airbag off AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2014 Owners Manual

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 34,
-Door handles with convenience key*
O? page 35 ,
-Lock cylinder at the dr iver's door
r=> page 36 , or
- Power loc king switc h inside
<:!> page 35.
Automatic locking
The automat ic locking feature locks all the ve ­
hi cle 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 vehicle can be un ­
locked if the opening fu nction in the power
locking system sw itch or at one of the door
l eve rs is actuated. The Au to Lo ck function can
be turned o n and off in the rad io or
MMI*
r=> page 36 .
Additionally, in the event of a c rash with air­
bag deployment the doors are automatically
u nl ocked to a llow 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.
W hen unlocking, you ca n set in the rad io or
M MI* whethe r
only the dr iver's door or the
enti re ve hicle should be unlocked
r=> page 3 6.
Anti -theft alarm warning system
If the a nti-theft alarm warning system de­
tects a brea k-in into t he vehicle, acoust ic and
visua l wa rning sig na ls are triggered .
The an ti- theft warn ing system is act ivated au ­
tomatically when you lock the vehicle .
It is de­
activated when u nlocking using the remote
Opening and clo sin g 31
key, w ith the mechan ica l key, and when you
switch on the ignition.
T he al arm a lso t urns off w hen t he a la rm cy cl e
has expired.
Turn signals
When you u nlock the ve hicle, the turn signals
flash twice, when yo u lock it once . If they do
not flash, one of the doo rs, the luggage com ­
partment lid or the hood is not lo cked or the
ignition is s till sw itched on.
Unint entionally locking yourself out
In the follow ing cases there safeg uards to
prevent you lock ing you r remote master key in
t h e ve hicl e:
- The vehicle does not loc k w ith the power
lock ing switc h
r=> page 35 if the drive r's
door is open .
- On veh icles with convenience key*, if the
most recently used master key is in the lug­
gage compartment, the rear lid is a utomat i­
cally u nlocked again after it is closed.
Do not lock your veh icle w ith the remote mas­
te r key o r convenience key* unt il all doors a nd
the rear lid a re closed . In this way you avoid
l ocking yo urse lf o ut accidentally .
_&. WARNING
-
-When you leave the veh icle, alw ays re ­
move the ignition key an d take it with
you. This wi ll 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 w itho ut 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
v ehicle occupants from the outside.

36 Opening and clo sing
- You cannot open the doors or the rear lid
from th e
outside (increased security, for ex­
amp le when you are stopped at a red light).
- The diodes in the power locking switch illu­
minate when all the doors are closed and
locked .
- You can unlock and open the doors from the
inside by pulling on the door hand le .
- If you have a crash and the airbag is activat ­
ed, the doors automatically un lock .
.&_ 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 outs ide 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 beh ind in the veh icle, especially
children.
(D Tips
Your vehicle is locked automatically at a speed of
9 mph (15 km/h) (Auto lock)
¢
page 31. You can unlock the veh icle
again using the opening f unction in th e
power locking sys tem switch
@I.
Setting power locking
In the radio/MM!* , you can set which doors
the central locking system will unlock.
• Select : I CAR I function button> Central lock­
ing .
Or
• Se lect :
~I C-A-R ~I funct io n button > Car sy stem s*
control bu tton > Vehicle setting s > (Centr al
locking )*.
Sing le door un locking /Unlock do ors* -
you
can specify which doors un lock when you open
the veh icle .
- Se lecting
off /All and pressing the I@ b utton
on the remote cont ro l key unlocks the entire
vehicle . -
Selecting
on/Dri ver and pressing the~ but­
ton on the r emote control key once un locks
only the driver 's door. In vehicles w ith a con­
ven ience key*, only the door whose handle
you pull will unlock . If you press the
@J but­
ton tw ice, the entire vehicle will un lock .
If
you p ress the I@ b utton, t he ent ire ve hicle
w ill always lock.
Luggage comp. lock /Lock e xterior trunk han ­
dle -
If you select On, you can no longer ope n
t h e luggage compartment usi ng the rea r lid
hand le
¢ page 37, fig . 25 . In this case, the
rear lid can be opened with the
l=I button on
t h e master key ¢
page 34, fig. 20.
Ton e when locking -if you select On, a tone
will sound when you lock the vehicle .
Auto Lock/Lock when driving -if you select
On, the entire vehicle w ill lock automatica lly
when the speed reaches
9 mph ( 1 5 km/h) .
Emergency locking
Fig. 23 D river 's doo r: lock cy li nder
Fig. 24 F ro nt pass eng er 's doo r: emer gency lock
If the central locking system malfunctions,
you must unlock/lock the doors separate ly us­
i ng the emergency key or the mechanical key . .,.

