belt AUDI A7 2016 Owner's Guide

Airbag syste m
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag w ill in ­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airba g unfo lds and/or by
being pus hed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Always make sure nothing is in the front air-
bag depl oyment zone that could be struck
by the airbag when it inflates.
- Objects in the zone of a deploying a irbag
can become project iles 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 accessor ies 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 pane l or the
seat backrests; never place them between
these a reas 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 co uld cause serious in­
jury in a collision, especially when the a ir­
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 dur ing breaking or in a sud­
den maneuver . Objects near the a irbags can
fly dangerously th rough the passenger com­
partment and ca use i njur y, partic ularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in­
flate .
A WARNING
A person on the front passenge r seat, espe ­
cially infants and small children, wi ll 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
148
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passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that dep loyment un­
de r these specia l condit ions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of yo ur vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the ,,low risk" option for 3-
and 6-year-o ld children under the U.S. Fed­
era l Standard if a c hild with e lectr ica l capac­
itance greater than the combined capaci­
tance of a typical one -yea r old infant re ­
strained in one of the forward facing or rear­
ward-facing child seats with which your ve­
hicle was certif ied 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 ch ildren, especially
12 yea rs and younger, should a lways ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size .
Advanced front airbag system
Your veh icle is equipped with a front Advanced
A irbag System in compliance w ith United States
Federa l Mo tor Ve hicl e Safety Standa rd 208 asap­
plicable at the time your vehicle was manufac­
tured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supp lements
the safety be lts to p rov ide additional protec tion
f or the driver 's and front passenger 's heads and
u pper bodies in frontal crashes . The airbags in­
flate only in fronta l impacts when the ve hicle de­
ce lerat ion is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occ upants is not a s ubstitute for yo ur safety
belts. Rather , it is part of the overall occupant re­
stra int system in your vehicle. A lways remember
that the airbag system can only he lp to protect
you, if you are sitting upr ight, wear ing your safe-
ty belt and wear ing it properly . Th is is why you
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and your passengers must always be properly re­
strained, not just because the law requires you to
be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to meet the "low risk" require­
ments for 3 and 6 year-old children on the pas­
senger side and very small adults on the driver
side. The low risk deployment criteria are intend­
ed to help 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
and instrument panel when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to
comply with the "suppression" requirements of
the Safety Standard, to turn off the front airbag
for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child re­
straints that are listed in the Standard
q page 169, Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system.
"S uppression " requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a child up to about one year of age is restrained
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear­
facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed
in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208
with which the Advanced Airbag System in your
vehicle was certified. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify your vehi­
cle's comp liance with the US Safety Standard
qpage 169,
- When a person is detected on the front passen­
ger seat that has an electrical capacitance that
is more than the total electrical capacitance of
a child that is about 1 year old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant re­
stra ints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified), the front
airbag on the passenger side may or may not
deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the electronic control unit detects a total
e lectr ical capacitance on the front passenger seat
that requires the front airbag to be turned off. If
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
Airbag system
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the control unit and
can deploy if the control unit senses an impact
that meets the conditions stored in its memory.
If the total electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is more than that of a
typical 1 year-old, but less than the weight of a
small adult, the front airbag on the passenger
side may deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on).
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (re­
gardless of whether the child is in one of the
child seats listed
q page 169),
- a child who has outgrown child restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
the instrument panel will come on and stay on.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined
in the electronic control unit
q page 154.
Always remember: 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 impor tant infor­
mation in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed all of the WARNINGS .
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
9page 143.
149

