belt AUDI A6 2016 Owner's Guide

A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds and/or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
-Always make sure nothing is in the front air -
bag deployment zone that could be struck
by the airbag when it inflates .
- Objects in the zone of a deploying airbag
can become projectiles when the airbag de­
ploys and cause serious personal injury.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
-
-Never place accessories or other objects
(such as cup holders, telephone brackets,
note pads, navigation systems, or things
that are large, heavy, or bulky) on the doors;
never attach then to the doors or the wind­
shield; never place them over or near or at­
tach them to the area marked ,,AIRBAG" on
the steering wheel, instrument panel or the
seat backrests; never place them between these areas and you or any other person in
the vehicle .
- Never attach objects to the windshield
above the passenger front airbag, such as
accessory GPS navigation units or music players. Such objects could cause serious in­
jury in a collision, especially when the air­ bags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the deployment area of the side airbags or
the front airbag during breaking or in a sud­ den maneuver. Objects near the airbags can
fly dangerously through the passenger com­
partment and cause injury , particularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in­
flate.
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­ cially infants and small children, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­
ing too close to the airbag when it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
Airbag system
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with the .,low risk" option for 3-
and 6-year-old children under the U.S. Fed­
eral Standard if a child with electrical capac­
itance greater than the combined capaci­
tance of a typical one-year old infant re­
strained in one of the forward facing or rear­
ward-facing child seats with which your ve­
hicle was certified is on the front passenger
seat and the other conditions for airbag de­
ployment are met .
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position.
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 , as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehi­
cle was manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supplements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the driver's and front passenger 's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags in­
flate only in frontal impacts when the vehicle de­
celeration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety
belts. Rather, it is part of the overall occupant re­
straint system in your vehicle. Always remember
that the airbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitting upright, wearing your safe­
ty belt and wearing it properly . This is why you
and your passengers must always be properly ..,.
147

Airbag syste m
restrained, not just because the law requires you
to be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been cert ified to meet the "low r isk" require­
ments for 3 and 6 year-o ld children on the pas­
senger side and very sma ll adults on the driver
side . The low risk dep loyment cr iteria are intend­
ed to he lp reduce the risk of injury through inter­
action with the front airbag that can occur, for
example, by being too close to the steering wheel
a nd instrument panel when the airbag inflates .
In addition, the system has been certified to
comply w ith the "suppression" requirements of
the Safety Standard, to turn off the front a irbag
for i nfants 12 months old and younger who a re
restrained on the front passenger seat in ch ild re­
stra ints that are listed in the Standa rd
¢ page 168, Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system.
" Suppression" requ ires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be tu rned off if:
- a child up to about one year of age is restra ined
o n the fro nt passenger seat in one of the rear­
facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed
in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208
with wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your
vehicle was certified. For a listing of the ch ild
restraints that were used to certify your vehi ­
cle's compliance with the US Safety Standard
¢ page 168,
-When a person is detected on the front passen­
ger seat that has an electrica l capacitance t hat
is more than the tota l electrical capacitance of
a chi ld that is about 1 year old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith w hich the Advanced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified), the front
airbag on the passenge r side may or may not
deploy.
The
P ASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the e lectron ic cont rol un it detects a total
e lectr ica l capacitance on the front passenger seat
that requires the front a irbag to be turned off. If
the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
148
has not been turned off by the contro l uni t and
can deploy if the contro l unit senses an impact
that meets the cond itions stored in its memory.
If the total e lectr ica l capacitance registered o n
the front passenger seat is more than that of a
typica l 1 year-old, but less than the weight of a
small adu lt, t he front a irbag on the passenger
s ide may deploy (the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on).
For e xample , the ai rbag ma y deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typica l 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat
(regard less o f whether the child is in one o f the
child seats listed ¢
page 168),
-a child who has outgrown child restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is t urned off, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light in the center of
the instr ument pane l will come on and stay on .
If the front passenger a irbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requ ires the airbag to meet the "low
r isk" dep loyment criteria to he lp reduce the r isk
of inju ry through interaction with the airbag .
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take p lace at lower decelerations as defined
in the electronic contro l unit ¢
page 153.
Alwa ys remembe r: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat. Please be sure to read the important infor­
mation in the sections that fo llow and be sure to
heed all of the WARNINGS.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wea r safety belts prope rly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your r isk of injury is much highe r.
- You will also receive ser ious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when i t inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
¢page 142.

