Red light AUDI A6 2015 Repair Manual

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sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re­
cl ined .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the
front passenger seat could cause the ca­
pacitive senso r in the seat to s ignal to
airbag system that the seat is occupied
by a pe rson whe n it in fact is not, o r that
the person on the sea t is heavier than he
o r she actually is. The change in electric
capacitance beca use of such objects can
cause the passenger front airbag to be
turned on when it sho uld be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
worked w ithout objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenger seat that will
cause the capacitive passenge r detection
system in the seat to s ignal to the A irbag
System that t he seat is occupied by a
pers on when it is not, or to sign al t hat it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the pe rson actually sitting on the
seat . The presence of an object co uld
cause the passenger front a irbag to be
turned on when it sho uld be off, or co uld
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
wor ked w ithout the object on the sea t.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when a irbags dep loy
c an cause b reathing problems for peop le
w ith a his to ry o f asthma o r other brea th­
ing condi tio ns .
- T o reduce the r is k of b rea thing prob lems,
those w it h a sthma or o ther resp iratory
c ondit ions should ge t fresh a ir right
away by getting out of the vehicle o r
opening windows or doo rs .
- If you are in a coll is ion in which a irbags
deploy, wash yo ur hands and face with
mild soap and water befo re eating.
A irbag system 157
-Be ca reful not to get the d ust into your
eyes, or into any c uts o r scratches.
- If the resi due s hou ld get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two seporate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Ai rbag System as well as t he
s ide airbags and side curta in a irbags w ith
eject ion mit igat ion features (includi ng the
electron ic co ntrol unit, se nsors and system
wiring) are all mon itored continuously to
make su re that they are function ing p roper ly
whe never the ignition is on . E ve ry time you
tu rn o n the ignition, the airbag sys tem indica­
tor lig ht
II will c ome on fo r a few seconds
(funct ion check) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II:
- does not come on when the igni tion is
switched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignit ion, or
- come s on while driv ing.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator lig ht w ill first sta rt flash ing to
catch the d rive r's atte ntio n and the n stay on
continuously to serve as a constant rem inder
t o have the sys tem inspected immedi ate ly.
If a ma lfu nction occurs that turns the front
airbag on the passenger s ide off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and st ay
o n wheneve r the igni tion is on.
•
•

158 Airbag system
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
c:> page 19
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
hav e the system inspected immed iate ly
by you r aut ho rized Aud i dea le r.
It is pos­
sible that t he a irbag will inf late when it
i s n ot s upposed to, or w ill not in flate
when it sho uld .
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 160 Section from th e in strument panel: PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF ligh t
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
i n the center of the instrument panel
c> fig.160 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on t he passenger side has been
turned off by the e lectronic control unit. If the
bulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
bu rns out, the a irbag ind icator light
II w ill
come on to s ignal a malfunction in the Ad­
vanced A irbag System . Although the burned­
ou t bu lb will no t change the way the front
passenger's frontal ai rbag wor ks, it w ill no
l onger be possib le to use the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light to make sure tha t the airbag
on/off stat us is correct for the occupant on
the front passenger seat. Have the airbag sys­
tem inspected immed iate ly by your author­
ized A udi dealer.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about S se conds when:
- the ignition is switched on and
- t he capa citi ve passenger detection system,
which switc hes the front sea t passenger's
frontal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a change in the status of the front passen­
ger seat.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght stops b linking, a lways make sure that
the a irbag status (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light is proper for
the age, size and e lectrical capacitance of the
person occupy ing the front passenger seat.
Always make sure that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat is prope rly fastened .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight will
show the status of the front seat passenger 's
frontal Advanced Airbag a few s econds after
th e ignition i s switched on and the airbag in­
dicator light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light :
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- will stay on if the electr ical capacitance
meas ured by the capacitive passenger de­
tect ion system for th e front passenger s eat
equa ls the combined capacitance of a n in­
fa nt up to abou t one ye ar of age and one o f
the rearward -facing or forw ard-f acin g ch ild
restraints listed i n Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
cert ified; For a listing of the child restraints
that were used to certify your vehicle's com­
pliance w ith the U.S . Safety Standard
c>page 173.
-will go out if the fro nt passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the ca ­
pacitive passenge r detection system .
- 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
passe nger seat, or
- a rearward -facing child restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-fac ing ch ild restra int has been in-
stalled on the front passenger seat, ..,_

