it h great force, things
you have on your lap o r have place d on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the a irbag inf lates .
When a n airbag dep loys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to l ubricate the ai rbags as they deploy.
It could irritate
skin .
I t is important to remember that while the supp lemental airbag
system is desig ned to reduce the li ke lihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swelling , b ruising and m inor abras ions, can also
happen when airbags infl ate. Airbags do not p rotect the arms or the ..,_

Airbag system --------------------------------------------- -=---=----
lowe r pa rts of the body . Front a irbags only supp lemen t th e t hree
po int saf ety b elt s in som e frontal col lisions in which t he vehicl e decel­
erat io n is high en ough to d ep loy the a irbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off w hen a cras h occ urs ,
• in side co llisions,
• in re ar- end collisions,
• in rollove rs,
• when t he cra sh d ecelera tion m easur ed by the airbag sys te m is le ss
than the min imum threshold needed fo r airbag deployme nt as reg is­
t ere d by t he e lectr onic c ontrol u nit.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy:
• when t he fro nt p ass eng er s eat i s not o ccupi ed,
• when the weight on the front passenge r seat as sense d by the
A dvanc ed Airba g Sy stem indicat es that t he front a irbag o n the
passenge r s id e has to be turned off by the e lectro nic con trol unit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht c om es on an d sta ys on).
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the risk of serious injury
in crashes.
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate, the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position , must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye=>
page 201.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& 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 backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional 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
authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will increase the risk of injury
in a cra sh by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders, telephone brackets, large , heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG " on the steering
wheel , instrument panel, seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate .
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects .
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
IIJ,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneu ver. Objects ne ar the
airbag s can b ecome proje ctiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbag s deploy can cau se breathing
problem s for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
cond itions.
• To reduce the r isk of br eathing problem s, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening window s
or doors.
• If you are
in a collision in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes, flush them with
water. •
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light tfG
Two separa te indi cat ors m onit or the funct io n of the
Adv ance d Airb ag Sys te m : th e airb ag mo nit ori ng i nd icato r
lig ht a nd th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the e lectronic control unit,
sensor circui ts and system wi ring) is mo nit o red co ntinu ous ly to make
sure that it is f unction ing p roperly whenever the ignition is on. Each
t ime y ou tur n on the ignit ion, t he air bag mo nito ring in dicat or lig ht
W,
w ill come on for a few s econds (self diagnos tics) .
The system must be inspected when the indicator
light ~:
• does not come on when the ign ition is switched on,
• does not go o ut a few seconds a fter you have switched on the igni ­
tion, or
• co mes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light w ill
fi rst start flashing to catch t he d river's attention and then stay on
cont inuous ly to serve as a co nstant rem inder to have the system
inspected immediately .
If a m alfu n ct io n occur s that tur ns th e fron t airbag on the passenger
side off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whe never the ignition is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protect ion in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho ­
rized Audi dealer .•

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g ~ s,,._y _s _t_ e _ m ___ _
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 199 Section from
the in strument pa nel:
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center of the
ins trume nt panel ~ fig. 199 .
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t will come on and stay on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t ur ne d off by the ele ct ronic control unit. Each t ime you t urn on t he
ign ition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will flash fo r a few
se conds a nd:
• will stay on if t he front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if th ere is a small c hild or child re strain t on the front
passenger seat,
• will go ou t if th e fron t passe nger sea t is o ccup ied by an adul t as
registe red by t he weight-sens ing mat.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on if the
ign ition is on and
• a car bed has been insta lled on t he front seat, o r
• a rearward-facing c hild rest raint has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• a forward-faci ng chi ld restraint has bee n in stalled on the front
passenge rseat,or
• the weight reg istered on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less th an the co m bined we ig ht of a ty pical 1 year-o ld re strained in
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
one of the rear-facing or forward- facing infa nt restraints listed in
F ede ral Mo tor Ve hicl e Sa fe ty S tan dard 20 8 wit h w hich th e Adv anced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occ upied, the front a irbag w ill not
dep loy, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l igh t will s tay o n. N ever
install a rearward -facing chi ld restraint on the front passenge r seat,
t he s afest pla ce f or a ch ild in any kind o f ch ild re st ra int is at one of the
seating positions on t he rear seat~
page 201, "Child restra ints on
t he fr ont sea t- som e impo rtant t hings to know" and ~
page 2 21,
"Ch ild Safety" .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of t he
co ndi tion s list ed above is m et, be sur e to che ck the light re gu la rly to
ma ke certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht stays on
con tinu ously wheneve r the ignition is o n.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht does not appear and not stay on all the t ime, stop as soon
as it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turni ng the ignition off and then t urning
it on agai n;
• remove and reinstall the ch ild restraint. Make sure that the ch ild
restra in t is prope rly installed and tha t the sa fety belt fo r the fron t
passenger seat has bee n correctly routed around the c hild restra int as
desc rib ed in the c hild restraint manufacturer's i nstr uctions;
• make s ure that the convertib le loc kin g feature o n the safety belt
for the front passenge r seat has been a ct ivated and t hat t he safety
belt has bee n pulled t ight. The be lt must not be loose or have loops
of slac k so that the senso r be low t he safety belt latch on the seat ca n
do its job~
page 23 1.
• make s ure tha t thi ngs tha t may inc rease the wei ght o f th e chi ld
and c hild safety seat are not bei ng transported on the front
passenge r seat;
• make s ure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked.
S hake the sa fety belt la tch on the front passen ger seat back an d
fort h;
• If a strap or teth er i s be ing used to tie the chi ld sa fe ty se at to the
front passe nger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data