service AUDI A5 COUPE 2010 Owner's Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: AUDI, Model Year: 2010, Model line: A5 COUPE, Model: AUDI A5 COUPE 2010Pages: 360, PDF Size: 84.39 MB
Page 188 of 360

___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig . 193 Releasing the
tongue from the buckle
-Push the red release button on the buckle~ fig. 193. The
belt tongue will spring out of the buckle~&_ .
- Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you guide the belt
tongue to its stowed position.
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so
will increase your risk of being injured or killed. •
Improper ly worn safetY belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju
nes.
Wearing safety be lts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical areas
of the body. Improper seat ing positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating
position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi
tion in the vehicle while traveling
~ &_.
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants are correctly
restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor
mation
~ page 182. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensianers work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners. The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rear-end collisions
of great severity. This tightens the belt and takes up belt slack~,&
in "Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner " on
page 187 .
Taking up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant movement
during a collision. .,
Page 189 of 360
![AUDI A5 COUPE 2010 Owners Manual _____________________________________________ S_ a_ f_ e_ t...! y-- b_e _lt_ s __ !II
0 Note
Never let the be lt remain over a rear seat back that has been fo lded
forward.
[ i ] Tip s AUDI A5 COUPE 2010 Owners Manual _____________________________________________ S_ a_ f_ e_ t...! y-- b_e _lt_ s __ !II
0 Note
Never let the be lt remain over a rear seat back that has been fo lded
forward.
[ i ] Tip s](/img/6/57582/w960_57582-188.png)
_____________________________________________ S_ a_ f_ e_ t...! y'-- b_e _lt_ s __ !II
0 Note
Never let the be lt remain over a rear seat back that has been fo lded
forward.
[ i ] Tip s
The sa fety belt pr etensioner can on ly be activated once .
• I n minor frontal and side collis ions , in rear-end collisions, in a
rollover and in accidents involving very litt le impact force, the safety
belt pretension er are not activa ted.
• I n the case of a side crash, the safety belt p retensioners will acti
vate on the driver 's or front passenger 's sides only , depending on
which s ide of the vehic le the crash occu rs.
• When the safety be lt pretensioners are activated , a fine dust is
released . This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
• T he relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehic le o r componen ts of the sys tem are scrapped . An au thor ized
Audi dealer or qua lified workshop is familiar with these regula tions
and wil l be p leased to pass on the information to you .
• Be sure to observe all safety, environmenta l and other regula
tions if the vehic le or individual parts of the system, particu larly the
safety belt or airbag , are to be disposed . We recommend you have
your au thorized Audi dea ler perform this service for you .•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety bel t pretensio ners are parts of the sa fety be lts on your
Audi . Installing , removing, servicing or repairing of bel t preten
sioners can damage the safety be lt system and prevent it from
working correctly in a collision .
There are some important things yo u have to know to make su re
that the effectiveness o f the system w ill not be impaired and that
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
discarded components do not cause injury or po
llute the environ
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care, servicin g and repair procedure s can increase the
ri sk of personal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
preten sioner from a ctivating when needed or activating it unex
pe ctedly :
• The belt preten sioner system can be a ctivated only once. If belt
pretens ioners have been a ctivated , the syste m must be repla ced .
• Never repair , adjust , or change any parts of the safet y belt
system .
• Safety belt system s incl uding safety belt pretensioner s cannot
be repaired . Speci al procedures are required for removal , installa
tion and di spo sal of this sy stem .
• For any work on the safety belt system , we strongly re com
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified techni
cian who has an Audi approved repair m anual , train ing and spe cial
equipment nece ssary .
ffi For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be c lassified
as Perch lorate Material -specia l handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca .gov /hazardouswaste /perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules safety be lts
with prete nsioners are scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regu la
tions must be observed . Your authori zed Audi dealer is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dea ler
perform this service for you .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 191 of 360

