AUDI A5 COUPE 2011 Owners Manual

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0 Note
Never let the belt rema in over a rea r seatbac k that has been folded
forward.
(I) Tips
The safety bel t pretensioner can only be activated once.
• In m inor frontal and side co llisions, in rear-end collisions , in a roll­
over and in accidents involving very litt le impact force, the safety be lt
pretensioner are not activated.
• In the case of a side crash, the safety belt p retensioners wi ll acti­
vate o n the dr ive r's or front passenge r's sides only, depe nding on
whic h side of the ve hicle the c rash occurs.
• When the safety belt pretensioners are activated, a fine dust is
re lease d. This is norma l and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
• The relevant safety requirements must be observed when t he
vehicle o r com ponents of the system a re scrapped . An autho rized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop is familiar w ith these reg ulat io ns
and w ill be pleased to pass on the information to yo u.
• Be sure to observe all safety, enviro nmental and other reg ulations
if the vehicle or individ ua l pa rts of the system, part icu la rly the safety
belt or a irbag, are to be d isposed . We recommend you have your
authorized Au di dea le r p erfo rm this se rvice fo r yo u.•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
Th e safety be lt preten sione rs ar e parts of the safe ty belts on your
Audi. I nstall ing, remov ing, servic ing or repai ring of belt preten­
sioners can dam age the sa fety belt system and prevent i t from
work ing correctly i n a collision .
Th ere are some importa nt th ings you have to know to make s ure that
t he effectiveness o f th e sy stem w ill no t be i mpaire d and that
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
discarded compo
nents do not cause injury or po llute t he e nviron­
me nt.
& WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretensioner from a ctivating when needed or activating it unex­
pectedly:
• The belt preten sioner sy stem can be activated only once . If belt
pretensioners have been activated , the system must be replaced.
• Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the safety belt
system.
• Safety belt systems including safety belt pretensioners cannot
be repaired . Special procedures are required for removal, in stalla ­
tion and d ispo sal of this sy stem.
• For any work on the safety belt system, we strongly recom­
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified tech­
nician who has an Audi approved repair manual, training and
special equipment necessary .
ffi For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag module s and pre tens ioners m ig ht be cl as sified as
Perch lorate Material -spec ia l hand ling may apply, see
www.d ts c.ca .gov/h azardousw aste/ perchlor ate . W he n t he vehi cle or
parts of t he restraint system i nclud ing a irbag modu les safety belts
with pre tens ioners are scr appe d, all appli cabl e laws and reg ulatio ns
must be observed . You r author ized Aud i dealer is familiar with these
req uirements and we recommen d that yo u have yo ur dea le r pe rform
t his se rvice fo r you .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
~ page 172,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly~ page 74,
- Wear safety belts properly~
page 184,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children~
page 215.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. Therefore in
order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a driver
and as a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions =>
page 172, "Proper occupant seating positions". For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 76.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=>
page 215.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system.
Proper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If you have a physical impairment or condi­
tion that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat with
the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, special
modifications to your vehicle may be necessary .
Contact your authorized Audi dealer, or call Audi Customer Relations
at 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator will fill the airbags, break open the padded covers, and inflate between the steering
wheel and the driver and between the instrument panel and the front passenger. The airbags will deflate immediately after deployment so
that the front occupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
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 nothing should be in their way
when they deploy . Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement.
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside the vehicle while reducing the forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help to
reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal collisions. The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration rate
caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control unit .
If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control
unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage, repair _,.

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costs o r even t he lack of ve hicle damage is not necessarily an ind ica­
t ion of w heth er an a irba g should inflat e or not.
It is not poss ible to define a range of ve hicle speeds t hat w ill cover
every possible k ind and a ngle of impact that will always trigger the
a ir bags, sin ce the cir cums ta nc es w ill vary con sid erab ly be twee n one
co llision and another . Important factors inclu de, for exam ple, the
n at ure (h ard or so ft ) of th e obje ct wh ich t he c ar hi ts, the an gle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc . T he front airbags w ill also not inflate in
s ide or rear co ll is io ns, or i n roll-o ve rs.
Always remember: Airbags w ill deploy only once, a nd only in certain
kinds of coll isions . Yo ur safety be lts are a lways there to offer protec ­
ti on in t hose situ ations i n w hich air bags are not s upposed to deploy,
or w hen they have alrea dy de ploye d; for examp le, w hen your ve hicle
st rike s or i s struc k by ano ther afte r the firs t collis io n .
T hi s is just one of the reasons w hy a n airbag is a s upplementary
res tra in t a nd i s no t a su bs titu te for a saf ety bel t. The air bag syste m
works most effective ly whe n used w ith the safety belts . Therefore,
always p rope rly wea r you r sa fety belts ~ page 18 1.
& WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
decrease the effectiveness of the airbags and will increase the r isk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm ) to the steer ing wheel or
instrument panel.
