AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2017 Owners Manual

-and the head restraints have been properly ad -
justed.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of a n eye w ith
great for ce, things you have on you r lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro ­
jectiles, and be pushed into you 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 deploy. It
could irr itate skin.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inj uries,
for example swell ing, bruising and minor abra­
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body . Front airbags only supplement the
three po int safety belts i n some fronta l co llisions
i n which the veh icle decelerat ion is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
F ront airbags will not deploy:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc -
curs,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash decelerat ion measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic contro l unit .
Th e front passeng er airbag will a lso not
deplo y:
- 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
P A SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light
comes on and stays on).
; A WARNING N
~ Sitting in the wrong pos ition can increase the
8 r isk of se rious injury in c rashes. LL 00
Airb ag sys tem
-To reduce the risk of injury when the ai rbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright posit ion, must not
lean aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are located.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be seriously in jur ed by an airbag as it unfolds with g reat
for ce in the blink of an eye
Qpage 131.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
i nsta lled on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be k illed if the front
a irbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant ca rrier 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 child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rea rwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
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 transport items on or in the area o f
the front passenger seat . Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious persona l injury if the airbags
inflate.
139

Airbag syste m
-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, instru­
ment 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 a ir­
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breath ing problems for people w ith a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
t ions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
gett ing out of the vehicle o r opening w in­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and fa ce with mild
soap and water before eat ing.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
o r into any cuts or sc ratches.
- If the resid ue should get into yo ur eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
~i ( USA model s) /!f (Canada models )
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate 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
tron ic co ntrol unit, senso r ci rcuits and system
wiring) is monitored continuously to make su re
140
that it is functioning properly whenever the igni­
tion is on. Every time you turn on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light
II (USA models) I
E,I (Canada models) will come on for a few sec­
onds (function check).
The system must be in spected wh en th e
indicator light
fl ( USA models) 1m
( Canada models ):
- does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
sw itched on the igni tion, or
- comes on while driving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected the
indicator light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PAS SEN GER
AI R BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on .
A WARNING ...
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
e rly cannot provide supplemental protect ion
in a fro nta l crash.
- If the a irbag ind icator light ~ page 17
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le tha t
the airbag will i nflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should .
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 1 49 Section from the instrume nt panel: PASSENGER
N
"' .. ~ ' "" (X) ID
AIR BAG OFF light ....

The PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is located in
the c enter of the instrument panel¢
fig. 149 .
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the el ectronic control unit . Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a sma ll child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go out if the front passenge r seat is occu ­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat .
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light mu st c ome
on and sta y on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat,
o r
- a rearward-facing child restrai nt has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward -facing child restra int has been instal ­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg istered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the comb ined
weight of a typical 1 yea r-o ld restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
strain ts listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced A irbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is no t occupied, the
fron t air bag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Never install a
rearward -fac ing child restraint on the front pas ­
senger s eat, the safest p lace for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat ¢
page 131, Child re­
s train ts on the front sea t-some impor tan t
things to know
and ¢ page 1 SO, Child safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR 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-
gi tain that the PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF light ......
~ stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition is
~ on . If the PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF lig ht does
0 LL 00
Airb ag sys tem
not appear and not stay on all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- react ivate the system by tur ning t he ignit ion
off and then t urn ing it on again ;
- remove and re insta ll th e chi ld restrain t. M ake
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly ins ta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed around
the child restraint as desc ribed in the c hild re­
straint manufacture r's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenge r
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
¢ page 159.
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passenger seat ;
- make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is
not b locked . Shake the safety belt la tch on the
front passenger seat bac k and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight t hat i t causes the
weight-sensing mat to me asu re more weight
than is actua lly on the sea t.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still do es
not come on
and does not stay on co nti nuously
(whe n the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenge r
seat and install it p roper ly at one of the rear
seat pos itions . Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by yo ur au thori zed Aud i deale r immedi ately .
- move the child to a rear seat pos ition and ma ke
sure that t he chi ld is proper ly rest rained in a
child restra int that is appropr iate for its s ize
and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht should NOT
come on when the ignit io n is on and an adu lt is
s itting in a prope r seat ing pos ition on the front
passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds whi le dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan-
ces, make sure that :
Ill-
141