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repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessari ly an
indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle speeds that will cover
every possible kind and ang le of impact that wil l always trigger the
airbags, since the circumstances wil l vary considerab ly between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or so ft) of the object which the car hits, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags wi ll also not inflate
in side or rear co llisions, or in roll -overs .
Al way s rem ember : Airbags wi ll deploy only once, and on ly in certain
kinds of coll isions . Your safety belts are always there to offer protec
tion in those situat ions in wh ich airbags are not supposed to deploy,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehic le
strikes or is struck by another a fter the first coll ision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplementary
restraint and is not a substitute for a sa fety be lt. The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the safety be lts. Therefore ,
a lways prope rly wea r your safety belt s =>
page 179 .
& WARNING
Sitting too clo se to the steering wheel or in strument panel will
de crease the effect ivene ss of the airbags and will incr ease the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 in ches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
in strument panel.
• If you c annot sit more than 10 in ches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , inve stiga te whether adaptive equipment may be available
to help you reach the pedal s and in crease your se ating dist ance
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestra ined , leaning forward , sittin g side ways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury i s much higher .
• You will also receive serious injur ies and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airba g or too clo se to it when it infl ates -
ev en with an Advanced Airbag .
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WAR N IN G ( continued )
• To reduce the ri sk of injury when an airbag inflate s, alw ays
wear safety belt s prope rly~
page 183 , "Safet y belt s".
• Always make certain that ch ildren age 12 or younger alway s
ride in the rear seat. If children are not p rope rly re str ained , they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflate s.
• Never let children ride unre str ained or impr operly rest rained in
the vehicl e. Adju st the front seat s properly .
• Never ride with the b ackrest r eclined .
• Alway s sit a s far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument p anel
~ pag e 170.
• Alway s sit upright with your back again st the backre st of your
seat .
• Ne ver pla ce your feet on the instrument panel or on the seat .
Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent seriou s injurie s to the leg s and hips if the airbag inflate s.
• Nev er r ecline th e front passenger 's seat to transpo rt obje cts .
Item s can al so mo ve into the area of the side a irbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden m aneuver . Obje cts near the
a irbags can become pro je ctile s and cau se injury when an airbag
inflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be repla ced.
• U se only original equipment airbags approved by Audi and
in stalled by a trained technician who ha s the neces sary tool s and
diagnostic equipment to properly r epla ce any airb ag in your
vehicle and as sure sy stem effectivenes s in a crash .
• Never perm it salvag ed or re cy cled airb ag s to be i nstall ed in
your vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 193 of 360

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as defined in the electronic control unit~ page 200, "PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF lig ht" .
A lways remember, a chi ld safety seat or infant carrier insta lled on
the front seat may be struck and knocked out of position by the
rap id ly i nfla ting pass enger 's airbag in a frontal c olli sion . The airba g
co uld greatly reduce the effectiveness of the chi ld re straint and
e ven s eriously in ju re the chi ld dur ing infla tion.
F or this reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest place for
chi ldr en -when prop erly res traine d acc ordi ng to th eir age an d size
- w e stro ngly recom mend that c hildren a lwa ys s it in th e bac k seat
~ page 213, "Chil d Safe ty ".
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat o r infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest , center armrest , door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
pa ssenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause serious personal injury to the child .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel .
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on , perform
the checks described
~ page 199 , "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately .
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat :
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 195 of 360

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& W ARNING (continued )
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
p rotect ion .
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore , always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehi cle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
children, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the a irbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to tu rn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front pa ssenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special cond itions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehi cle .
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with
the "low risk" option under the U .S . Federal Standard if a child that
is heavier than the typical one -year old child is on the front
passenger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position .
• For their own safety , all children , espec ially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size . •
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag Syste
m in
compl ia nce w it h Un ited States Federal M oto r Ve hicle Sa fe ty S tan
dard 208 as appl icab le at the time your vehic le was manufactured.
The fro nt Advanced Ai rbag System supplemen ts the safety bel ts to
provide additional protection for the driver's and front passenger's
heads and upper bodies in fronta l cras hes. The ai rbags inflate o nly
i n fronta l im pac ts when the vehic le dece leratio n is h ig h enou gh.
T he front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is
n ot a su bstit ute fo r y ou r sa fety belts. Ra ther, i t is par t of th e overa ll
occupant restraint system in you r vehicle . A lways remember that
t he ai rbag sys te m can o nly h elp to pro tec t yo u, if y ou are sit ting
upright, wearing your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This is why
yo u an d your pas senge rs mu st always be p rope rly restrai ned, not
j us t because th e law requ ire s you to be.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
m ee t the " low r is k" requ ireme nts fo r 3 a nd 6 year -o ld c hildr en o n the
passenger s ide and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
de ploym ent cr iteria a re inte nd ed t o he lp reduc e th e risk of in jury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for
e xam ple, by be ing to o cl ose to the stee rin g wh eel and i nstru men t
panel w hen th e airbag inflates .
I n addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppressio n" r eq uirem ents of t he Sa fety Standard , to tu rn off th e
front airbag for infants 12 months old and younger who a re
r es train ed o n th e fr ont p assenger sea t i n c hild re strai nts that a re
listed in the Standard ~
page 215, "Child restraints and Advanced
A irb ags" .
"Suppression" requires the front airba g on the passenger side to be
turned off if :
• a child up to abo ut on e year o f age is res traine d on the fr ont
passenger seat in one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant
res traints l is te d in Federal Moto r Ve hicle Safe ty Standar d 208 wit h
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certifi ed . For ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 197 of 360