• If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25 cm ) from the
steering wheel, investigate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and increase your seating
distance from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of pos ition 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 .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always
wear safety belts properly=>
page 185, "Safety belts ".
• Always make certain that children age 12 or younger always
ride in the rear seat. If children are not properly restrained, they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflates.
• Never let children r ide unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehicle. Adjust the front seats properly .
• Never r ide with the backrest reclined.
• Always sit as far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel=>
page 172.
• Always sit upright with your back against the backre st of your
seat .
• Never place 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 serious injuries to the leg s and hips if the airbag inflates .
• Never recline the front passenger 's seat to transport objects .
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury when an airbag
inflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be replaced.
• Use only original equ ipment airbags approved by Aud i and
installed by a trained technician who ha s the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag in your
vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash.
• Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to be installed in
your vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important information and head the WARNINGS for important detai ls about children and
Advanced Airbags =:>
page 215.
Even though your veh icle is eq uipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all ch ildren, especially those 12 years and
younger, a lways r ide in the back seat properly rest rained for the ir age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a
poten tially dangerous place fo r a child to r ide. The front seat is not
the safest place for a child in a forward-facing c hild safety seat. It can
be a ve ry dange rous place fo r an infant or a child in a rearward-fac ing
seat.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been cert ified to
comply with the Req uirements of United States Federa l Moto r
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was ma nufactu red .
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be tu rned off ("supp ressed") if a c hild up to abo ut one year o f age
restra ined in one of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant
restrain ts listed in Federa l Moto r Vehicle Safety Sta ndard 208 with
w hich the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle was certified has
been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the chi ld
restra ints that were used to cert ify complia nce w ith the US Safety
Standard =>
page 217.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t in t he inst rumen t panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger s ide has been
tu rn ed off by the electronic con tro l u nit.
Eac h time you turn on the ign ition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if th e fron t passenger seat is no t occupied, •
will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child restra int on the front
p assenge r seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occup ied by an adult as
reg iste red by the weight-sens ing mat =:>
page 201, "Monitori ng the
Adva nced Airbag System" .
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a tota l we ight on the front passenger seat t hat req uires the
front airbag to be t urned off.
If the tota l we ight on the front passenger sea t is more than th at of a
typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight of a small adu lt, the
front airbag on t he p assenger s ide c an dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
li g ht does not come on) . If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side has
not been tu rned off by the e lectron ic control u nit and can deploy if
the contro l unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
For e xample , the a irbag may deploy if:
• a small chi ld that is heavier than a typical 1 year -old child is on the
front passenge r seat (regardless of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats listed =>
page 217), or
• a chi ld who has outgrown ch ild restra ints is on the front passenger
seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster an d stays o n.
Th e front airbag on the passenger side may
not dep loy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illum inate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenage r, or a passenger who is no t si tting upright
w ith the ir back against a non-recli ned backrest w it h their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=:>
page 172, " P rope r seat ing pos ition for the dr ive r" .
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requ ires
th e airb ag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to red uce the
r is k of injury through interaction with the airbag. "Low risk" deploy­
ment occurs in those crashes t hat ta ke place a t lower decelerations as .,.

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defined in the electronic contro l unit~ page 202, "PASSE NGER
AI RB AG OF F ligh t".
Always remember, a c hild safety seat or infa nt ca rr ie r i nstalled on th e
front seat may be str uck and k noc ked out of position by the ra pidly
in flating p assenge r's ai rbag in a frontal coll is io n. T he a irbag could
great ly reduce the effect iveness of the c hild restraint and even seri ­
o us ly i njur e the chi ld dur ing inflation.
For this reason, and because t he back seat is the safest place for chil­
dren -whe n properly restrained according to their age an d size -we
st rong ly recommend t hat childre n always sit in the back seat
~ page 21 5, "C hild Safety" .
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• The inflat ing airbag w ill hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest, door or roof .
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
pa ssenger 's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause ser ious personal injury to the child.
& WARNING
If , in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
c hild restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• 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 ad justed 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
re straint 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 201, "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System ".
• Take the child restra int 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

-Airbag system -
--=---=----------------
& WARN ING (con tin ue d)
• Imp rope r installati on of child re straint s can reduc e their effec­
ti veness or ev en prevent them from providing any protection .
• An improperl y installed child restr aint can interfere with the
airbag a s it deploy s and seriou sly injure or e ven kill the child -even
with an Ad vanced Airbag System .
• Always c are fully follow the manu facturer 's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or car rier .
