belt AUDI A5 COUPE 2015 Owner's Guide

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restraints or occupants on the front passen­
ger seat and prevent the side airbag in the
seat backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional padding will prevent the
we ight-sensing mat in the seat from accu­
rately registering the child rest raint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
- If you must use a child restra int on the front
passenge r seat and the child rest rain t man­
ufac turer's instructions requ ire the use of a
towel, foam c ushion or someth ing e lse to
properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child restra int i n a rear seating position
and have the a irbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the s ide
a irbags supplement the protect ion offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners
and load limiters and the adjustable head re­
straints to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations . Be sure to
read the important information about safety and
heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Dep loyment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the act ivation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
un it . Crash sever ity depends on speed a nd decel­
e rat ion as well as the mass and st iff ness of the
ve hicle or objec t involved in the crash.
On the passenger s ide, regard less of safety belt
use, the a irbag w ill be turned off if the weight on
the passenge r seat is less than the amount pro­
grammed in the electronic con trol un it . The front
Ai rb ag system
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the child safety seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recogni zed on the seat .
The
P A SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light comes on
and stays on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
q page 130, Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know .
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of inju ry when an airbag i n­
flates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestra ined, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of posi tion in any way,
your risk of injury is m uch higher.
- You will a lso receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
qpoge 129.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fi g. 1 34 Inflated fro nt a irbags
-.... N 0 :i:
~
Safety be lts are important to he lp keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
airbags can unfold properly and provide supple­
mental protection in a frontal coll ision.
T he front airbags a re des igned to provide addi­
tiona l protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- t he seats have bee n positioned so tha t the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag, ..,
137

Airbag syste m
-and the head restraints have been properly ad-
justed .
Because airbags inflate i n the blink of an eye with
g rea t force, things you have on yo ur lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in­
flates.
When an a irbag deploys , fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle . This dust is made up most ly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy.
It
could irr itate sk in.
I t is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example swel ling, bruising and m inor abra­
sions, can also happen when a irbags inflate. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags only supplement the
three point safety belts in some fronta l collisions
i n which the veh icle deceleration is h igh enough
to deploy the airbags.
F ront airbags w ill not deplo y:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc -
curs,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in ro llovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control un it.
Th e front pas seng er airbag will a lso not
depl oy:
-when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as
sensed by the Advanced Airbag System indi­
cates that the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has to be turned off by the e lectronic con­
trol unit (the
PAS SENGE R AIR BAG O FF ligh t
comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
r is k of serious injury in crashes .
138
-To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright pos ition, must not
lean aga inst or place any part of thei r body
too close to the area where the a irbags are
located.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an a irbag as it unfolds with great
force in the blink of an eye
c:> page 130.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenge r seat w il l be
seriously inju red and can be killed if the front
ai rbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the chi ld safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating posi tion and have the airbag system
inspected by your au thori zed Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of inj ury in a crash by inte rfe r­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing p ushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands o r on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transpor t items on or in the a rea of
the front passenger seat. Objects could move into the area of the front ai rbags dur­
ing brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous project iles that can
cause serious persona l injury if the airbags
inflate.

Airbag system
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been t urned off
by the electron ic control unit. Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child re ­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is occu ­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG 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-fac ing ch ild restra int has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a fo rward-facing child restraint has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the comb ined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forwa rd-facing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward -facing chi ld restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat
c> page 130, Child re ­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and c> page 151, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the condit ions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear and not stay on all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
140
- reactivate 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 co rrectly routed around the child
restraint as described in the ch ild restra int
manufacturer's instructions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retractor
on the safety belt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or
have loops of s lack so that the sensor below the
safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
<=>page 160.
-make sure that things that may increase the
we ight of the child and child safety seat are not
being transported on the front passenger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is
not blocked. Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passenger seat back and forth;
- If a strap or tethe r is be ing 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 actually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restra int off the front passenger
seat and install it p roperly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by yo ur authorized Audi dealer immediately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropr iate for its size
and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light sho uld NOT
come on when the ignit ion is on and an ad ult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with ..,.