A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat insta l­
led on the front passenger seat will be ser i­
ously injured and can be k illed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
yo ur vehicle is designed to t urn off t he front
airbag when a rea rward-facing child re­
straint has been insta lled on the fron t pas ­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely g uaran ­
tee that deployment is impossible in a ll con­
ceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier w ith great force and will
smash the c hild seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door, or roof.
-Always install rearward-fac ing ch ild re­
straints on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN ­
GER A IR BAG OFF light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear­
facing child seat in a rea r seat ing position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in except io nal circumst ances, you must in­
stall a forward-f acing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always ma ke sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and ce rtified by its man ­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward -facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rea rmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward-facing child restra int. The backrest
must be adjusted to an up right posit ion .
Airb ag sys tem
-Always make sure that there is noth ing on
the front passenge r seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occup ied by a person when it is
not, or to s ignal that it is occupied by some­
one w ho is heavier than the person actually
sit ting on the sea t. T he presen ce of addi­
tional ob je cts cou ld cause t he passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it should
be off, or cou ld cause the ai rbag to work in a
way that is d ifferent from the way it wou ld
have wo rked without the object on the seat.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on and stays on a ll the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot
of very important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System in it . These parts include the capacitive
passenger detection system, wir ing, brackets,
and more. The contro l unit m onito rs the sys tem
o n t he fro nt passenge r seat when t he igni tion is
swi tched on and turns the airbag indica tor ligh t
on when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is detected ¢
page 154. Because
the front passenger seat contains important
parts of the Advanced A irbag System, you must
take care to prevent it from being damaged.
Damage to the seat may prevent the Adva nced
Airbag System for the front passenge r seat from
doing its job in a crash.
The front Ad vanced Airbag System consists
of the following:
- Crash senso rs in the front of the veh icle tha t
measure vehicle acce le ra tion/decele ration to
p rov ide informa tion to the Advanced A irbag
System abo ut the sever ity of the cras h.
- An elect ronic contro l unit, with integ rated
cr ash sensors for front a nd side impac ts. Th e
cont rol un it "decides" whether to fi re the fron t
airbags based on the info rmation rece ived from
the crash sensors . The contro l un it also "de ­
cides" whether the safety belt pretensioners
should be activated. .,.
149

Airbag system
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steering
wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve inside the instrument panel for
the front passenger.
- A capacitive passenger detection system under­
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the electrical capacitance of the
person in the seat. The information registered
is sent continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster~
page 153.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation registered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel
~ pag e 154, fig. 159 and tells you when
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned
off.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety b elt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from working properly .
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
150
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacitive pas­
senger detection mat in the front passenger
seat will not function properly if it is punc­
tured .
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenger seat . Such ob­
jects can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working properly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional layers prevent the capacitive
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capacitance of the child safe­
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working properly.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device , power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint
~

.... N
0 CJ - M I.Cl ......
manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or someth ing else
to properly pos ition the child restraint,
make certain that the
PA SS EN GE R A IR B AG
OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever
the ch ild restraint is installed on the front
passenge r seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child res traint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer .
_& WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im­
mediately .
-If liqu id soaks into the fron t passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work ­
ing properly and may, for instance, deacti­
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the a irbag indicator light
II (USA models)/
E,I (Canada models) in the instrument clus­
ter .
- If liquid is pooled on the seat, but has not soaked in, this may also keep the a irbag sys­
tem from working properly and ca use the
pa ssenge r frontal a irbag to be enabled
(t ur ned on), even t hough the re is a properly
installed child restraint system on the seat.
Wet towe ls or other wet things o n the seat
cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger frontal airbag is t urned on,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light light
will go out .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags s upplemen t the protection offered by the
front three-point safety bel ts 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.
Airb ag sys tem
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the dece leration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regard less of safety belt
use, the front passenger frontal airbag will be
turned off if the e lectr ica l capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenger detect ion system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount
programmed in the electron ic contro l unit. The
front passenge r frontal a irbag wi ll also be turned
off if the capaci tance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant
of about one year of age in one of the chi ld seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 . The
P ASS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light comes
on and stays o n to tell you when the front Ad ­
vanced Airbag System on the passenger side has been t urned off
c::> page 154 .
_& WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts prope rly.
- If you are un restra ined, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or ou t of position in a ny way ,
your r isk of injury is much higher .
- You will a lso receive ser ious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
a ir bag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
c::> page 142.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 158 Inflated front airbags
151

