AUDI A5 COUPE 2014 Owners Manual

make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on continuous ly whenever the
i gnit ion is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light does not appear and not stay on all
the t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
routed around the child restraint as descr i­
bed in the child 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 o r have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can do its job ¢
page 171.
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the chi ld and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen ­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen­
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the we ight-sensing mat to measure
more we ight than is actually on the seat.
If the PA SSEN GER A IR B AG OFF light st ill
do es not come o n
and does not stay on con­
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the chi ld restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions . Have the a irbag system
inspected by your author ized Audi dealer
i mmediately .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat posit io n and
make sure that the child is properly restrain­
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
A irbag system 149
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignitio n is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PAS SENGER
AIR B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for 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
¢ page 120, 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 front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly wo rn and
tha t the re is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accessory sea t covers or cushions o r 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 seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver 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 ind icator light
¢ page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It i s
-
•
•

150 Airbag system
possible that the airbag will inflate when
it is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without
a child restraint, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing child re­
straint that has not been properly installed
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always install 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 install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too
much pressure on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and register more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward-facing child re­
straint 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 airbag
as possible. The backrest must be adjust­
ed to an upright position. Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adult is properly seated and restrained at
one of the rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer before trans­
porting 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 will be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­ carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag
from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way.

-Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­ backs 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 original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace-
Airbag system 151
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version. Re­ placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per-
ch lorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped , all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim 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
•
•

152 Airbag system
examp le, increase the force levels measured
by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy
if the changes had not been made. Other
kinds of changes may reduce the force levels
measured by the sensors and prevent the air­
bag from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver 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. Therefo re, in a par­
ticular co llision, it is poss ible 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 electron ic cont ro l unit.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's s uspension includ­
ing u se of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advan ced Airb ag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal in jury in a c rash.
- Never ins tall suspens io n components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi­
nally insta lled on your vehicle.
- Never use tire- rim combinations that
have not been approved by A udi.
~ WARNING
-
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the senso rs in the buckle to send the
wrong informat ion to the elect ro n ic con­
trol modu le and prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from wor king proper ly.
- Always make sure that noth ing can inte r-
fere w ith the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig . 1 36 Driver 's knee airbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the ins trumen t
pane l underneath t he steering whee l
¢ fig. 136, the knee airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
pane l underneath the g love compartment.
T he knee airbag offe rs additional p rotection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower th igh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If t he front airbags dep loy , the knee ai rbags
also dep loy in frontal coll isio ns when the de­
ployment thresho ld stored in the contro l unit
is met
¢ page 146, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addition to their norma l safety function,
safety belts help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in position in a fronta l collision so that
the a irbags can provide supplemental protec­
t ion .
The airbag system is not a substit ute 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 a irbag system can
o nly help to protect you if you are weari ng
your safety belt and wea ring i t proper ly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
b elt, no t jus t be ca use the law requi res you to
do so
r::!;> page 129, General notes .

The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the air­
bag control mod ule 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 deceleration than if the belt is not be­
i ng used. Therefo re, i n a pa rtic ular collision, it
is poss ible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position whe re the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position whe re the
safety be lt is not being used .
Remembe r too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in ce rtain kinds of accidents -your
safety be lts are a lways there to offer pro te c­
t ion in those acc idents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have a l­
ready deployed, fo r example when your vehi­
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
f irst coll is ion.
This is just one o f th e reasons why an ai rbag 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 belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental knee a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other injuries, for example, swel ling, bruising,
and minor abras io ns and friction burns ca n al­
so occur when an ai rbag inflates.
The knee airb ag sy stem ba sically consist s
of:
- The electronic control modu le
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy :
-when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal col lisions when the dece lerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers
A irba g sy stem 153
- in the event of a system mal function (warn ­
ing/indicator light is on)
c:> page 20 .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
c:>page 146.
-If the ai rbag ind icator light c:> page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immed iately
by your authorized Audi dealer .
It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not infl ate
when it shoul d.
How knee airbags work
Applies to veh icles : w ith knee airbags
The risk of injury to the l eg area can be re­
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fi g. 1 37 Inflated a irbags protec ting in a frontal coll i­
s io n
The knee airbag system has been des igned so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all fronta l
colli sions.
If the front a irbags deploy, the knee a irbags
also deploy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment th reshold stored in the con trol unit
is met.
When the system deploys, the a irbags fill
with a propellant gas, and inflate between th e
lower part of the inst rument pa nel and the
drive r and t he lowe r part of the instr ume nt
pane l and the front p asse nger
c:> page 146,
fig . 134.

154 Airbag sys te m
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
cushion the impact and in this way they can he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities.
A ll of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The a irbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and it is im­
portant for occupant safety that noth ing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Fu lly inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with knee airb ags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety be lts and
a ir bags to provide supp lemental p rotection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
inju ry. Wear ing sa fety belts inco rrec tly and
improper seating posi tions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
yo u properly if you are seated too close
to any o f the airbag locations. When ad­
just ing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following min imum safe
dis tances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instr u­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel. -
The risk of personal inj ury increases if
you lean fo rward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are not wearing you r safety belt . The risk in­
creases even more should the a irbag de­
ploy .
- Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence. Objects
between you and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of injury in an ac cident by inte r­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, espec ia lly children
or anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, th is can result in serious or fatal
injur ies.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger 's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the a irbag . Small ob jects can be
thrown thro ugh the veh icle if the air­
bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­ bags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
c:::> page 161, Child Safety .

Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 1 38 S ide a irbag location i n the driver 's seat
The s ide a irbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t backrests ¢
fig . 138. They are iden­
tified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system ba sicall y consis ts of :
-the electronic control module and external
side impact senso rs
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the a irbag warning 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 a irbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the dr iver's and front passenge r's up­
pe r torso on the side of the veh icle that is
struck in a side co llision . The airbag deploys
on ly in side impacts and on ly when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control u nit is
hi gh eno ugh . If this rate is below the refer­
ence va lue programmed i nto the con trol 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
fine an airbag trigger ing range that will cover
eve ry possible angle of impact, since the ci r­
cumstances wi ll vary conside rably between
A irba g sy stem 155
one collis ion and anothe r. Important factors
incl ude, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 156, 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 overall 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 wearing
you r safety be lt and wea ring it p roperly. This
is anothe r reason why you should a lways wear
yo ur safe ty be lts, no t ju st because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 129, General
notes .
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious inju ries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, br uising,
and minor abrasions can 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 the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or
even the lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessarily a n indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion. In some coll is io ns, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­
bags will deploy only once and only in certain
k inds of co lli sions -you r safe ty be lts are al­
w ays the re to offe r protection in those ac ci­
dents in whi ch airbags are not s upposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when t he ignit io n is tu rned off
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-e nd collisions
- in rear-end collis ions

156 Airbag system
-in rol lovers.
I n s ome types of acc idents the front a irbags,
side curtain a irbags and side ai rbags may be
tr iggered together.
A WARNING
- Sa fety belts and the airbag system will
only prov ide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢ page 156 .
-If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your autho rized Aud i dea ler . It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not i nflate
when it should.
How supplemental s ide airbags work
-
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re ­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 139 Infla ted side a irbags o n left side of ve hicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
fi lled wit h propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR ­
BAG". It exp ands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In order to help prov ide
this additional protection, the side a irbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
ve ry hig h speed and with great fo rce . The sup­
p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
se ating position is no t proper or upr ight or if
item s are located in the area where the sup­
p lemental side a irbag expands. This app lies
especia lly to childre n
¢ page 161, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplementa l side airbags inflate betw een the occ
upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
lis ion ¢
fig. 139.
Although they are not a soft pi llow , they can
"cushion" the im pact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part o f the body .
A fine d ust may deve lop when the ai rbag de­
ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al ­
ways properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a
proper seating posi tion .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplementa l protect ion.
A WARNING
An i nflat ing s ide a irbag can cause serious
or fata l injury . Improperly wearing safety
be lts and imp roper seating pos itions in­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and dea th whenever a vehicle is being
use d.
- In order to red uce the risk of i njury when
the supplemental side airbag infla tes:
- Always sit in an upright posit ion and
never lean aga inst the a rea whe re the
suppleme nta l side airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where the supplementa l
s ide airbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety be lts a re
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
- Always make sure that the s ide airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence .

-Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front
seatbacks that have not been specifi­
cally approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer .
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cupholders, tele­
phone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat
backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental s ide air­
bag deploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the a irbags or a llow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for Lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp -edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
-Always prevent the side airbags from be­ ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must
Airbag system 157
always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
Q page 161, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rectly measure increasing air pressure in­
side the doors when air escapes through larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave have not been properly closed .
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers
or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain­
ed occupants.
Fig. 140 Sid e curt ain system , driver's s ide: side curtain
airbag l ocati on
~

158 Airbag sys te m
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ~
fig. 140. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the
risk of injury for occupants ' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side co llision . The side curtain airbag in ­
flates in s ide impacts and only when the veh i­
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
is high enoug h. If th is rate is below the refe r­
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be t riggered, even
though the ca r may be badly damaged as a re ­
sult of the collision . It is not possible to de ­
fine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
i nclude, for example, the natu re (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, etc.~
page 159, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
As ide from the ir no rmal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli­
sion so tha t the side curta in airbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for you r
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc­
cupa nt res traint system in your ve hicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you sho uld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just beca use the law re­
qu ires you to do so
Q page 129, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, fo r example , swell ing, bruisi ng, and
minor abras io ns can also be associated w it h
these airbags. Remembe r too, these a irbags
will dep loy only once and only in cer tain kinds of accidents
-your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
- The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the fron t and
rear side windows
- The a irb ag ind icator light in the inst rument
panel
T he airbag syste m is mon itored e lectronically
to make ce rtain it is functioning prope rly at all
t imes. Each t ime yo u turn on t he igni tion, the
airbag system indicator light wi ll come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is tur ned off,
- in side collisions when the accele ration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING '"--
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupa nts
are in th e prop er seating position
Q page 53, Seats and storage.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light Q page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
h ave the system inspected immedia tely
by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
It is pos­
sible tha t the airbag will inflate when i t
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.