AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2015 Owners Manual

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detail below . Because the front passenger seat
contains important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System, yo u must take care to prevent it from be­
ing damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent
the Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat
from do ing its job in a crash .
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sis ts
of the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors . T he control un it also "de­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
sho uld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve inside the instrument panel for
t h e front passenger.
- A weig ht-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that meas ures the tota l weight on the seat. The
information registered is sent cont in uous ly to
the e lectronic control unit to regulate dep loy­
ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the pas­
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
¢ page 142.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respect ive seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation registered is sent cont inuously to the
elect ron ic cont ro l unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the i nstrument
pane l¢
page 142, fig . 150 and tells you when
the front Advanced Ai rbag on the passenger
side has been turned
off .
-A sensor below the safety belt la tch fo r the
front seat passenge r to measure the tension on
Airbag syste m
the sa fe ty belt. The tens ion on the safety be lt
and the weight registe red by the weight -sens­
ing mat help the control unit "decide" whether
the front a irbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not¢ page 133, Child
restraints on the front seat- some important things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transm its this informat ion to the elect ro nic
cont ro l unit.
A WARNING
D amage to the fron t passenger seat can pre­
vent the fron t air bag from working prope rly.
- Imp roper repai r or d isassembly of the front
passenger and driver sea t will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly .
- Repairs to the front passenge r seat must be
performed by qualified and p roperly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upho lstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sh arp objects in yo ur po ckets or
p la ce them on t he seat.
If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work properly .
- Never carry things on yo ur lap or carry ob ­
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase the we ight registe red by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­
formation to the a irbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking prope rly.
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
p roved by Aud i on the front seats.
- Seat cove rs can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag Sys tem from recogniz ing child
1 39

Airbag system
restraints or occupants on the front passen­
ger seat and prevent the side airbag in the
seat backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accu­ rately registering the child restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer'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
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head re­
straints to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to
read the important information about safety and
heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt
use, the airbag will be turned off if the weight on
the passenger seat is less than the amount pro­
grammed in the electronic control unit . The front
140
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the child safety seats that has been
certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 133, Child restraints on the front seat ­
some important things to know .
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of position 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 against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
r::!;> page 132.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 149 Inflated front airbags
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Safety belts are important to help keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
airbags can unfold properly and provide supple­
mental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tiona l protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag, .,._

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-and the head restraints have been p roperly ad -
justed.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye w ith
great force, things you have on yo ur lap o r have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous p ro­
jectiles, and be pushed into yo u if the airbag in­
flates.
When an a irbag deploys, 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 lubricate the airbags as they dep loy. It
could irr itate skin.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup ­
p lemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious in juries, other injur ies,
for example swell ing, bruising and minor abra­
sions, can also happen when a irbags inf late. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags o nly supplement the
three point safety belts in some frontal col lisions
i n which the veh icle deceleration is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
F ront airbags will not deploy:
- if the ign it io n is switched off when a crash oc -
curs,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in ro llovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the airbag system is less than the minimum thresh ­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control un it.
Th e front pa ssenger airbag will al so not
depl oy:
-when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as
sensed by the Advanced Airbag System indi­
cates that the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has to be turned off by the electronic con­
trol unit (the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of se rious injury in crashes .
Airbag syste m
- To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright pos ition, must not
lean aga inst or place any part of the ir body
too close to the area where the a irbags are
located.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
in ju red by an a irbag as it unfo lds with great
for ce in the blink ofan eye
Qpage 133.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety sea t
i nsta lled on the front passenger seat w ill be
se riously inju red and can be killed if the front
a irbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat o r infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearwa rd fac ing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of except ional circumstances and the
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating posi tion and have the airbag system
inspected by your authori zed Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfe r­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be ­
ing p ushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never hold things in yo ur hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transpo rt items on or in the a rea of
the front passenger seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous project iles that can
cause serious persona l injury if the a irbags
inflate.
141