Airbag syste m
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and provide sup ­
p lemental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safe ty belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the oc-
c u pan t is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag,
- and for adjustable head restraints: the head re-
straints have been prope rly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
g reat fo rce, things you have on your lap or have
p laced on the seat could become da ngerous pro ­
jectiles, and be p ushed into you if the airbag in­
flates .
W hen an a irbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
ve hicle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup ­
p lemental a irbag sys tem is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other inj uries,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra ­
sions, can a lso happen when airbags inflate . Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supplement the three­
point safety belts only i n some frontal collisions
in which the veh icle decelerat ion is high enough
to deploy the airbags .
Front airbag s will not deplo y:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- whe n the crash decelerat ion meas ured by the
airbag system is less than the minim um thresh­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic contro l unit.
152
The front passenge r airbag als o will not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the e lectrical capacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat ind icates that the pas­
senger s ide frontal a irbag must be switched off
by the electron ic control un it (the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light c> page 154 and how they
work comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong posit ion can increase the
risk of serious injury in cras hes.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when the ai rbags
inflate, the drive r and passenge rs must al­
ways sit in an up right posit ion, m ust not
le an aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located .
- Occupants who are unbe lted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be serio usly
injured by an airbag as it unfolds with g reat
force in the blink of an eye~ page 14 3.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal­
led on the front passenger seat will be seri­
ously injured and can be killed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild seat or
infant carrier with great force and wi ll
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, cen ter armrest, doo r or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild seats o n the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
seat o n the front passenge r seat because of
except io nal circumstances and the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
l igh t does not come on
and s tay on, immed iate ly ins tall the rea r­
facing chi ld seat in a rear seating posit ion
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dea ler.

Airbag system
T he system must be inspected when the
indica to r light
fl (USA models ) 1m
(Canada models) :
-does not come on when the ignition is switched
o n,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switc hed on the ign ition, or
- comes on while driving.
If an airbag system ma lf u nction is detecte d, the
indicator light wi ll first sta rt flashing to catch the
driver's attention and then stay on co ntin uously
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys­ tem inspected immediate ly.
If a malfunction occurs th at tur ns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignit io n is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functio ning prop­
er ly canno t provide supplemen tal p rotection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light c;, page 18
comes when th e vehicle is being use d, have
t h e sys tem inspec te d imme diate ly by yo ur
au thoriz e d Au di d ealer.
It is p ossible t hat
t h e air bag wi ll inflate w hen it is not sup ­
posed to, o r will not in fla te when it s hou ld .
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 15 9 Sect io n from th e in st ru m ent pa nel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is locate d in
the center o f the instrument panel
c:> fig . 159.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front A dvanced
154
Airba g on the passenger si de has been turned off
by the electronic contro l unit. If the bulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light b urns o ut, the
airbag indicator light
II (USA models) a (Can­
ada models) will come on to signal a malfunction
i n the Advanced A irbag System . Alt houg h the
bur ned-out bulb will not c hange the way t he
front passenger 's fro nta l airbag works, it w ill no
l onger be poss ible to use the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht to mak e sure th at th e air bag on/
off st atus is co rre ct for the occupant on the front
passenger seat. Have the air bag system inspect ­
ed immediately by your authorized Audi dealer .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
-the ignition is switche d on and
- the capac it ive passenger detection system,
wh ich switches the front seat passenger's fron­
t al Advanced Airbag on an d off, de tects a
c h ange in the sta tus of the front pa ssenger
se at .
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always ma ke sure tha t the ai rbag
st atus (on or o ff) a s sho wn by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
lig ht is p roper for the age , size and
ele ctr ica l cap acitance of the person oc cupying
the front passenger seat. A lways make s ure t hat
the safety belt fo r the front passe nger seat is
properly fastened.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni­
tion is switched on and the airbag ind icator
light goes off . The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light :
-will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- wi ll stay on if the e lectr ica l capacitance meas­
ured by the capacitive passenger detection sys­
tem for the front passenger seat equa ls the
comb ined ca pac itance of an infa nt up to about
one year of age and one of the rea rward-faci ng
or forward-fac ing c hild rest ra ints listed in Fed­
eral Motor Vehicle Safety S tandard 208 wi th
w hich the Adv anced A irbag Sys tem in you r vehi-
cle was ce rt ified; For a li stin g of the ch ild .,..