Airbag syste m
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal­
led on the front passenger seat wi ll be seri­
ously injured and can be killed if the front air­
bag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re­
straint has been installed on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran­
tee that deployment is impossible in all con­
ceivable s ituations that may happen dur ing
the usef ul life o f you r vehicle.
- The inf lating a irbag w ill hit the child seat or
infa nt carrier w ith great force and w il l
smash the ch ild seat and child agains t the
backrest, center armrest, door, or roo f.
- Always insta ll rearward -facing child re­
straints on the rear sea t.
-If you mus t install a rearward facing chi ld
seat on the fron t passenger sea t beca use of
exceptional circ umstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear ­
facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the a irbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger 's seat:
-Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and ce rtified by its man­
ufact urer for use on a front seat wit h a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forwa rd-facing child rest raint
up against or ve ry nea r the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the se at's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possib le, before installing the fo r­
war d-fac ing c hild restraint . The backrest
must be adjuste d to an up right position .
150
-
-Always ma ke sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that w ill 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 i t is
not, or to s ignal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person a ctua lly
si tti ng on the se at. T he presence of addi­
tional objects could cause the p assenger
front airbag to be turned on when it s hou ld
be off, or co uld cause the a irbag to wo rk in a
way that is different from the way it would
have worked without the object on the seat.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot
of very impo rtant parts of the Advanced A irbag
System i n it. T hese pa rts include the capacitive
passenger detection system, wir ing, b ra ckets,
and more. The control u nit mon itors the system
o n the fron t passenger seat when the ign it ion is
swi tched on and turns the airbag indica tor ligh t
o n when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is detected~
page 155. Because
the front passenger seat contains important
parts of the Adv a need A irbag System, you must
take care to prevent it from being damaged .
Damage to the seat may prevent the Advanced
A irbag System for the front passenger seat from
do ing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag Sy stem consists
of the following:
- Cras h sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measu re vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide i nfo rmat ion to the Advanced Airbag
System abo ut the sever ity of the cr ash.
- An ele ct ro nic contro l unit, with integrated
crash sensor s for front and s ide impac ts. The
cont ro l uni t "dec ides" whether to fire the fron t
airbags based on the information received from
the crash se nsors . The control unit a lso "de ­
cides" whether the sa fety belt pretensioners
should be activated. ..,_

-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 154.
-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 ~
page 155, fig. 160 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 belt 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 1.1'1
N seat or disconnect wires from it. ID ......
Airbag system
-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
~
151

Airb ag syst em
manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or something else
to properly position the child restraint,
make certain that the
PA SSE NGE R A IR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever
the chi ld restraint is insta lled on the front
passenge r seat.
- If the PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iate ly in­
sta ll c hild restra int in a rear seating position
and have the a irbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer .
_& WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets we t, dry i t i m­
mediately .
- If liquid soaks into the front passenger sea t,
this can keep the airbag system from work ­
ing properly and may, for instance, deacti­
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If th is
happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the airbag ind icator light
fl in the inst ru­
ment cluster.
- If liquid is poo led on the seat, but has not
soaked in, this may a lso keep the airbag sys ­
tem from work ing properly and cause the
passenge r frontal a irbag to be enab led
(turned on), even tho ugh there is a properly
insta lled child restraint system on the sea t.
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat cus hion can have the same effect .
If the
front passenger fronta l airbag is turned on,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light light
will go out.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The fron t Advanced A irbag System and the s ide
a ir bags s upplement the prote ction offered by the
front three-point s afety be lts wi th pre tensioners
a nd load limiters and the adjustable head re ­
straints * to he lp red uce the risk of i njury in a
wide range of acc ident and crash situations . Be
sure to read the important informat ion about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
152
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the dece leration meas ured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
eration as we ll as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt
use, the front passenger frontal airbag will be
turned
off if the electrical capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenge r detection system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount programmed in the electronic cont rol uni t. T he
fron t passenger frontal airbag will a lso be turned
off if the capac itance meas ured by the sys tem 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
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on a nd stays on to tell you when the front Ad ­
vanced Airbag System on the passe nger side has
been t urned
off ¢ page 155.
_& WARNING
To reduce the ris k of inj ury w hen an a irbag i n­
fla tes, a lways wear safety belts prope rly.
- If you are unrestra ined, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of posit io n in any way,
your r isk of injury is much higher.
- You will also receive se rious injuries and
co uld even be killed if yo u are up ag ains t t he
ai rbag or too close to it when i t inflates -
eve n with an Advanced Airbag
¢ page 143.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 159 Inflated fro nt a irbags
" "' 0 ± ., a,