• Nev er place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight regi stered b y the weight-sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash. •
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig. 17 7 L ocati on of
dri ver airb ag : in
stee ring wh eel
Fig. 1 78 Locati on of
fr ont pas se n ger's
a ir ba g: in the instru·
m ent pa nel
Your vehicle is equ ipped with an "Advanced A irbag System" in compli­
ance with United States Federal Moto r Veh icle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time you r veh icle was ma nufac­
t u red . The system senses the position of the fro nt seats and controls
front a irbag inflation w ith a valve, depending on the d istanc e
between the respective seat and the steer ing wheel or instrument
pa ne l. The safety be lts fo r the seats have "pretens ioners" that help to
take slack o ut of the belt system. The pretensioners are also activated
by the e lec tron ic control u nit for the airbag system.
The front safety be lts also have load limiters to help red uce the forces
applied to the body in a crash .
T he a irbag for the driver is in the steering whee l hub~ fig. 177 and
the airbag for the front passenger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 178. The gene ral loca tion of the air bags is mar ked "AIRBAG".
T here is a lot you need to know about the a irbags in your vehicle . We
urge you to read the detai led information about airbags, safety be lts
and child safety in this and the other chapters that make up the
owner's literature. Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extreme ly important fo r your safety and the safety of your passe n­
gers, especially infants and small children.
& WARNING
Never rely on airba gs alone fo r protection.

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
prot ection .
• Airbag work most effectively when u sed with p roperly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your veh icle is properly restrained.
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
c hildren, will re ceive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your v ehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger ai rbag if an infant or a
s mall child i s on the front passenger seat, nobody can ab solutely
guar antee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your veh icle.
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with the
" low risk" option unde r the U .S . Federal Standard if a child that is
heavier than the typical one-year old child is on the front
passenge r 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, especially 12 years and
younger, should alway s rid e in the back properly re strained 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 System in
co mpliance wit h United St ates Feder al Motor Vehicle S afety St andar d
208 as applicab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured .
Th e front A dvanced A irbag System supp lements the safety be lts to
prov ide addit ional protection for the dr iver's and front passenge r's
heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags inflate o nly in
frontal i mpacts w he n t he vehicle de ce le ra ti on is high enoug h.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is not
a s ubstitu te for your s afety be lts. R at he r, it is p art o f the ove rall occu­
pant restrai nt system in your ve hicle. Always remembe r that the
air bag sys tem can on ly help to protect you, if yo u are s itting upr ight,
wearing your safety be lt and wear ing it properly . This is why you and
your passengers must always be p roper ly restra ined, not just beca use
the law requires you to be .
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been cert ified to
meet the " low r is k " requi remen ts for 3 and 6 ye ar-old childr en on the
passenger side and very sma ll adults on the driver side. The low risk
deployme nt criter ia a re in tended to he lp red uce the risk o f inju ry
throug h interaction with the fro nt a irbag tha t can occur, for examp le ,
by being too close to the stee ring wheel an d instr ument panel whe n
t he a irba g inflates.
In addit ion, the system has bee n certified to comply with the
"supp ression " requireme nts of the Safety Sta ndard, to turn off th e
front airbag for infants 12 mo nths old and you nger who are
re strai ned o n the fron t pa ssenge r sea t in child res tra ints that are
listed in the Standard=>
page 217, "Chil d restraints and Advanced
Air bag s".
" Supp ression" requ ires the front a irbag on the passenger side to be
turne d off if:
• a child up to a bout one year o f age is re stra ined on the fron t
passenger seat in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant
restr aints liste d in F ed er al M oto r Ve hicl e Sa fety S tandard 208 with
w hich the Advanced A irbag System in yo ur ve hicle was certified. For a ...
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listing of the child res traints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the US Safety Standard
~ page 217,
• weight less than a thresho ld level stored in the contro l unit is
detected on the front passenger seat.
When a perso n is detected on the front passenger seat, weigh ing
more than the tota l weight of a child that is about 1 year old
restra ined in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant
restraints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with
w hich the Advanced Ai rbag System in you r ve hicle was cert ified), the
front airbag on the passenger s ide may or may not dep loy .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on when the elect ronic
cont rol un it detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requires the front airbag to be turned off. If the
PAS SENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on, the front a irbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the
cont rol unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory .
If the total weight o n the fron t passenge r seat is more than that of a
typical
1 year-old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the fron t
airbag on the passenge r side may deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on).
F o r example , the airbag may deploy if:
• a small chi ld tha t is heavie r th an a typ ica l 1 year-o ld child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whether the chi ld is in one of the
child safety seats listed
~ page 217),
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenge r
seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENG ER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel wi ll come on and stay
on .
The front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight does no t ill um inate and s tay lit) if:
• a small adu lt or teenager is on the front passenger seat •
a passenger who is not sitting upr ight w it h their back against a
non -recli ned b ackrest w it h t heir fee t on the vehi cle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passe nger seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet t he "low risk" deployment criter ia to help reduce
the risk of inj ury through interaction with the a irbag. "Low r isk"
dep loymen t oc cur s in those crashes t hat take pl ace at lower de celer­
ations as defined in the electronic contro l unit.~
page 201
Alway s remember: Even though your ve hicle is eq uipped with
Adva nced A irbags, the safest place for children is properly restra ined
on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important information in
the sections that follow and be su re to heed all of the WAR NINGS.
