light AUDI A6 2016 Manual Online

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.

A WARNING 1=-
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing w ith the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the a irbag inflates .
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat . Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing brak ing or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, te lephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself . These objects
could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat to
transport objects . Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front a ir­
bag dur ing bra king or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, particular ly
when the seat is reclined.
-
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat . Objects on the front
passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occup ied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is . The
change in electric capac itance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it shou ld be
off, or can cause the airbag to work in a way
that is different from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
- Always ma ke sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that wi ll cause the
capacit ive passenger detection system in
the seat to signa l to the Airbag System that
Airb ag sys tem
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitt ing on the seat . The presence of an ob­
ject could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off , or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that
is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
A WARNING
=
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing prob lems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or open ing win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in wh ich airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face w ith m ild
soap and water before eating .
- Be carefu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them w ith water .
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
t!~ (USA models) /!t (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
T wo separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System : the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with ejection
mitigation fea tures (including the electronic con­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all monitored continuously to make sure that they
are functioning properly whenever the ignition is
on. Every time you turn on the ign ition, the a ir­
bag system indicato r light
II (USA models) tfll
(Canada models) wi ll come on for a few seconds
(function check).
153
...

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 .

(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
PA SSENGER
A IR BAG OFF
light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Installing, remov­
ing, servic ing o r repa iring a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and p revent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make su re t hat the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repa ir proce­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­ ing wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument panel or mod ify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or te lephone mountings to the su rfaces cov­
er ing the airbag units.
- For cleaning the ho rn pad or instrument
pane l, use on ly a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the mater ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in ­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellu lar telephones and CB rad ios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airb ag sys tem
who has the t raining and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see yo ur au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never ins tall seat covers or replacement
u pholste ry ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi.
- Never use addi tional seat cushions that
cove r the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal se at cove rs or to
the se am in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorize d Aud i dealer.
- The airb ag system can deploy on ly on ce. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approve d espec ially for your
Aud i model version. Replacement of com­
p lete airbag systems or airbag components
m ust be performed by qualified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in you r A udi Warranty
&
Maintenance boo klet under AIRBAG R E­
PLAC EM ENT R ECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starte r are separated from
the vehicle ba tte ry with a pyro te chnic cir cui t
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic c ircuit interrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qualif ied
technic ians who have the exper ience, in­
format ion and specia l tools necessa ry to
perfo rm the wor k safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upte r is
scrapped, all applicable safety p recautions
must be followed.
157

.... N
0 CJ - M I.Cl ......
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
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correct ly .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental knee air bag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries , for example, swelling, bruising and minor
ab rasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
-in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
cf;> page 18.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
cf;> page 151.
- If the airbag indicato r light c:::> page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing us ed, have
the system inspected immed iately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inf late when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
Airbag system
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehic les : with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 161 Inflated airbags protecting in a fronta l co llision
T he knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­ ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal coll isions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a
propellant gas, and inflate between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
c:;> page 151, fig. 158.
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 lower ex­
tremities.
All of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fa st that many people don't even real ize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc ­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
159

-the e lectron ic control modu le and externa l side
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 inst rument clus-
ter.
The a irbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that i t is functioning properly at all
times . Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safe ty
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side coll is ion. The a irbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control un it is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the cont rol un it, the side a irbags w ill not be
tr iggered, even thoug h the car may be bad ly
damaged as a resul t of the collision.
It is not pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le o f impact, since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc .
q page 162, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can prov ide 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 veh icle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
h e lp to protect you if you are wea ring your safety
be lt and wea ring it p roperly. This is ano ther rea­
son why you s hou ld always wear yo ur safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires yo u to do
so
q page 134, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup­
p lemental side a irbag sys tem is designed to re-
Airb ag sys tem
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other in ju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
k inds of accidents -your safety belts are a lways
there to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens it ive or fa iled a irbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nl y once and only in certa in kinds of collisions -
yo ur safe ty belts are alw ays there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in fro nt-end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents t he front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side ai rbags may be triggered
together.
A WARNING
-- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition ¢
page 162.
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 18
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 w ill not inflate w hen it should.
161