Safety belts are important to help keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
airbags can unfold proper ly and provide supple­
mental 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:
- sa fety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the oc-
c u pant is properly seated as far as poss ib le
from the airbag,
- and for adjustable head restraints: the head re -
stra ints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye w ith
g reat force, things you have on your lap or h ave
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous p ro­
jectiles, and be pus hed into yo u if the airbag in ­
flates.
W hen an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
ve hicl e. This dust is made up mos tly of a powde r
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
I t is impor tan t to remember that while the sup­
p lemental air bag sys tem is designed to reduce
the likelihood o f se rious injuries, othe r injuries,
for example swe lling, bruising and minor abra­
sions, can also 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 in some frontal collisions
in which the veh icle deceleration is h igh enough
to deploy the airbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in ro llovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh -
~ old needed for airbag deployment as registered <( o by the electronic control unit. 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1
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Airbag syste m
The front passenge r airbag also will not
deploy :
-when t he front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the electr ica l capacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat indicates that the pas­
senger s ide frontal airbag must be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light¢ page 155 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
A WARNING ,..__ -Sitting in the wrong pos ition can increase the
r isk of ser ious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passenge rs must al­
ways sit in an up right pos ition, must no t
lean ag ains t or place any part of the ir body
too close to the area where the a irb ags are
located .
- Occupants who are unbel ted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be serio usly
inj ured by an ai rbag as it unfo lds with great
force in the blink of an eye ¢ page 1 44 .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild seat insta l­
l ed 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.
- The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild seat o r
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, cente r armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild seats on the
rea r seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not come on
an d stay on , immedi ately ins tall the rear­
facing chi ld seat in a rear seat ing pos ition
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dea ler.
153

Airbag system
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢page 169 .
-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 installed on the front pas­
senger seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in ­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a fo rward -facing child restraint has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectrica l capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year­
o ld infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing chi ld restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat ¢
page 144, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 167, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
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 cer­
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on contin uously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear on and does not stay on all the t ime,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint . Make
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
156
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the chi ld restraint
manufacture r's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertib le locking retractor
on the safety be lt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight .
- make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop,
CD player, electron ic games dev ice,
power inverter or seat heater for ch ild seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the cigarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit ­
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
seat;
- make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob­
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towe l) and no water or other liquids on
the fron t passenger 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 not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint
off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it p roperly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immed iately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is pro pe rly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its siz e
and age .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignit ion is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
S seconds while dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with ..,.

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@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Mater ial
- special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts w ith pretens ioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for yo u.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the su spension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control un it. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should.
_& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 161 D river 's knee a irbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel
¢fig.161, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional 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 dep loy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 152 , More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver 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 wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly. This is why you should a l­
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requires you to do so¢
page 135, General in-
formation .
IJI>
159

Airbag system
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
be lts 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 collision .
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 correctly .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental knee airbag system is des igned to re ­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control modu le
- 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 s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunct ion (warning/
indicator light is on) ¢
page 18.
.&, WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢page 152.
-If the airbag indica tor lig ht ¢page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inf late when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
160
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehicles: wi th kne e airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 162 Inflated airbags protect ing in a frontal collis ion
The 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 collisions 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 lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger ¢
page 152, fig. 159.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"c ushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
tremities .
A ll of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they dep loy .
F ull y inflated airbags in combination with proper ­
l y worn safety belts s low down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury .

M N <( I.J "". rl I.O
"' N I.O rl
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with k nee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraint s. Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to prov ide supplementa l protection.
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in­
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrect ly and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the a irbag locat ions . When adjust ing their
seat positions, it is important that both the
dr iver and the front passenger keep the ir
upper bod ies and knees at the followi ng
mi nimum safe distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instr ument
panel.
- at least 4 inc hes (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if yo u
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly pos it ioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy .
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without inte rference . Objects be ­
tween you and the a irbag can increase the
risk of i nju ry i n an accident by inte rfe ring
w ith the way the ai rbag dep loys o r by be ing
pushed into you as the airbag dep loys.
- Never let anybody, especially ch ildren o r
animals ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat . If the airbag deploys, th is
can result in ser ious or fatal injuries .
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat . Bul ky objects (shopping
-
Airb ag system
bags, for examp le) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the airbag .
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure the re are no cracks , deep scratch­
es o r other damage in the area of the instru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated .
- I f chi ldren are inco rrectly seated, their ris k
of injury increases in a coll is ion
c::> page 167, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 163 Sid e airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
c::> fig. 163 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors . They are ident ified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags insta lled for the front seat ing
pos it ions have been des igned and certified to
help reduc e the r isk of injury that can be caused
by a irbags when they inflate, particularly when
t h e occ upant s itting next to it is not seated p rop­
erly. The s ide a irbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly insta lled child re ­
straints. P lease be sure to read the important in­
formation and warn ings whenever using a ch ild
restraint in a vehicle : Safety be lts
c::> page 135,
Airbag system c::> page 143, Child safety
<=>page 167.
The side airbag sy stem basi cally consi st s of: ..,.
161