Airb ag syst em
-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 steer ing wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These obje cts
could cause injury in a crash, e specially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objec ts . Items can also move into
t h e area of the side airbag or the front air ­
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu·
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The f ine dust created when a irbags dep loy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the r isk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other resp iratory con­
ditions should g et fr esh air r ight away by
get ting out of the vehicle o r opening w in ­
dows or door s.
- If you are in a col lision in w hich a irbags de­
p loy, wash your hand s and fa ce wi th mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be caref ul not to get the dus t into you r eyes,
or into any cuts or s cratches.
- If the residue should get into you r eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separa te indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the elec· tronic control unit, sensor circuits and system
w iri ng) is monitored cont inuous ly to make sure
that it is funct ion ing properly whenever the ign i·
142
tion is on . Each time you t urn on the ignit ion, the
fl airbag monitoring indicator light wi ll come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The sy stem must be inspected when th e II
indicator light :
-does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on t he ignit ion, or
- comes on wh ile driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, t he
i ndic ator light will fi rst s tart flashing to catch the
dr ive r's at ten tion and the n stay on con tinuou sly
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys ­
tem inspected immediately .
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front air ­
bag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignit ion is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supp lemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
c> page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer .
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup·
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 15 0 Section fro m t he in strument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF ligh t
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is loca ted in
the center of the inst rument panel
c> fig . 150. ..,.

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The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been t urned
off
by the electron ic control unit. Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
P A SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- wi ll stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go out if the front passenger seat is occ u­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight ­
sensing mat .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st co me
on and st a y on
if the ignition is on and
- a ca r bed has been insta lled on the front seat ,
o r
- a rearward-fac ing c hild restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a fo rward-facing child restraint has been insta l­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to o r less than the comb ined
weight of a typica l 1 yea r-old restrained in one
of the rear -facing or forwa rd-facing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified .
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
fro nt airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing chi ld restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat
¢ page 133, Child re ­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 152, Child safety.
If the PA SSENGER AI R BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the condit ions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on cont inuous ly whenever the ignition is
on.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appea r and not stay on a ll the time , stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
Airbag syste m
- reactivate the system by t urning the ignition off
and then turning it on again;
- remove and reins tall the child restra int . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been correct ly routed around the chi ld
restraint as described in the c hild restraint
manufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retractor on the safety belt for the front passenger seat has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight . T he belt must not be loose or
have loops of s lack so that the sensor below the
safety belt lat ch on the seat can do its job
~ page 161.
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and c hild safety seat a re not
be ing transpo rted on the fro nt passenge r seat;
- make sure t hat the safety belt tension sensor is
not b locked. Shake the safety belt lat ch on the
front passenge r seat back and forth;
- I f a strap or tet he r is be ing used to tie the child
safety sea t to the front passenge r seat, make
sure that it is not so t ight that it causes the
weight -sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still d oes
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- t ake the child rest raint
off the front passenge r
seat and instal l it properly at one of the rea r
seat pos itions. Have the a irbag system inspec t­
ed by your authorized Audi dealer immediately .
- move the child to a rear seat posi tion and make
sure that the child is properly rest ra ined in a
child restraint that is appropr iate for its size
and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light sho uld NO T
come on when the ignit ion is on and an adult is
s itting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while dr iv ing, under these circumstan­
ces, make sure that :
- the adult on t he front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion w ith ..,_
143

Airbag syste m
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined ¢
page 114, Correct
passenger seating positions,
- the adu lt is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading or impression on the weight-sens ing mat under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latch for the front passenger seat .
In addition to the
P ASS ENGER AIR BA G OF F
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PASSE NGER A IR BAG OFF or PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
will briefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster display . Thi s is to inform the driver
of the current front passenger airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop ­
erly cannot prov ide supplementa l protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢
page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Aud i dealer.
It is possible that
the a irbag will inflate when it is not s up­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag in flates, a chi ld without a
child restraint, in a rearward-facing child safe­
ty seat or in a forward-facing child restraint
that has not been proper ly installed will be
ser iously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certa in
that all ch ildren, especially 12 yea rs and
144
younger, a lways ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and size.
- Always install forward or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat -even with an
Advanced A irbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF light does not
appear and stay on, immediately insta ll the
rea r-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seating
position and have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authori zed Audi dealer .
- A t ight tether or other s trap on a rea rward­
facing chi ld restraint attached to the front
p assenger sea t can put too much pressure
on the weight-sens ing mat in the seat and
reg ister more weight than is actually on the
seat. The heavier weight registered can make the system work as though an adult
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed caus ing
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the seat into i ts rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and aft ad justmen t range, as fa r away
from the airbag as possib le. The backrest
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASS ENGER AIR BAG OF F light does
not go out when an adult is s itting on the
front passenger seat after tak ing the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
prope rly seated and restra ined at one of the
rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer befo re transpo rting
anyone on the fro nt passenger seat.