The leavin g home function i lluminates the
area around the vehicle when unlock ing it.
T his function can be switched on and off.
The
c o ming h om e and lea ving home func­
tions on ly operate when it is dark and the
light switch is in the AUTO posit ion
¢ page 51 , fig. 54 .
Auto headlight s*
When the light switch is in the A UTO
¢ page 51 position, the switch-on po int of the
lights can be changed in the automatic driving
light function.
Daytime running lights
USA m odel s:
You can switch the dayt ime run­
ni ng lights
on and o ff .
Canada mod els:
The function cannot be
turned off .
It is activated a utomat ica lly each
time the ignition is switched on.
Travel mode*
T he headlight beam is asymmetrical. This pro­
v ides stronger illum ination on the s ide of the
road on wh ich you are driving .
If you are driv­
i ng in a country that d rives on the opposite
side of the road from your own country, th is
will cause glare for on coming drivers. To pre­
vent glare:
- Trave l mode must be selected in vehicles
with Xenon headlights*.
- In veh icles with halogen headlights, ce rtain
areas of the head light lenses must be cov­
ered with wate rproof adhesive covers that
prevent light from passing thro ugh. For
more informat ion, please see your author ­
i z ed Audi dea ler or author ized repa ir faci lity .
(D Tips
When trave l mode is activated, a display in
the driver information system indicates
this each time you switch the ignit io n on.
Clear vi sion 5 3
Emergency flashers
Fig. 56 Center co n sole : em erge ncy flasher sw itc h
The emergency flashers makes other moto­
rists aware that you or your vehicle are in an
emergency situation .
.. Press the switch
Gil ¢ fig. 56 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off .
When the emergency f las hers are on, all four
turn s ignals b link at the same time. The turn
s ignal indicator lights .
1B in the instru ­
ment cluster, as well as the light in the emer­
gency flasher switch ~ blink likewise.
You can indicate a lane change or a tu rn w hen
the emergency flashers are switched on by us­
ing the turn signal lever. The emergency flash­
ers stop temporarily .
T he emergency flashers also work when the
ign it ion is turned off .
T he emergency flashers w ill turn on a utomat i­
ca lly if yo u are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D Tips
You sho uld turn on the emergency f lashers
when:
- yo u are the last veh icle standing in a t raf ­
fic jam so that any other vehi cles coming
can see you, or whe n
- your vehicle has bro ken down or you are
in an eme rgency s ituation, or when
- yo ur vehicle is be ing towed by a tow
truck or if you are tow ing another vehicle
beh ind you.

60 Seats and stor age
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 adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
you r seat prope rly so that :
- you can easily and quickly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is properly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and airbag system can offer
maximum protection ¢
page 140.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat. Always follow the informa­
tion regarding child safety provided in
¢ page 161, Child Safety.
WARNING
Refer to¢ page 121, 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 driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury .
- Always keep your feet on the floor 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 applies 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 personal
injury or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and front passenger to keep a distance of at
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel.
If you're sitting any
closer than this, the airbag system can­
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they
can give you maximum protection.
- 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 your seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving .
We recommend that you adjust the driver's
seat in the following 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
o &. in Why is your seat adjustment so im ­
portant? on page 60 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback , you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.. Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re­
straints: 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
¢page 63.
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
¢ page 63.
.,. Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenger's seat .
Front seats
Power seat adjustment
Applies to vehicles: with power adjustable seats
Fig. 67 Front seats: power seat adjustment
Seats and storage 61
Controls
@-Adjusting 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: press the
button forward/back¢ ,&..
©-Adjusting the backrest angle : press the
button forward/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 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!
- Because the seats can be electrically ad­
justed with the ignition off or with the
ignit ion 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 ride in a moving ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined. Safety
belts and the airbag system only offer
maximum protection when the backrest
is upr ight and the safety belts are prop­
erly positioned on the body. The more
the backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of persona l injury from an incorrect
seating position and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts.

124 Driving Safely
-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
c::> page 161 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat<=:>
page 140.
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 -sengers on the
rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
" Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position <=:>
page 67.
"Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
" Fasten and wear safety belts properly
<=:>
page 135 .
"Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro ­
priate for their size and age ¢
page 161.
,&. 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!
Proper adjustment of head restraints
-
App lies to vehicles: with adjustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restrain ts are an im­
portant part of your vehicle 's occupant re­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 133 Head restra int: v iewed from the front

134 Safety belts
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
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 already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­
gers~
fig. 143. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver 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!
Fig. 144 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudden brak·
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference . Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent
the uncon trolled movement that can
ca use serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts 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" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable " and less
likely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­ ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen ­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision. For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired 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 provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not eno ugh 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 everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