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-and if the e lectr ica l capacitance registered
on the front passenger seat is equal to or l ess than the combined capacitance of a typ­
ical 1 year-old infant and one of the rear­
ward-facing or forward-facing child re­
stra ints listed in Federal Motor Veh icle Safe ­
ty Standard 208 w ith 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
PA S­
SENGER AIR B AG OFF
light w ill stay on . Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 147, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 171, Child Safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light com es
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on when one of the conditions listed above is met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on cont inuously whenever the
i gnit io n is on . If the
PASSENGER AIR B AG
OFF
light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off for more than 4 seconds and then turn­
i ng it on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint .
Make su re that the child rest raint is prope rly
installed and that the safety be lt fo r the
fron t passenger seat has been corre ct ly
ro uted through the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint man ufacturer's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking re­
tractor on the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been act ivated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no electrica l device (such as
a laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inver ter or seat heater for child seats)
is p laced or used on the front passenger
A irbag system 159
seat if the device is connected to the 1 2-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been ret­
rofitted o r otherwise added to the front pas­
senger seat;
- make s ure that nothing can interfere with
the safety belt buck les and that they are not
obstructed ;
- make sure that there are no wet objects
(s uch as a wet towe l) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still
doe s not c ome on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on and does not stay on con­
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child rest raint off the front passen -
ger seat and install it proper ly at o ne of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immed iate ly.
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure that the child is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age.
Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG light should
NOT come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignit io n is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenge r seat . If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on o r
flashes fo r about S seconds wh ile d riving, un­
der these circumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
prope rly seated on the cente r of the seat
cushion with his o r her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is no t recli ned,
- the adult i s 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 armrest,
- the sa fe ty belt is bei ng properly wo rn and
tha t the re is not a lot o f slack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- there are no aftermar ket seat covers or
cushions or other things (s uch as blankets)
IJI>
•
•

160 Airbag sys te m
on the front passenger seat that might
cause the capacitive passenger detection
system to miscalcu late electrical capac i­
tance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
_&. WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need Airbag Sys­
tem has changed while the vehicle is
moving, the
PA SSE NGER AIR BAG O FF
light blinks for about 5 seconds to catch
the driver's attent ion. If this happens, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the steps described above.
- If the
PA SSE NGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is sitting on the front passen­ ger seat after taking the steps descr ibed
above, make sure the adult is properly
seated and restrained at one of the rear
seating positions. Have the a irbag sys­
tem inspected by your authorized Audi dealer before transporting anyone on the
front passenger seat.
_&. WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator light
c:> page 19
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r.
It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should.
_&. WARNING
If the front air bag infla tes, a ch ild witho ut
a child restra int, or in a rearward -fac ing
child safety seat, o r in a forward-facing
child restraint that has not been properly
installed will be serious ly injured and can
be killed. -
Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced A irbag System, make
certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, always ride on the
back seat p roperly restrained for their
age and size .
- Always install forward o r rear-facing
child seats on the rear seat -even with
an Advanced A irbag System.
- If you must install a rearwa rd-facing
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of ex ceptional circumstan ces
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and s tay on, immediate­
ly install the rear -facing child seat in a
rea r seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by you r Audi dealer.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust 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 a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be adjust­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make su re that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when ­
eve r the ignit ion is swit ched on.
_&. WARNING
=
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea ler before t ransporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capac itive passenger detection sys­
tem determ ines that the front passenger
seat is empty, the fronta l airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight will stay
on.

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Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are a lways there to offer protec ­
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, for example when your vehi ­
cle str ikes or is struck by another afte r the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system wo rks most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Therefore, always wear your
safety bel ts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental knee a irbag system is des igned
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther in juries, fo r example, swel ling , bruising
and minor abras io ns and frict ion bu rns c an al­
so occur when an airbag in flates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of :
-The elec tronic control mod ule
- T wo inf latab le airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erato r), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- T he airbag ind icator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ign ition is switc hed off
- in frontal collisions w hen the decelerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers
- in the event of a system malfunct io n (wa rn -
i ng/indicator ligh t is on)
r::!>page 19.
& WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can
only p rov ide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
c::>page 155.
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 19
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
A irba g sy stem 163
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is pos­
sib le that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to , or will not inflate
when it should .
How knee airbags work
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re ­
duced by fully inflated knee airbags.
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Fi g. 162 In flated a irbags protect ing in a fronta l coll i·
s ion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collisions.
If the front airbags dep loy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in fronta l collisions when the de­
ployment th resho ld stored in the control unit
is met.
When the system deploys, the ai rbags fill
with a propellant gas, and inflate between the l ower part of the instrument pane l and the
driver and t he lower part of the instrument
panel and the front passenger
c::> page 155,
fig . 159 .
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in t his way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremit ies .
A ll of th is takes place in the blink o f an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
i nfla te with a g reat dea l of fo rce and i t is im­
po rtant for occupant safety t hat nothing
sho uld be in their way whe n they deploy. ..,.