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@ Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov­ ing , servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and prevent that system from working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units .
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airbag system
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical
information, training and special equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag compo­nents must be performed by qualified work­
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv­
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the vehicle electrical sys­ tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
145

Airb ag syst em
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers m ight be classified as Perchlorate Mater ia l
-special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including a irbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
app licab le laws and regu lations must be ob­
served. Your authori zed A udi dealer is fami lia r
w ith these requirements and we recommend
that you have yo ur dealer perform this service
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle 's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using t ire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicl e, chang ing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the spr ings, suspension s truts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control un it. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in c rashes in which it wo uld not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preve nt the airbag from deploy­
i n g when i t should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's s uspension including
use of unapproved ti re -rim comb inations can
change Advanced A irbag pe rformance and in ­
crease t he risk of serious persona l injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components or iginally insta l­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
146
A WARNING
Items stored between t he safety be lt b uckle
and the center console can cause the sensors i n the buckle to send the wrong informat ion
to the electronic control module a nd prevent
the Adva nced Airbag System from wor king
properly.
- Always ma ke sure that nothing can interfere
w it h the safe ty belt bu ckles an d that they
are no t obstr ucted.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
F ig. 151 Driver"s kn ee airbag
The driver knee airbag is i n the instrument panel
u nderneath the steer ing whee l~
fig. 151, the
k nee a irbag for the passenger is at abou t the
same height in the instrument pane l unde rneath
the g love compartment.
The knee air bag offers addi tional protec tion to
t h e d river 's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas and supplements the protec ­
tion provided by the safety belts.
If t he front airbags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fro ntal c ollisions when the dep loyment
th reshold stored in the control un it is me t
~ page 140, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In add it ion to their normal sa fe ty f unct io n, safe-
ty be lts he lp keep the driver or front passenger in ..,.

M
position in a frontal co llision so that the airbags
can provide supp lemental protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt. Rathe r, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety belt
and wearing it properly. Th is is why you should al­
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the law requ ires you to do soc::>
page 124, General in ­
formation .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -you r safety
be lts are a lways there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when yo ur vehicle str ikes or is struck by
anothe r after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
sys tem works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety bel ts correctly .
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental knee a irbag sys tem is designed to re­
d uce the likelihood of serious i njur ies , o ther inj u­
ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising, and mino r
abrasions and friction b urns can a lso occur when
an airbag inf lates.
The knee airbag system basically consist s of:
- T he elec tronic control mod ule
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the dr ive r and one fo r the front
passenge r
- T he airbag ind icator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airb ag system will not deploy:
- when the ign it ion is turned o ff
- in frontal collis ions when the dece lerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
6 -in rear -end collisions LL 00
-in rollovers rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
Ai rb ag system
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
c::> page 19.
A WARNING
-
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c::> page 140.
- If the airbag indicator light c::>page 19
comes w hen the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
Applies to veh icles: w it h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully deployed knee airbags.
F ig . 1 52 Inflated a irbags p rotect ing in a fro ntal co llis ion
T he knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions .
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the a irbags fill with a
propellan t gas, and inf late be tween the lower
part o f the instr ument pane l and the driver and
the lowe r part of the instr ument pane l and the
front passenger
c::> page 140, fig. 149 .
Although they are not a soft p illow , they can
cus hion the impact and in this way they can help
to reduce the risk of injury to the lower extremi-
ties.
1111>
147

Airb ag syst em
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy .
Fully inflated airbags in comb ination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
A pp lies to veh icles : w ith k nee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to prov ide supplemental protection.
,&. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in ­
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im­ proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep the ir
upper bodies and knees at the following
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering whee l/instrument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy.
148
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate w ithout interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfering
w ith the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the a irbag deploys .
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can resu lt in serious or fatal injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas ­
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for examp le) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the airbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch­
es o r other damage in the area of the instru­
ment panel where the knee airb ags a re lo­
cated.
- I f ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury in creases in a coll is ion
~ page 152, Child safety.
S ide airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 153 Side airbag location in the driver 's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 153 . They a re ident i­
fied by the word "A IRBAG" .
The si de airbag system b asically con sists o f: ll>-