140 Airbag system
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, always:
• Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 122,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
r=; page 61,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 135,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect children ¢
page 161.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force.
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the dr iver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Therefore in order to help the
a ir bag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenger to sit prope rly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supplemental protec­
tion in ce rtain frontal collisions
¢page 122,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or details
on the operation of the seat adjustment con­
t rols ¢
page 61.
It's especially important that children are
properly restrained ¢
page 161.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
ge rs can and must do to help the individua l
safety features installed in your A udi work to­
gether as a system.
Proper seating pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver side can do its
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con- dition that
prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the pedals , spec ial
modif ications to your vehicle may be necessa­
ry.
Contact your a uthorized Audi dealer, or call
Audi C ustomer Relations at 1-800-822-2834 .
When the airbag sys tem dep loys , a gas gener­
ator will f ill the airbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inflate between the steering
whee l and the driver and between the instru­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after deploy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
th rough the windshield aga in without inter­
ruption .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy.
Front airbags in comb ination with prope rly
worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver 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 upper body in the crash . A irbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front a irbags w ill not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system
depends on the vehicle deceleration rate
caused by the collision and registered by the
electron ic control unit. If this rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be triggered ,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a result of the co llision . Vehicle 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 possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possib le kind and .,.

angle of impact that will always trigger the
airbags, since the circumstances will vary con­
siderably between one collision and another.
Important factors include, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the object which the
car hits, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. The front airbags will also not inflate in
side or rear collisions, or in ro ll-overs .
Alwa ys rem ember : Airbags will deploy only
once, and only in certa in kinds of collisions .
Your safety belts are always there to offer pro­
tection in those s ituations in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy , or when they have
a lready deployed ; fo r example , when yo ur ve­
h icle strikes or is struck by another after the
first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
a supplementary restra int and is not a s ubst i­
tute for a safety belt . The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the
safety belts. Therefore, always properly wear
your safety belts
¢ page 132.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing wheel or
instrument panel will decrease the effec­
tiveness of the airbags and will increase
the risk of pe rsonal injury in a co llision .
- Never sit closer than
10 inches (25 cm)
to the stee ring wheel or instrument pan­
el.
- If you cannot sit more than
10 i nches
(25 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi­
gate whether adaptive equipment may
be available to help you reach the pedals
and increase your seating dis tance from
the steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, yo ur risk of inj ury is much highe r.
- You w il l also receive serio us inju ries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in ­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r isk o f injury when an air ­
bag inflates, a lways wear safety belts
proper ly ¢
page 135, Safety belts .
Airbag system 141
-Always make certain that chi ld ren age 12
or younger a lways ride in the rear seat. If
children are not properly restrained, they may be severe ly inju red or killed when an
airbag inf lates .
- Never let ch ildren ride unrestra ined or
improperly restrained in the vehicle . Ad ­
just the front seats prope rly.
- Never ride with the backrest reclined.
- Always sit as far as possible from the
steer ing whee l or the instrument pane l
¢page 122.
-Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the f loor in front of the seat to
he lp prevent serio us in juries to the legs
a nd h ips if the airbag inflates.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to tra nsport objects. Items can a lso
move i nto the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra king or in a
sud den maneuve r. Obje cts ne ar the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
injury when an airbag inflates.
_&. WARNING ~
A irbags that have de ployed in a crash must
be replaced.
- Use on ly original equipment airbags ap­
proved by Audi and installed by a trai ned
technician who has the necessary too ls
and d iagnost ic equipment to properly re­
place any airbag in your vehicle and as­
sure system effectiveness in a crash .
- Never perm it salvaged or recycled air­
bags to be installed in your vehicle .
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be su re to read t he importa nt information
and head the WARNINGS fo r important de­
tails about children and Advanced Airbags
¢ page 161. ..,.
•
•

142 Airbag system
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag System, make certain that
all chi ldren, especially those 12 years and
younger, a lways ride in the back seat properly
restrained for their age and size. The airbag
on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a ch ild to ride.
The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or
a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle
has been certified to comply with the Requ ire­
ments of United States Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned off ("sup­
pressed") if a child up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear-facing or for­
ward -facing infant restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed on the front passenger seat . For a listing of the child re ­
strai nts that we re used to certify compliance
with the US Safety Standard
r=v page 163.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the in­
strument panel te lls you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the e lectronic control unit.
Each t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go off if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat
r=v page 150, Monitor­
ing the Advanced Airbag System .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight
on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenge r
seat is more than that of a typica l 1 year -old
chi ld but less than the weight of a small
adult, the front airbag on the passenger side
can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not
been turned off by the electronic con trol unit
and can deploy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the cond itions stored in its
memory .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typical 1
year-old ch ild is on the front passenger seat
( re gard less of whether the child is in one of
the child safety seats listed
r=v page 163), or
- a child who has outgrown ch ild restraints is
on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in
the instrument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger s ide may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illum inate and stay lit) even if a
small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is
not sitt ing upright with their back against a
non-reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front
passenger seat
r=v page 122, Proper seating
position for the driver.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the
Federal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce
the risk of injury t hroug h interaction with the
airbag. "Low risk" deployment occurs in those
crashes that take place at lower dece lerat ions
as defined in the electronic control unit
r=v page 151, PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carr ier installed on the front seat may be
struck and knocked out of posit ion by the rap­
idly inflat ing passenger's airbag in a frontal
collision . The air bag could greatly reduce the
effectiveness of the ch ild restraint and even
seriously injure the child during inflation .