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caused by airbags when they inflate, particu­
l arly when the occupant sitting next to it is
not seated properly. The s ide a irbag for the
front passenger seat can be used with proper ­
ly installed chi ld res traints. Please be sure to
read the important information and warnings
whenever us ing a child restraint in a veh icle :
Safety belts
c::;, page 136, A irbag system
c::;, page 14 5, Child safety ~ page 171.
The side airbag system basically con sists of:
- the e lectronic control module and external
s ide impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests and the two airbags* located
in the rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monito red elect ron ica lly
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you switch on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
T he side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in ­
jury to the driver's, front and rear passenger's upper torso on t he side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision . The airbag deploys
only in s ide impac ts and on ly when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control u nit is
hi gh enough . If this rate is below the refer­
e nce va lue progr ammed i nto the con trol un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the ca r may be badly damaged as a re­
sult of the collision . It is not possible to de­
f ine an a irbag trigger ing range that will cover
eve ry possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important facto rs
in clude, for examp le, the natu re (hard o r soft)
of the impacting objec t, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, etc. ~
page 1 66, Impor tan t
safety instructions on the side airbag sy stem.
Aside from the ir no rmal safety function, safe­
ty belts wor k to he lp keep the d river or front
passenger in posi tion in the event of a side
Airbag system 165
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection.
T he airbag system is
not a substi tute fo r your
s af ety belt . Ra ther, it is part o f the over all oc­
cupant restra int system in you r vehicle . A l­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can on ly help to protect yo u if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it proper ly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety be lts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so c::;,
page 136, General
notes.
It is important to remember that wh ile the
suppleme nta l side airbag system is desig ned
to r educe the likelihood of ser ious injuries,
othe r injur ies, for exampl e, swelling, bru is ing ,
friction bur ns and m ino r abrasions can a lso be
associ ated w ith dep loye d side airbags. Re­
member too, si de a irbags w ill dep loy o nly
once an d only in ce rtain kinds of accidents -
yo ur safety be lts a re a lways there to offer p ro ­
tection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessarily a n indi ­
cation of ove r-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion. In some coll is ions, both front and side
a irbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­
bags will deploy only once a nd only in certain
ki nds of col lisions - you r safety belts a re a l­
ways t he re to offe r protection in those acc i­
dents i n which a irbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit io n is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration
meas ured by t he sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollove rs .
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
s ide cu rtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
t rigge red together. .,,. •
•

166 Airbag system
& WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
<=>page 166.
- If the airbag indicator light c::> page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
How supplemental side 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. 164 Inflated side airbags o n left side of vehicle,
rear s ide airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG". It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . 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 sup­
plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side airbag expands . This applies
especially to children
c::> page 171, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on th e
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
coll is ion
c::> fig. 164 .
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 de­ ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection .
& WARNING
-
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease 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
supplemental 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 replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.

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-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 acc ident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by be ing pushed into you as
the airbag inflates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders., tel­
ephone 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 airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightwe ight clothing. Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air ­
bag dep loyment 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 Aud i dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must
always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
Airbag system 167
-If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
Q page 171, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side coll ision, 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 a irbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain­
ed occupants .
Fig. 165 Side curta in air bags, driver's s ide: s ide curta in
airbag location ....

168 Airbag sys tem
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 165. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof p illar.
The side curtain airbags contain features that provide e jection m itigat ion to he lp prevent ve­
h icle occupants or parts of their bodies from
be ing completely or partially ejected from the
ve hicle interior in certain side impacts and ve ­
h icle rollovers.
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso. The s ide curtain airbag inflates in side
impacts and only when the vehicle acce lera­
tion registered by the control u nit is high
enough. If t his rate is below the reference val­
ue programmed into the control unit, the s ide
curtain ai rbag 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 wi ll vary considerably between
one coll ision and another. Important factors
include, for examp le, the natu re (hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, etc. ¢
page 169, How side cur­
tain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts wor k to he lp keep t he d river or front
passenger in posi tion in the event of a co ll i­
sion so tha t the side curta in ai rbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for your
safety be lt. R athe r, it is p art of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your ve hicle . Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
on Ly help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
is another reason w hy you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­ qu ires you to do so¢
page 136, General
notes .
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
side curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
injur ies, for example, swelling, br uising, fric­
t ion burns and minor abras ions can also be as­
sociated w ith these airbags upo n deployment .
Remember too, these airbags will deploy only
once a nd on ly in ce rtain kinds of accide nts -
yo ur safety belts a re always the re to offer p ro­
tection .
The side curtain airbag system basic ally
consists of:
- The e lectro nic co ntrol module and external
side impa ct sensors
- The side curtain a irbags above the front and
rea r side windows wit h ejection mitigation
fe atu res
- The a irbag i ndicator lig ht in the inst rument
pa nel
The airbag system is mon itored electronically
to make ce rtain it is functioning prope rly at all
t imes. Each time you sw itch on the ign ition,
t h e airbag system ind icator light will come on
f o r a few seconds (sel f diagnos tics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration
measu red by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating posi tion
¢ page 52, General re commendations.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light ¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspe cted immedia tely
by your au thori zed A udi deale r.
It is pos­
sible tha t the airbag will infla te when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.

M N
0 I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
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How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig. 166 Illustrat ion of p rinc iple: Infla ted side cur ta in
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
¢fig. 166.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplementa l side curtain airbag
inf lates . This applies especially to children
¢page 171.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can ''cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­
ploys. This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle .
Airbag system 169
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the side curtain airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate without interfere nce.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in a colli­
sion.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the hooks .
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
if shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, use only genuine Audi
sun shades .
- Never swing the sun visors over to the
side windows if things such as pens, ga­ rage door openers, hands-free speakers,
etc. are attached to the sun visors. They
could come loose and cause serious in­
jury if the side curtain airbag inflates.
-A deploying airbag inflates in a fraction
of a second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in
the deployment zone of a side curtain airbag.
- The airbag deployment zones must be
kept clear at all times. Make sure there
are no objects, pets, or other persons in
-