Airbag syste m
-the adu lt on the front passenger seat is proper ­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined
r::>page 112, 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 we ight 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
th ings that may cause an incorrect read ing or
impression on the weight-sensing mat under
the upho lstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenge r seat,
- a safety be lt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latc h for the front passenge r seat.
In addition to the
PASSE NGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
w ill briefly appear in the inst ru­
ment cluster display . T his 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
er ly cannot p rovide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light
c> page 17
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, h ave
the system inspected immediate ly by yo ur
authorized Aud i dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not s up­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, in a rearward-facing child safe­
ty seat or in a forward-facing child restraint
that has not been properly installed will be
ser iously injured and can be killed .
142
-Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, espec ia lly 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and s ize.
- 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight does not
appear and s tay on, immedi ately ins tall the
rear-facing child safety seat in a re ar seat ing
position and have the a irbag system in ­
spected by your a uthorized Audi dea ler.
- A t ight tether or other s trap on a rearward­
facing chi ld restraint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat. The heavier weight registered can
make the system work as thoug h an adu lt
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even f atal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-fa cing child res traint on
the front p assenge r seat, always move the
seat into i ts rearmost posi tion in the sea t's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the ai rbag as possible . The back rest
must 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
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat afte r taking the steps
described above, make s ure the adult is
p roper ly sea ted and restra ined at one o f the
rear sea ting posit ions .
- Have the ai rbag system inspec ted by your
author ized Audi dealer befo re t ransporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.

a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
(D 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
P ASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Installing, remov­
ing, servicing o r repa iring a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a pa rt of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly in a co llision.
There are some importa nt things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repair proce­
dures can increase the r isk 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 a irbag cover or the in ­
strument panel or mod ify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
er ing 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
cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the mater ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the stee ring wheel, instr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellu lar telephones and CB radios, etc .)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airb ag sys tem
who has the training and special equ ipment
necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strong ly 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 a irbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi .
- Never use addi tional seat cushions that
cove r the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorized Aud i dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . A fter an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technic ian who has the technical
information, t raining and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new rep lacement
parts des igned and approved especially for
your Aud i model version. Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be performed by qualified work­
shops only. Ma ke sure that any airbag serv­
ice act ion is en tered in your Aud i Wa rranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE ­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is dep loyed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the veh icle electrical sys­
tem for safety reasons w ith a pyrotechnic
circu it interrupter.
- Wo rk on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inte rrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qu alified
dealer -risk of an acc ident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter is
scrapped, all applicable safe ty p recautions
must be followed .
143

Airbag system
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretens ioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and regulat ions must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
cha nge the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preven t the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally insta l­
led on your veh icle .
- Never use tire-rim comb inations that have
not been approved by Audi.
144
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic control module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from working
properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inte rfe re
w ith the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
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.
Fig. 150 Driver's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering whee l~
fig. 150, the
knee airbag for the passenger is at about the
same height in the instrument panel underneath
the g love compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas and supp lements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collis ion s when the deployment
th reshold stored in the control unit is met
~ page 138, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety funct ion, safe-
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
IJJ>

position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do soc::,
page 122, Gener ­
al information.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain k inds of accidents -your safety
be lts
a re always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready dep loyed, for
examp le when yo ur vehicle str ikes or is str uck by
anothe r afte r the f irst collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The a irbag
sys tem wo rks most effec tively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore , al ways wear your
safety bel ts cor rect ly .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental knee a irbag sys tem is designed to re­
d uce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other inju­
ries, fo r example, swell ing, b ruising, and m inor
abrasions and fr iction burns can also occu r when
an airbag inflates.
The kne e airbag system basically consists of:
- The electronic contro l modu le
- Two inf latab 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 airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
~ -in rear-end collisions ......
~ -in rollovers N ...... 0
0
LL co
Airb ag sys tem
-in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
c::, poge 17.
A WARNING
-
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition c::,
page 138.
-If the airbag indicator light c::, page 17
comes w hen the veh icle 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 w ill not inflate w hen it should.
How knee airbags work
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully deployed knee airbags.
F ig . 15 1 Inflated ai rbags protecting in a fronta l co llision
T he knee air bag system has been designed so
t h at the airbags fo r the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions.
If t he front airbags deploy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in frontal coll is ions when t he deploy ment
th reshold stored in the cont rol unit is met .
When the system deploys, the a irbags fi ll with a
prope llant gas, and infla te between the lower
part o f the instrument panel and t he driver an d
the lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
c::, page 138, fig . 148 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
cush io n the impact and in th is way they can help
to red uce the risk of in jury to the lower extremi-
ties . ""
145