restraints that were used to certify your vehi­
cle's compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢ page 168.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger 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 insta lled on the front pas ­
senger seat, or
- a rearward- facing child restraint has been in ­
sta lled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectr ica l capacitance reg istered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year­
old infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing chi ld restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front a irbag w ill not deploy, and the P A SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward -fac ing ch ild restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child rest ra int is at one of the seat ing po­
sitions on the rea r seat
¢ page 143, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ~ page 166, Child safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t 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
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF lig ht
stays on cont inuous ly whenever the ign ition is
on. If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG 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
- reactivate the system by turning the ign ition
off for more than 4 seconds and then turning it
on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restra int. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly instal-
Airb ag sys tem
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been correct ly routed through
the child restraint as described in the c hil d re­
straint manufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no e lectr ica l device (such as a
laptop, CD player, e lectron ic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for ch ild seats) is
placed or used on the fro nt passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
t he c igarette ligh ter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been ret ro­
fitted o r othe rw ise added to the front passen­
ge r seat;
- make sure that not hing can inte rfere wi th the
safety belt buckles and t hat they are not ob­
s t ructed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towe l) and no wa ter or other liquids on
t he front p assenge r seat cushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does
not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on and does no t stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restra int off the front passenge r
seat and insta ll it properly at o ne of the rear
seat pos itions. Have the airbag system i nspect­
ed by yo ur Audi dealer immed iately .
- move the child to a rear seat pos ition and ma ke
sure that the chi ld is p roperly rest rained in a
child restra int that is app ropr iate for its s ize
and age .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adu lt is
sitting in a prope r 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 circumstan-
ces, make sure that :
Ill-
155

Airbag syste m
-the adu lt on the front passenger seat is proper ­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the ad u Lt is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca ­
pacit ive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late electrical capacitance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adva need A irbag System
has changed wh ile the vehicle is mov ing, the
PASSENGE R AIR B AG OFF light blinks for
about 5 seconds to catch the driver's atten­
t ion. If this happens, a lways stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri­
bed above.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adul t who is not very
small is sitt ing on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adult is properly seated and
restra ined at one of the rear seating posi­
t ions. Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer before trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger seat.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop­
erly cannot p rovide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
r:::;, page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by yo ur
authorized Aud i dealer. It is possible that
156
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inf late when it should.
A WARNING
If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
stra int that has not been properly instal led
will be ser iously injured and can be killed .
- Even though you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that a ll children, espec ia lly 12 years a nd
younge r, always ride on the bac k sea t prop­
erly rest rained for thei r age and s ize.
- Always install fo rwa rd o r rea r-facing child
seats on the re ar seat -even w ith an Ad­
vanced Ai rbag System.
- If you must install a rea rwa rd-facing child
seat on the fron t passenge r seat bec ause o f
except ional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
stay on, immediate ly install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dea ler.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the a irbag as poss ible. The back rest
m ust be adjus ted to an upr ight position.
Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever 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 afte r taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restra ined at one of the
rear sea ting posit ions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r before transporting anyone on
the front passenge r seat .

Airbag system
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate . When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts w ith pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend 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
cha nge the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured 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 ki nds 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 suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally insta l­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim comb inations that have
not been approved by Audi.
158
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
App lies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 160 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering whee l
¢fig. 160, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additiona l protection to
the driver 's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags a lso
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
c> page 151, More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the dr iver or front passenger in
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection .
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 airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety belt
and wearing it p roperly. This is why you shou ld
always wea r your safety be lt, not just because
the law requires you to do so
c> page 134, Gener-
al information. ..,..