light AUDI A5 COUPE 2012 Manual Online

-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime w henever the ignition is sw itched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The fron t passenger seat in your vehicle has a
lot of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brack ­
ets, and more. The function of the system in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
e lectronic control u nit when the ignit ion is on .
The control un it mon itors the Advanced Air­
bag System and turns the airbag indicator
l ight on whe n a ma lfunction in t he sys tem
components is de tected. The function of the
airbag indicator light is described in greater
detai l below . Because the front passenger
seat contains important parts of the Ad ­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust 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 .
The front Advanced Airb ag Sy stem
consists of the following:
- Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/decele ration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­
bag System about the seve rity of the crash.
- An electronic co ntrol unit, with integrated
c rash se nsors for front and side impacts .
T he cont ro l unit " decides " whethe r to fire
the front airbags based on the inform ation
received from the crash senso rs . The contro l
unit a lso "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated .
Airbag system 169
-An Advanced A irbag w ith gas gene rator and
contro l valve fo r the driver ins ide the steer ­
ing wheel h ub.
- An Advanced Airbag w ith gas gene rator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l 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 informat ion reg istered is sent continu­
ously to the electronic control unit to regu­
late deployment of the front Advanced Air­
bag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitor ing system and ind icator
light in the instrument cluster
q page 173 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steer ing whee l o r inst rument panel. The in­
forma tion registered is sent cont inuo usly to
t he elect ron ic cont ro l uni t to regula te de ­
ployment o f the front Advance d Airbags .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes
on and st ays on in the cen ter o f th e instr u­
ment panel
q page 1 73, fig . 178 and tells
you whe n the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been tu rned
off .
-A sensor below the safety be lt latch fo r the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on the safety be lt . The tension on the safety
be lt and the weight registered by the
weight-sensing mat he lp the control unit
"decide" whether the front a irbag for the
front passenge r seat should be turned
off or
not
~ pag e 163, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- A senso r in the safety belt latch fo r the d riv­
er a nd fo r the fro nt sea t passenger tha t
senses w hethe r that safe ty belt is latched or
no t and transmi ts this informa tion to the
electronic control unit.
_&. WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from work ing
properly.
-
•
•

1 70 Airbag sys tem
-Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced A irbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
dr iver seat from the veh icle .
- Never remove the upholstery 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-sens ing mat and send the
wrong info rmation to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas·
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Ai r­
bag System under the passenge r seat
cou ld be damaged, prevent ing them and
the airbag system from wo rking proper­
ly .
- Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by A udi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from deploy ing prop­
erly.
- Never use cush ions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The add itiona l padd ing will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accu rately reg iste ring the c hild restra int
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­ ing properly .
-If you must use a child restra int on the
front passenger seat and the ch ild re- straint manufacturer's instructions
re­
qu ire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something e lse to properly pos ition the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the ch ild re·
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immed i­
a tely insta ll child restrain t in a rear se at­
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
s ide airbags supp lement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help redu ce the
risk of inju ry in a wide range of accident and
c rash situations. Be s ure to read the impor ­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need A irbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electron ic control unit. The amount of infla­
tion of the front airbags can a lso be adapted
to the front seat pos ition, depending on the
distance between the respect ive front seat
and the steer ing w heel or instrument panel as
registered by sensors in the seats. Crash se·
verity depends on speed and deceleration as
well as the mass and st iffness of the vehicle
o r object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the ai rbag w ill be tu rned off if the
we ight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the e lectronic control
u nit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will a lso be turned off if one of the child safe -
ty seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recogni zed on the seat . The
PAS SENGER AIR .,..

BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned
off
c:> page 163, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury whe n an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly .
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, yo ur risk of injury is much highe r.
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in·
flates · even with an Advanced Airbag
c:>page 162.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fi g. 177 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper sea ted pos ition
so that airbags c an u nfo ld properly and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in a fronta l co l­
lision.
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protection for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenge r when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been posit io ned so that the
occupant is p roperly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag,
- and the head restraints have been properly
adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, things you have on your lap
A irba g sy stem 1 71
or have p laced on the seat co uld become dan ­
gerous projectiles, and be p ushed into you if
the a irbag inf lates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
T his is norma l and is not caused by a fi re in
the ve hicle . 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 remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swelling, bruis ing and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate . A irbags do not protect the arms
o r the lower parts of the body. Front a irbags
on ly supp lement the three point safety belts
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
decelera tion is high e no ugh to deploy the air­
bags .
Front airbags will not deploy :
-if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
occu rs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by
the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
reg istered by the electronic control unit .
The front pa sse n ger ai rbag will also not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu­
pied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys·
tern ind icates that the front airbag on the
passe nger side has to be turned off by the
electronic control unit (the
PAS SENGER A IR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the r is k of se rious inj ury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air ­
bags inflate, the drive r and passenge rs