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his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined
~ page 113, Correct
passenger seating positions,
- the ad ult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is being proper ly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety be lt web ­
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
th ings that may cause an incorrect read ing or
impression on the weig ht-sens ing mat under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latch for the front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in t he center of the instrument panel, the
message
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF or PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
will br iefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster display . Th is is to inform the driver
of the current front passenger ai rbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplementa l protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light ~ page 19
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possible that
the a irbag will inflate when it is not s up­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without a
child restraint, in a rearward-facing child safe­
ty seat or in a forward-facing child restraint that has not been proper ly installed will be
ser iously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certa in
that all ch ild ren, especially 12 years and
Airbag syste m
younger, a lways ride on the back seat prop­
erly restra ined for their age and size.
- Always install forward o r 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 be­
cause of except iona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
appear and stay on, immediately install the
rea r-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seating
position and have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authori zed Audi dealer .
- A tight tether or o ther s trap on a rea rward­
facing ch ild restraint attached to the front
p assenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-sens ing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat. The heavier weight registe red can
make the system work as though an adult
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serio us or even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the seat into its rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and aft ad justmen t range, as fa r away
from the airbag as possib le. The b ackrest
m ust be adjus ted to an upr ight position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
--
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is s itting on the
front passenger seat after tak ing the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
p roperly seated and restrained at one of the
rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer befo re transpo rting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
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@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Mater ial
-special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system includ ing a irbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, a ll
app licable laws and regu lations must be ob­
served. Your author ized Audi dealer is fam iliar
w ith 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 A irbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using t ire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of the s uspension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control un it. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it wou ld 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 airbag from deploy­ ing when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's s uspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components or iginally instal­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Ai rb ag system
A WARNING
-Items stored between the safety be lt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors i n the buckle to send the w rong informat ion
to the electronic control module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wor king
properly.
- Always ma ke sure that nothing can interfere
wit h the safety belt buckles a nd that they
are not obstr ucted.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 136 Dr iver 's knee ai rbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
u nderneath the steer ing whee l~
fig. 136, the
knee airbag for the passenger is at abou t 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 passenge r's knees and uppe r and
lower thigh areas and supp lements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
th resho ld stored in the control unit is met
~ page 13 7, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In add ition to their normal sa fety f unct ion, safe-
ty be lts he lp keep the driver or fro nt passenger in .,.
143

Airb ag syst em
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supp lemental protection.
The airba g system is not a s ubstitute for yo ur
safety belt. Rathe r, it is part of the overall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re ­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety be lt
and wear ing it properly. This is why you should al­
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requ ires you to do so
¢page 121, General in ­
formation .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accide nts in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle str ikes o r is s truck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why a n airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . T he refore, always wear your
safety belts correctly.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental knee airbag system is des igned to re­
duce the likelihood of serio us inj uries , other inju ­
ries, for examp le, swelling, bruising, and mi nor
abrasions and friction burns can a lso occur when
an airbag inflates .
The kn ee airbag system basically consists of:
- T he electronic con tro l module
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the drive r and one fo r the front
passenger
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-whe n the ignition is turned off
- in fronta l coll isions when the dece leration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers
144
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
r::;, page 19.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection whe n occupants are in
the proper seating position
r::;, page 137.
- If the airbag indicator light r::;, page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer .
It is possible that
the airbag will i nflate when it is not sup­
posed to, o r will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fig . 13 7 Inflated airbags protect ing in a fro nta l collis ion
The knee airbag system has been des igned so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions.
If t he fron t air bags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fro nta l collisions whe n the dep loyment
thresho ld stored in the contro l unit is met .
When the system deploys, the ai rbags fill with a
propellan t gas, and inflate be tween the lower
part o f the instr ument panel and the d rive r and
the lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
¢ page 137, fig . 134 .
Although they are not a soft p illow, they can
cush io n the impact and in this way they can help
to reduce the risk of injury to the lower extremi­
ties .