& WARNING
To reduc e the risk of injur y when an airbag inflates , always wear
s a fety belt s properly.
• If you are un restrained, leaning forward, s itting sideways or
out of po sit ion in any way , your risk of injury is much higher .
• You will also receive seriou s injuries and could e ven be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it inflate s -
even with an Advanced Airbag~
page 190.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety seat installed on the front
pa ssenger seat will be seriou sly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad vanced Airbag S ystem .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward-facing child
restraint has been installed on the front p assenger seat , nobody
can absolutely gua rantee th at deployment is imposs ible in all
con ceivabl e situation s that may happen during the u seful life of
your vehicle . .,_

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
c hild against the backrest, center arm rest , door, or roof .
• Always install rearwa rd-facing child restraints in the back seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of except ional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child re straint on the front pa ssenger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for us e on a front seat with a
passenger front and s ide airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up again st 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 a s po ssible, before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on .•
Advanced Airbag System components
Th e front passenger seat i n your ve hicle has a lot of very im portant
parts o f th e Ad van ced A irbag System in it. These parts include t he
we ight-sens ing mat, sensors, wir ing, brackets, and mo re . The func-
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
tion of the system
in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec­
t ronic contro l unit whe n t he ignit io n is on. The con tro l u nit mon itors
t he Advanced A irbag System and tu rns th e airbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected. The func­
tion of the a irbag indicator light is descr ibed in greater deta il below.
Beca use the front passen ger seat contains importa nt parts of the
Advance d Ai rbag System, you mus t take care to p revent i t fro m be ing
dama ged. Damage to the seat may prevent t he Advance d Airbag for
t he front p assenge r seat fro m d oin g its job in a cra sh.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Cras h sensors in the front of the vehicle t hat measure vehicle
acc ele ra tio n/d ecele ration to prov ide info rmat io n t o the Adva nced
Airbag System about t he severity of the crash.
• An elec tron ic con tro l unit, w it h i nteg rated crash senso rs fo r front
and side impacts . The contro l unit " dec ides" w het her to fire the front
a irbag s base d on th e informa tion re ceived from t he cr ash sensors.
The control unit also "decides" whether the safety be lt pretens ioners
s ho uld b e activa ted.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and cont rol va lve for the
dr ive r inside t he st eer ing whee l hub .
• An Advanced Air ba g with gas gene rator and control valve inside
t he inst rume nt pan el for the front pass enger.
• A weig ht-sensing mat unde r the upholste ry paddin g of the front
passenger seat c ushi on that measures the tota l weigh t on the seat .
T he information registe red is se nt co ntin u ously to the electronic
cont rol uni t t o reg ulate deployment of t he front Advanc ed A irbag o n
the passenger side .
• An a irbag mon itoring system and ind icator light in the inst rume nt
cluster =>
page 201.
• A sensor in each fro nt seat reg isters the distance between t he
res pective seat and the s teer ing whee l o r i nst rume nt pane l. The
information reg iste red is sent co ntin uously to the e lectro nic cont rol
uni t to reg ulate dep loyment o f the front Advanced Airbags . .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_,___A_ i_rb _ a_,g=-- s_, y:;.. s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
• The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
c en ter o f the inst rument panel ~
page 202, fig. 18 0 and tells you
w hen the front Adva nced Airbag on th e passenge r side has been
t u rne d
off.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
t o meas ure the tension o n th e safety be lt. T he tens ion on the s afe ty
belt a nd the we ight registered by the we ight -sensing mat help the
cont rol un it " dec ide" w hether the front airbag fo r the front
passenger seat sho uld be turned
off o r not~ page 192 , "Chil d
restra ints on the front seat -some impo rtant things to know".
• A senso r in the safety belt latch for the d river and for the fro nt
seat passenger that senses w hether that safety belt is latched or not
and transmits this in formation to the e lec tron ic cont rol un it .
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly .
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag Sy stem from func ­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the uphol stery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it.
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat. If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
seat . Such items can increase the weight registered by the weight·
sensing mat and send the wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Never store item s under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the pa ssenger seat could be
damaged, p reventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats .
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
se at and prevent the side airbag in the seat backre st 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 accurately registering the
child restraint or person 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 manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cu shion or something else to properly po sition
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on , immediately install child restraint in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer .•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
Th e fron t Advan ced A irb ag System and t he side airbags supp lement
t he protect ion offered by the front three-po int safety bel ts w ith
pretens ioners and load limiters and the adjustable head restra ints to
help red uce the risk of i njury in a w ide range of acciden t and crash .,_