172 Airbag system
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against or place any part
of their body too close to the area where
the airbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be se­ riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
~page 163.
A 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 Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will 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 circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the risk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on
your lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuver and become dangerous projec- tiles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, tele­ phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could cause injury in a crash, es­
pecially 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 airbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
'-
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing problems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­
ing conditions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or other respiratory
conditions 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
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System : the airbag
moni toring indicator light and the
PA SSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (includ ing the
e lectronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignit io n is on . Each t ime you
turn on the ignition, the
I airbag monitoring
i ndicator light w ill come o n for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The system mu st be inspect ed when the
I indicator light:
- does not come on when the ignit ion is
swi tched on,
- does not go out a few seconds afte r yo u
have switched o n the ignition, o r
- comes on w hile d riving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator light will first start flashing to catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a irbag on the passenger side off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght w ill come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supp lemen tal p ro­
tection in a fron tal crash .
-If the airbag indic ator l igh t comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advance d Airbag System.
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not s upposed to, or w ill not in­
flate when it should.
-
A irba g sy stem 173
-Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diate ly by you r authorized Aud i dea ler.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light
F ig . 1 78 Sect io n fro m t he in strum en t pa ne l: PASSEN ­
GER AIRBAG OFF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light is located
i n the center of the instrument pane l
¢fig . 178.
The PASSENGER AIRBA G OF F light w ill come
o n and stay o n to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electron ic control unit . Each
t ime you turn on the ignit ion, the
PASSEN­
GER AIRBAG OFF
lig ht w ill flash fo r a few sec·
o nds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied,
- will stay on if there is a small chi ld or child
restraint on the front passenge r seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
we ight-sensi ng mat .
The
PAS SENGER AIRBAG OFF light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing child rest raint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, o r
- a forward -facing chi ld restra int has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passen ­
ger seat is equal to or less t han the com ­
b in ed weight of a typical 1 year-old restra in­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward -fac-
ing infant restra ints listed in Federal Motor ..,.

174 Airbag sys te m
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS­
SENGER AIRBAG OFF
light will stay on . Never
install a rearward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger seat, the safest p lace for a
child in any kind of child restraint is at one of
the seating posit ions on the rear seat
c::> page 163, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
c::> page 186, Child Safety .
If the PASSENG ER A IRBAG OFF light com es
on
when one of the conditions l isted above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF
l igh t stays on cont inuo usly whenever the
ignition is on.
If the PAS SENGER AIRBAG OFF
light does not appear and not stay on all the
time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- react iva te the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restraint.
Make su re that the child res traint is properly
insta lled and that the safety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
ro uted around the child restraint as descri ­
bed in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea ­
ture on the safety be lt for the front passen­
ger 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
t h at the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the sea t can do its job
c::> page 195.
- make sure that th ings that may increase the
we ight of t he chi ld and child safety seat are
not be ing tra nspo rted on the front passen ­
ger seat;
- make su re that the safety be lt tension sen­
so r is not b locked. Shake t he safety be lt
l atch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a st rap or te ther is being used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger seat, make sure that
it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con ­
tin uous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- t ake the child res train t off the front passen-
ge r seat and ins tall it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dea ler
immed iate ly .
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure t hat the c hild is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF
lig ht comes on a nd stays on or
flashes fo r about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
c::> page 145, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the fron t passenger door or s upport­
ing their weight on the armres t,
- t he safety belt is be ing properly wo rn and
t hat the re is not a lot o f slack in the safety
be lt webb ing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or othe r
t hings tha t may cause an incorrec t reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF or

