warning light AUDI A7 2018 Repair Manual

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' -If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit ­
t ing s ideways or out of pos ition in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will also receive serious injur ies and
cou ld even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced
Airbag¢ page 146 .
A WARNING
A ch ild in a rearward-facing ch ild seat instal­
led on the front passenger seat w ill be ser i­
ously in jured and can be k illed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced A irbag
System.
- Alt hough the Advanced A irbag System in
yo ur vehicle is des igned to t urn off t he front
airbag when a re arwa rd-faci ng ch ild re ­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas ­
senger seat, nobody can abso lutely guaran ­
tee that deployment is impossible in a ll con­
ceivable s ituations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child seat or
infant carrier w ith great force and will
smash the c hild seat and child against the
backrest, ce nter 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 c hild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
facing child seat in a re ar seat ing pos ition
and have the a irbag sys tem inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If , in except ional circumstances, you mus t in­
sta ll a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward -facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man ­
ufact urer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag.
Airbag syste m
- Never p ut the fo rward-facing child restraint
up aga inst or very near the instr ument pan ­
el.
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as poss ible, before installing the for­
ward-fac ing ch ild rest raint.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
a nchorage is behind the c hild rest raint and
not next to o r in front of the ch ild res trai nt
so th at the s afety be lt will be p roper ly posi ­
tioned.
- Always make su re th at there is not hing o n
the front passenger 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 signal that it is occupied by some­
one w ho is heavier than the person actually
sitt ing on the seat. The presence of add i­
tional objects cou ld cause the passe nger
front a irbag to be t urned on when it should
be off, o r cou ld cause t he air bag to work in a
way th at is d ifferen t from the way it wo uld
have worked withou t the object on the seat .
- Mak e sure that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever t he ignition is switched on .
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your ve hicle has a lot
of very important parts of t he Advanced Airbag
System in it. These parts include the capacitive passenger detection system, wir ing, brackets,
and more . The control unit monitors the system
on the fro nt passenger seat when the ignition is
switched on and turns the airbag indicator l igh t
o n when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is
detec ted ¢ page 158. Because
the fron t passenger sea t contains impo rtan t
parts of the Advanced Ai rbag System, you m ust
take care to prevent it from being damaged .
Damage to the seat may prevent the Advanced
..,_
153

Airbag syste m
Airbag System for the front passenger seat from
doing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag S ystem con sists
of the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash.
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors . The control unit also "de ­
c ides" whether the safety belt pretens ioners
shou ld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver ins ide the steer ing
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A capacitive passenger detect io n system under­
neath t he front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the elect rical capac ita nce of the
person in the seat. The info rm ation registe red
is sent continuous ly to the e lectronic 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
Q page 158 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis ­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument pane l. The infor ­
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic control un it to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags .
- The
PASS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel
Q page 158, fig . 156 and tells you when
the front Advanced A irbag on the passenger
s ide has been turned off .
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenge r that senses
whethe r th at safety belt is latched or not and
t ransm its this info rmat ion to the electronic
contro l unit.
154
_&. WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from work ing properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced A irbag System from function ing
properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacit ive pas­
senger detect ion mat in the front passenger
seat will not function p roperly 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 capaci tive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect in format ion is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store i tems under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working p roper ly.
- Never p lace 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 res tra int system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, p illows, blankets, or
sim ila r items on the front passenge r seat.
The additional laye rs prevent the capac it ive

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' passenger detection system from accurate ly
measu ring the ca pac itance of t he ch ild safe­
ty seat and/or the perso n on the seat and
t h us ke ep the Advanc ed Airbag Syst em fr om
working properly .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(suc h as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games dev ice, power inverte r or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the devi ce is conne cted to the 12-volt
socket o r the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can in fluence 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
passenge r seat and the child restraint man­
ufact urer 's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to
properly pos ition the ch ild restraint, make
certain tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t comes on and stays on whenever the
c h ild restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and st ay on, immedia tely in­
st all child res traint in a re a r se ating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im­
mediately .
- If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work­
ing properly and may, for instance, deact i­
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on togethe r with
the a irbag indicator light
II (USA models)/
El (Canada models) in the instrument clus­
ter.
- If liquid is poo led on the seat, bu t has not
soa ked in, this may also keep the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking pro perly and ca use the
passenge r frontal airb ag to be enabled
(tu rned on), even though the re is a properly
Airbag syste m
installed child restraint system on the seat .
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger fronta l airbag is turned on,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light ligh t
will go out .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advance d Airb ag Sys tem and the side
airbags supp lement the protection offered by the
front t hree-point safety be lts and the adjustable
head restraints * to help red uce the risk of in jury
i n a w ide range of accident and c rash situat ions.
Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapte r.
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the dece leration measured by the crash
senso rs and reg istered by the electronic co ntro l
u nit . Crash severity depe nds on speed and dece l­
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the cras h.
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt
u se, the front passenge r frontal a irbag will be
tu rned off if the e lectr ica l capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenge r detect ion sys tem on
t h e fron t passenger se at is less th an the amou nt
programmed in t he e lectronic contro l unit . The
front passenge r frontal airbag wi ll also be turned
off if the capacitance 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 Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 . The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes
o n and stays o n to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag Sys tem on t he passenger side has
been turned off
q page 15 8.
To reduce the risk of injury when an air bag in ­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are un res tra ined, leaning forwar d, si t­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your r is k of injury is much higher .
~
155