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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 it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy .
Fu lly inflated airbags in comb ination with proper­
l y worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant 's forward movement and help to reduce
the r isk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
A pp lies to vehicles: with k nee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
to provide supplementa l protection.
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in­
jury. Wear ing safety belts incorrect ly and im­
proper seati ng positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locat ions. When adjusting the ir
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies and knees at the followi ng
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instr ument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the airbag dep loy.
-
Ai rb ag system
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate w ithout interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfer ing
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into yo u as the a irbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
animals ride in the footwell in front of the passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can resu lt in serious or fatal injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shoppi ng
bags, for example) can i nterfere with or
preve nt proper deployment of the airbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag dep loys and injure yo u
or you r passengers.
- Ma ke sure there are no cracks, deep scratch­
es or othe r damage in the area of the instr u­
men t pa nel where the knee a irb ags are lo­
ca ted.
- If ch ildren are inco rrectly se ated, their r isk
of injury in creases in a coll is io n
~ page 151, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 138 Side a irbag location in the drive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
fron t seat backres ts
q fig. 138 . They are iden ti­
fied by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag sy stem basi cally con sis t s of : ..,.
145

Airbag syste m
-the e lectronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- the a irbag warning light in the inst rument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electron ica lly to
make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you tu rn on the ignition, the a ir­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to
the driver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col­
lision. The airbag dep loys only in side impacts
and only when the vehicle accelerat ion registered
by the control unit is high enough. If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the side airbags will not be trig­
gered, even though the car may be bad ly dam­
aged as a result of the coll is ion. It is not poss ible
to define an airbag triggering range that will cov­
er every possible ang le o f impact , since the c ir­
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between one
collision and another . Important factors include,
for examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of the im ­
pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 147, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protect ion.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­ pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
be lt and wearing it properly . This is another rea­
son why you should always wear you r safety
be lts, not j ust because the law requ ires you to do
so ¢
page 121, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental side a irbag system is des igned to re­
duce the likelihood of serio us in juries, o ther inj u-
146
ries , fo r example, swelling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can a lso be associated with dep loyed
s ide a irbags. Remember too, side a irbags w ill de­
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci­
dents - your safety belts are always there to offer
protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may i nflate . Remembe r too, that a irbags w ill deploy
o nl y once and only in certa in kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts a re a lways there to offer p rotec­
t ion in those accidents in wh ich airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side collisions when the accelerat ion meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collis ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
cu rtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 147.
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.

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How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 139 Inflated side a irbags on left side of veh icle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas­
senger . In order to help provide this additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with great force. The supplemental side airbag could injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­
plies especially to children
¢page 151, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collis ion
¢fig. 139.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
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 provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacemen t
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where the side airbags de­ploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
-
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
~
147

Airb ag syst em
by being pushed into you as t he airbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Su ch ob jects and ac cessories can become
dangerous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de ­
p loys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de ­
p loyment space between them and the
airbags or allow chi ldren or other passen­
gers to trave l 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 airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be ing
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
o r hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be rep laced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (c racks, deep scratches etc.) to the
o riginal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must a lways
be repaired immedia tely by an authori zed
Audi dealer .
-If children a re seated improperly, their risk
of injury i ncreases in the case of an a ccident
~ page 151, Child safety .
-Never a ttempt to modify any com po nents of
the a irbag sys tem in any way .
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags w il l not fu nc­
t ion prope rly if sensors canno t correc tly
measure increas ing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r doo r tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re ­
moved from the ins ide door panel and the
open ings they leave hav e not bee n prope r­
ly closed.
148
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker ho les have bee n properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or f illed if add itiona l speakers or
other equipment is installed i n the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
autho rized Aud i dea le r or q ualified work­
shop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants .
Fig. 1 40 Sid e curt ain system , driver's s ide : side c urtain ai r­
bag loca tion
The side curtai n airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win­
dows
~ fig. 140 . They are identif ied by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windsh ield frame and the cen ­
ter roof pi llar.
The side curtai n airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk o f in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll i­
s io n. The side curtain ai rbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the veh icle acceler ation reg­
istered by the cont ro l unit is high enough . If t his
rate is below the reference value prog ram med in­
to the control un it, the side a irbags w ill not be
trigge red, even thoug h the ca r may be bad ly
damaged as a resul t of t he coll is ion. It is no t po s­
s ible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since .,._