PASSENGER AIRBAG ON will briefly appear in
the instrument cluster display. This is to in­
form 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 functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or w ill not in ­
flate when it should .
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diately by your author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restra int, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing chi ld re­
straint that has not been prope rly insta lled
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed.
- E ven thoug h your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always insta ll forward or rear -facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­ ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme ­
diately insta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r au­
thorized Aud i de aler.
- A tight tether or other st rap on a rear­
wa rd-fac ing child restra int attached to
-
A irbag system 1 75
the front passenger seat can p ut too
m uch pressu re on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than is actually o n the seat . The heavier
weight registered can make the system
wo rk as tho ugh an adult we re on the seat
a nd deploy the Advanced Airbag w hen it
m ust be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild .
- I f, in exceptiona l circumstances , you
m ust install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
s traint on the front passenger seat, al ­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­ sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­ ment range, as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays o n all t he time when­
eve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- I f the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger sea t after tak ing
the steps described above, make su re the
ad ult is properly seate d and restra ined at
one o f the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer before trans­port ing anyone on the front passenger
seat .
(D Tips
If the weight -sensing mat in the front pas ­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side wi ll be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are i nstalled at
many different p laces o n your Aud i. Insta lli ng,
removing, servicing or repa iring a par t in an
area o f the veh icle can damage a par t of an
airbag sys tem and preven t that system from
working properly in a coll is ion . ..,.
•
•

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
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
d river and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe ­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
.&_ WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
Airbag system 177
characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
.&_ 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 con ­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­ bag System from working properly.
-Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 179 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
Q fig . 179, the knee airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
panel underneath the glove compartment .
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal collisions when the de­ ployment threshold stored in the control unit
I),-

178 Airbag system
is met ¢ page 171, More important things to
know about front airbags.
I n addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember 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 shou ld always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
¢page 154, General notes .
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the air­
bag control module if the safety belt is being
used or not . If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher rate of decelera tion than if the belt is not be­
ing used . Therefore, in a par ticu lar collision, it
is possible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the pos ition where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are a lways there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, fo r example whe n your veh i­
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety be lts correctly.
It is importan t to remember that while the
supplemental knee a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther inj uries, for example, swel ling, bruising,
and minor abras ions and frict io n burns can a l­
so occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of:
- The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable ai rbags (a irbag and gas gen -
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The a irbag indicator light in the instr ument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ig nit ion is t urned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
meas ured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/indicator light is on)
¢page 15.
A WARNING
--
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 171.
-If the airbag ind icator light comes when
the vehicle is be ing used , have the sys­
tem inspected immediate ly by you r au­
thori zed A udi dealer. The airbag may not
w ork p roperly when the vehicle accelera­
tion in a side collision is high enough to
de ploy the airbag . See also¢
page 15 .
How knee airbags work
Applies to veh icles : w ith knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re­
du ced by f ully deployed knee airbags.
Fig . 1 80 In flated airbags protecting in a frontal colli-
s ion
II--

180 Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 18 1 Side a irbag locat io n in the d river 's seat
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t bac krests
~ fig. 181. They are iden­
tified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The sid e airbag system basicall y consis ts of :
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
t h e front backrests
- the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly
to make certain that it is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the drive r's and front passenger's up­
pe r torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side col lision . The airbag deploys
on ly in side impacts and on ly when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control unit is h igh eno ugh . If this rate is below the refer­
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered,
even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re ­
sult of the collision. It is not possible to de ­
f ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will
cover
every
possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances w ill
vary considerably between one collision and another.
Important factors
incl ude, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc .
c:> page 181, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle . Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wea ring
you r safety belt and wea ring it p roperly . This
is anothe r reason why yo u should always wear
yo ur s afe ty be lts, no t ju st because the law re­
quires yo u to do so~
page 154, General
notes .
It is impo rtant to remembe r th at w hile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser io us inju ries,
othe r injuries, for example, swelling, br uising ,
and minor abrasions ca n also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
s ide airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are always there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessarily an ind i­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t io n. In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remembe r too, t hat air­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in ce rtain
ki nds of col lisions -yo ur safety belts a re a l­
ways there to offer pro tection in those a cc i­
den ts in which airbags are no t su pposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ig nit ion is tu rned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear-end collisions