Airbag system
-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
c::> page 146 .
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 155 In flated fro nt airba gs
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and provide sup­ plemental protection in a frontal collision.
The fron t airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when :
-safety belts are worn properly,
-the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag,
-and for adjustable head restraints: the head re-
straints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have
placed on the seat could become dangerous pro­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in­
flates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle. 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 while the sup ­
plemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra -
156
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 vehicle deceleration is high enough
to deploy the airbags .
Front airbags will not deploy :
-if the ignition is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
-in side co llisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
old needed for airbag deployment as reg iste red
by the electron ic cont rol un it.
The front passenger airbag also will not
deploy:
- 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 indicat es that the pas­
senger side frontal a irbag must be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light c::> page 158 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
, -
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of serious injury in crashes.
-To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright posit ion, must not
lean 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 serious ly
inju red by an airbag as it unfolds with g reat
force in the blink of an eye
c::> page 147. ~

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' 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 hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances 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 airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
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 or by be­
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never hold things 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 braking 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, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, 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 air-
-
Airbag system
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly
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 occupied 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 capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should 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 make sure that there is nothing on the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
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
sitting 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 problems 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 opening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
157

Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
:~ (USA models) /!f (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System : the airbag moni ­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
ligh t.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with eject ion
mitigation features (including the e lectroni c con­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are funct ion ing prope rly whenever the ignition is
on . Every time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light
II (USA models) 1fll
(Canada models) will come on for a few seconds
(function check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II (USA models) tfll
(Canada models):
-does not come on w hen the ignition is switched
on,
-does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, or
-comes on wh ile driving .
If an airbag system ma lf u nction is detected, the
ind icator light wi ll come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the igni tion is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash .
-If the airbag indicato r light ¢page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possible that
158
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 156 Sect io n fro m t he inst rume nt panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel ¢
fig. 156.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic contro l unit . If the bulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light burns out, 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. Although the
burned-out bulb will not change the way the
front passenger's frontal airbag works, it wi ll no
l onger be poss ible to use the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht to make sure that the a irbag on/
off status is correct for the occupant on the front
passenger seat . Have the airbag system inspect­
ed immediately by your author ized Audi dealer .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
-the ignition is switched on and
- the capacit ive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron­
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the airbag
status (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying
.,..

Airbag syste m
If the PA SSENGE R AIR BAG light still do es
not c om e on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR B AG OFF light still does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off t he front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­ ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restra ined in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The PASSENG ER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PA SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light shou ld NOT
come on whe n the ignition is on and an adult is
sitt ing 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 wh ile d riving, under these circ umstan­
ces, make s ure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up ag ainst the ba ckrest and the
ba ckrest is not re clined,
- the adu lt is not ta king weig ht off t he seat by
hold ing on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or s upporting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is be ing p roperly wo rn and that
the re is not a lot of slack in the sa fety be lt web ­
bing,
- the re are no aftermarket seat covers or cush ­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca ­
pacitive 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 Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
160
about S seconds to catch the driver's atten­
tion. If this happens, always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the steps descri­
bed above .
- If the
PA SS EN GER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small is sitting on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps described above, make sure the adu lt is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions. Have the a irbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger seat .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection in a fronta l crash.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢
page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rea rwa rd-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
stra int that has not been prope rly insta lled
will be ser iously injured and can be killed.
- Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that a ll children, espec ia lly 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop­ erly rest rained for thei r age and size.
-Always install forward or rear -facing child
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
except ional circumstances and the
PA SSEN­
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 le r.
II)-

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' -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 adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light 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 after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger 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
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi . Installing , remov­
ing , servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de-
-
Airbag system
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly :
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water . Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approved especially for your
Audi model version. Replacement of com­ plete airbag systems or airbag components
161

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 00 <.,;) ' threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 156, 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
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do
so ¢ page 138, Gener­
al information.
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
example 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 designed 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 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
Airbag system
- 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)
¢ page 16 .
.&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating
position ¢ page 156 .
- If the airbag indicator light ¢page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
App lies to: vehicles wi th knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 158 Inflated airbags protecting in a fro ntal coll is io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger deploy in certain but not all frontal collisions .
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 lower part of the instrument panel and the
front
passenger ¢ page 156, fig. 155. .,.
163

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' The side airbags are located in t he sides of the
front seat backrests
c:!;> fig . 159 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
he lp reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
the occupant sitt ing next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The s ide airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
stra ints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and wa rnings whenever us ing a child
rest raint in a ve hicle: Safety belts
¢page 138,
Airbag system <:!;>page 146, Chi ld safety
¢page 170.
Th e s ide airbag system ba sically con sis ts of :
-the electron ic control module and externa l side
i mpact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument cl us-
ter .
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times . Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
a irbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of in jury to
the dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the veh icle t hat is struck in a
side coll is io n. T he a irbag dep loys only i n side im­
pacts and o nly when the veh icle accelerat ion reg ­
istered by the contro l un it is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control unit, the side airbags wi ll not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result 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 of impact, s ince
the c ircumsta nces will vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another. Important facto rs in­
clude, for example, t he natu re (hard or soft) of
the impact ing object, t he a ngle of impact, vehicle
Airbag syste m
speed, etc. ¢ page 166, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from the ir norm al safety funct ion, safety
belts work to help keep the dr iver o r front pas ­
senger in position in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags can provide protection .
T he air bag system is
not a substitute fo r you r
sa fety be lt. Ra ther, i t is pa rt of the overall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehi cle. Always re ­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wear ing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
soc:!;> page 138, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
bur ns and m ino r abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents
-your safety belts are a lways
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage a re not necessar ily an ind ic a tion
of over-sens it ive or fa iled air bag ac tiva tion . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
on ly once and only in certain kinds of collisions
-
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have al ready
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy :
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end col lisions
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side
curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be tr iggered
togethe r.
..,
165