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& WA RN ING (co ntinued)
• Th e inflating airb ag will hit th e child safety sea t o r inf ant
ca rrier with g re at f orc e and will sm ash th e child safety sea t a nd
c hild again st t he backre st, c enter armre st, doo r, or roof .
• Alway s in sta ll re arwa rd-f acing child re str aints i n the ba ck seat.
• If you mu st in stall a rearw ard facing child safety seat on the
fro nt pa ssenger seat be cau se of e xceptional cir cumstance s and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not come on and stay on ,
imm edi ately in sta ll the re ar- fa cing child safe ty s eat in a rea r
seating p osition and h ave th e airbag system in spected by your
autho riz e d Audi de aler.
& WARNING
If, in e xceptional circum sta n ce s, y ou mu st in stall a forw ard -f aci ng
c hild restraint on the front pa ssenger' s seat:
• Alway s make sure the forw ard -fa cing seat has b een de signed
and cert ified by it s manufa cturer for use on a front seat with a
pa ssenge r fr ont and side airb ag .
• Never put the forward -facing child re straint up again st or very
near the instrum ent p anel .
• Alway s move the p assenger seat into it s rearmo st po sition in
the seat's fore and aft adju stme nt r ange , as far aw ay from the
a irb ag as pos sible , before in stalling the forward -fac ing child
r e stra int . The b ackrest must be adjusted to an upright po sition .
• Make sure that the PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light come s on
a nd stay s on all the time whe never the ign it ion i s sw itch ed on . •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it. These parts inc lude the
weight -sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func -
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by
the elec
tronic contro l unit when the ignition is on . The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the a irbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected . The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail below. Because the front passenger seat conta ins important parts
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it
from being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash.
T he front Ad van ced Airbag System consi sts of th e
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acce leration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
A irbag System about the sever ity of the crash .
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impac ts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the information received from the crash sensors . The control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag w ith gas generator and contro l valve for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and contro l valve inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger .
• A weight -sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat .
The information registered is sent continuously to the e lectronic
control unit to regu late dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger s ide.
• An airbag monito ring system and indicator light in the instru
ment cluster=> page
199.
• A sensor in each front sea t registers t he distance between the
respective seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel. The
information registered is sen t continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbags. ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 201 of 360

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& W ARNING (continued )
airbag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneuver . Objects ne ar the
airbags can become proje ctile s and cau se injury , particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
p roblems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
c onditions .
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems , those with asthma or
other respir atory cond itions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes , flush them with
water .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light t~
Tw o separate indicators monitor th e funct ion of the
Adva nced A irbag Syst em : the a ir b ag mon itor in g i ndicator
l ig ht an d the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the electronic control unit,
s en sor cir cu its a nd sys tem wiring) is mon itored co ntinuous ly to
make sure that it is functioning properly whenever the ignition is on.
E ac h tim e you turn on th e ig niti on, the ai rbag monito ring ind icator
light
t~ w ill come on for a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
The system must be inspected wh en the indicator
light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go ou t a few sec ond s a fter you have swi tc hed on the
ignition, or
• comes on while d riv in g.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light will
fi rst sta rt fla sh ing to catch the d rive r's atten tion an d t hen stay on
cont inuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the syst em
inspected i mmedia tely.
If a mal funct ion occurs that tu rns the fro nt a irbag o n th e passe nger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whe neve r the ig nit ion is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System. It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to , or
will not inflate when it should .
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho
rized Audi dealer . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 203 of 360

____________________________________________________ A_ ir_b_ a..:::g =-- s--= yc... s_ t_ e_ m __ _
the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on
the seat .
If th e PA SSENGER 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 restraint off the front passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer immediately.
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is proper ly restrained in a child restraint that is appropria te for
its size and age.
The
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds whi le driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that:
• the adu lt on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the
center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the back
res t and the backrest is not reclined => page 170, "Proper occupant
seating positions",
• the adult is not taking weight of f the sea t by holding on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
supporting thei r weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
of slack in the safety belt webbing,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect reading or impression on the weight -sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for
t he front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light in the center of the
instrument panel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF or
PAS SEN GER AIR BA G ON wi ll briefly appear in the instrument c luster
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a
irbag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag sy stem that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al cra sh .
• If the airb ag ind ica tor li ght come s on , it me ans that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Ai rbag S ystem. It is
po ssible that the airbag will inflate when it is not suppo sed to , or
w ill not infl ate wh en it should .
• Have the airb ag sys tem in spe cted i mmediatel y by y our autho
rized Aud i dealer .
& WARNING
If the front airb ag infl ate s, a child without a child re straint , in a
rear ward -fa cing ch ild safet y se at or i n a forwa rd-fa cing child
r e str aint that has not been properly in stalled will be seriously
inj ured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle i s equipped with an Adv anced Airbag
Sy stem , m ake cert ain that all children , e speci ally 1 2 year s and
younger , alway s ride on the bac k seat prope rly re strain ed for their
a ge and siz e .
• Alway s install forward or rear -facin g child safety seat s on the
re ar seat - even with an Ad vanced Airb ag System .
• If you must in stall a rearwa rd -fa cing child safety seat on the
fron t pa sse nger seat be cau se of exc eptional circu mstan ce s a nd
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not appe ar and st ay o n,
immedi atel y insta ll the r ear -f ac ing child safet y seat in a re ar ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 205 of 360