Airbag syste m
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 a irbags 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 limit the oc­
cupant 's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of inju ry .
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
App lies to : ve hicles w ith knee 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 provide supplemental protection .
,&. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in ­
jury. Wea ring safety bel ts incorrectly and im­
proper seating positions increase the r isk 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 locat ions. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies and knees at the following
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/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 .
146
-Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the
r isk 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, especially children or anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result 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 (shopp ing
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the a irbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure there are no crac ks, deep scratch­
es o r othe r damage in the area of the inst ru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated.
- I f ch ildren are i ncorrectly se ated, their risk
of injury i ncreases in a col lision
~ page 150, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The a irbag system con provide supplemental
protec tion to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 152 S ide a irbag locat io n in th e dri ver's seat
The side airbags a re located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests
Q fig . 152. They a re identi­
fied by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag sy ste m ba sically con sis t s of: IJII>

a:,
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-the e lectron ic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides o f the
front backrests
- the a irbag warning light in the inst rument cl us-
ter.
The a irbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that it is func tioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supp lements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's and fron t passenger 's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col­ lision. The airbag d eploys on ly in side impacts
and only when the veh icle acceleration reg istered
by the contro l unit is high enough. If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the
control un it, the s ide a irbags w ill not be tr ig­
gered, even though the car may be badly dam­
aged as a resu lt of the collision .
It is not possib le
to define an airbag trigge ring range that w ill cov­
e r every possible angle of impact, since the ci r­
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between one
collision and another. Important factors include,
for examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of the im ­
pacting objec t, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 148, Impor tant safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide protection .
T he airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu­
pant restrain t system in your veh icle. Always re­
member that the s ide a irbag system can only
h elp to protect yo u if you a re wearing your safety
be lt and wea ring it properly. This is another rea­
son why you s hou ld always wear yo ur safety
be lts, not just bec ause the law req uires yo u to do
so ¢
page 122 , General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the s up­
p lemental s ide a irbag system is designed to re­
d uce the likelih ood of serious injur ies, other inju-
Airb ag sys tem
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing , and minor
abrasions can also be associated wit h deployed
s ide airbags . Remember too, s ide airbags will de­
ploy only once and only in certain k inds of acci­
den ts -your safety belts are always there to offer
protect io n.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens it ive or fa iled a irbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may i nflate. Remember too, that a irbags w ill deploy
only once and only i n certa in kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in wh ich airbags are no t
s u pposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when t he ignit ion is t urned off
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the fron t air bags and
s ide airbags may be triggered togethe r.
.&, WARNING ~
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition ¢
page 148 .
-If the ai rbag ind icator light¢ page 17
comes when 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 w ill not inflate w hen it should .
147

Airbag syste m
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig . 1 53 Infla ted side airbags o n lef t s ide of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex ­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas­
senger . In order to help provide this additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fract ion of a second at very high speed and with
great fo rce. The supplemental side airbag could
inj ure yo u if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items a re loca ted in the area where
the s upplemental side airbag expands. This ap­
plies especially to children¢
page 150, Child
safety .
Supplemental side a irbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collis ion ¢
fig. 153 .
Although they are not a soft p illow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle.
148
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
k now and act according ly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to prov ide supplemental
protect ion .
_& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upr ight position and never
l ean agains t the area where the supple­
mental s ide airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyo ne e lse rest their
head against t he side tr im panel in the
area where the s upplementa l side airbag
inflates .
- Always make s ure t hat safety bel ts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the front seat
p ut their hand or any other par ts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout in terference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not bee n specifical ly approved by
A udi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de­ ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an autho rized Aud i dealer .
-
-Objects between you and the a irbag can in­
crease the r isk of injury in an acc iden t by in­
t erfering wi th the way the airbag unfolds or
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