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& WARNING (continued )
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter
ference :
- 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 inflate.
- Damage to the or iginal 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 inf lated , 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 workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in you r Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• In accidents when an airbag is deployed , the vehicle battery
separates the alternator and the starter from the vehicle electrical
system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehi cle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all appli
c able safety precautions must be followed .
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
<£' For the sake of the environment
U
ndep loyed airbag modu les a nd p retens ioners mi ght be c lassified
as Perch lorate Mate rial -sp ecia l handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/ haza rdous waste/perc hlorate. W hen the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules safety be lts
w it h pre ten sio ne rs are scrapped, a ll appl ica ble l aws and re gula
tions must be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar with
t hese re qu irements and we rec om men d th at you h ave 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
t he Adva nced Airb ag Sys te m per form s in a crash . For e xamp le,
u sing ti re -rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicle , c hangi ng th e s tif fness of the sus pension , in cluding the
springs, suspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the
forc es that are meas ured by the ai rbag se nso rs a nd se nt to t he ele c
tronic control unit. Some suspension chan ges can, for examp le,
i nc rea se t he for ce le v e ls mea sur ed by the se nso rs and make th e
ai rbag system dep lo y in cras hes in w hich it wou ld not d ep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kind s of changes may reduce
th e force l eve ls measured by t he sensors and prevent t he airba g
from deploy ing when it should .
Th e sen so rs in the s afet y b elt buckle fo r the driv er and front
passen ger seat tell the electronic control module if the safety belt is
l a tc h e d or n ot. If the safet y b elt i s bei ng use d, th e fr ont ai rb ag will
dep loy at a s lightly hi gher rate of vehic le dece leration than if the
safet y belt is not be ing u sed . The refo re, in a partic ular coll isi on, it i s
poss ible t hat an airbag will not deploy at a s eati ng position where
the safety be lt i s being used b ut wi ll inf late at the pos ition where the
sa fety belt is not being used. I t is im porta nt t hat nothi ng i nterf ere
with the safety belt b uckles so that the sens ors can send the correct
i n fo rm ati on about sa fety belt use to the elect ron ic contro l u nit. .,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 206 of 360

___ A_ ir_b _a_ g;:::;_ s--:.. y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's su spension includ ing use of un approved
tire -rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the ris k of serious personal injury in a crash .
• Never install suspen sion component s that do not have the
same performance chara cteristics as the components or iginally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-r im comb inations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt bu ckle and the center
c onsole can cause the sensors in the buc kle to send the wrong
information to the electroni c control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly .
• Alway s make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they are not obstructed .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified
as Perchlora te Mater ial -specia l handling may a pply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
par ts o f the res traint system inclu ding airbag modules sa fe ty be lts
with pretensioners are scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regu la
tions mu st be o bserved. You r aut hor ize d Au di d eale r is fami liar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dea ler
perform this service for you. •
Knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee air bags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system c an provide supplemental pr otection
to pr operly res traine d fron t sea t occupan ts .
....
! 00 m
F ig . 19 8 Drive r's kne e
airba g
The knee a irbag for the driver is located in the instrument panel
underneath the stee ring wheel => fig. 19 8, the knee air bag for the
passeng er is at about the same height in th e instrument pane l
underneath the glove compartment .
Th e kn ee ai rbag offers addi tional pr otec tion to the d river's a nd
passenger 's knees and upper and lower thigh a reas as a supple
me nt to t he sa fety be lts .
I f the front airbags deploy , th e knee airbags also deploy in frontal
collisions above a certain severity=>
page 197, "M ore important
things to know about front airbags".
Besides their normal safety function, safety belts wor k to help keep
th e dri ver o r fr on t passeng er in pos itio n in case of a fro ntal col lis io n
so that the airbags can provide protection .
T he airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt . Rathe r, it
is part of the overall occupant restra int system in your vehicle .
A lwa ys remember that the airbag system can only help to protect .,,_