child restraint AUDI A8 2018 User Guide

Airbag syste m
The front Advanced Airbag System supp lements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the dr iver's and front passenger's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags in­
flate only in frontal impacts when the veh icle de­
celerat ion is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety belts. Rather, it is part of the overall occupant re­
stra int system in your vehicle. Always remember
that the a irbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitt ing upr ight, wear ing your safe­
ty belt and wear ing it prope rly. This is why you
and your passengers must always be prope rly re ­
stra ined, not just because the law req uires yo u to
be .
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle has
been ce rt ified to meet the " low r isk" requ ire­
men ts for 3 and 6 yea r-old children on the pas­
senger side and very sma ll adults on the driver
side . The low risk dep loyment criteria are intend ­
ed to he lp reduce the risk of injury through inter­
action with the front airbag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering wheel
and instrument panel when the airbag inflates .
In addition, the system has been certified to
comp ly w ith the "suppression" requirements of
the Safety Standard, to turn
off the front a irbag
for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in c hild re­
stra ints that are listed in the Standa rd
¢ page 251, Child restraints and Advanced Air­
bags.
"Suppress ion" requ ires t he front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned
off if:
- a chi ld up to about one year of age is restra ined
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear­
facing o r fo rward-fac ing infant restra ints listed
i n Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208
with wh ic h the Advanced Airbag System in your
vehicle was ce rt ified. For a l isting of the c hild
restra ints that were used to certify your veh i­
cle's compliance with the US Safety Standard
¢ page 251,
232
-weight less than a threshold leve l stored in t he
control unit is detected on the front passenger
seat.
When a person is detected on the fron t passen ­
ger seat, weig hing more than the total weight of
a chi ld that is about 1 year old restrained in one
of the rea r-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard
208 with w hich the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified), the front
a irbag on the passenger s ide may or may not de­
ploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF light comes on
whe n the electronic control unit detects a tota l
weight on t he front passenger seat that requ ires
t h e front a irbag to be tur ned
off . If t he PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front a irbag on the passenge r side has no t been
tu rne d
off by t he control unit and can dep loy if
the control unit senses an impact t hat meets the
conditions stored in its memory.
If the total weig ht on the front passe nger sea t is
more than that of a typ ica l 1 year-o ld, but less
than the weight of a small adult, the front airbag
on the passenger side may dep loy (the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF
light does not come on).
For example , the airbag ma y deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ica l 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (regard less of whethe r the child is in one of t he
child seats listed
¢ page 251),
-a child who has outgrown c hild res traints is on
the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is tu rned
off, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
t h e i nstr ument pane l w ill come on and s tay on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not ill uminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not s itting upright with
their back against a no n-reclined backrest with
their feet on the veh icle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat .

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' If the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Feder ­
a l 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" dep loyment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined in the electronic control unit
r;:;. page 23 7.
Al way s remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith Advanced A irbags, the s afest p lace
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat . Please be sure to read the important infor­
mat io n in the sect ions that follow and be su re to
h eed a ll of the WARN INGS.
A WARNING
T o red uce the r isk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, a lways wear safety be lts properly .
- If you are unrest rained, lean ing fo rwa rd, s it ­
t ing s idew ays or o ut of pos it ion in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is much higher .
- Yo u will also receive se rious injur ies a nd
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 I!!> page 22 7.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld seat insta l­
led on the front passenger seat will be ser i­
ously injured and can be k illed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
yo ur vehicle is designed to turn off t he front
airbag when a rearward-facing ch ild re­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can abso lutely g uara n­
tee that deployment is impossible in a ll con ­
c e ivable s ituat ions that may happen dur ing
the usefu l life o f yo ur vehicle .
- T he inf lat ing air bag w ill hit th e chi ld sea t or
infant carrier w it h great fo rce and will
smash the c hild seat and child against the
backrest , center a rmrest, door, or roof.
- Always install rearward -fac ing c hild re ­
straints on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearwar d fac ing c hild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
Airbag syste m
except io n al circumstances and the PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on
and stay on, immed iate ly install the rea r­
faci ng chi ld seat in a rear seating pos it io n
a nd have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r.
A WARNING
-
If, in exceptional c ircu mstances, you must in­
stall a forward-fa cing child rest ra in t on the
fron t passenger's seat:
- Always make su re the forward-facing seat
has bee n des igned and certified by its man­
uf acture r for use o n a front sea t with a pas ­
senge r front and side airbag.
- N eve r put the fo rw ar d-faci ng chi ld restra in t
up ag ainst o r very ne ar th e i nstr ument pan ­
el.
- Always move the fro nt passenge r seat to
the hig hest posit io n in the up and down ad ­
justment range and move it bac k to the
rearmost positio n in the seat's fo re and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir ­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for ­
ward-facing ch ild restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the c hild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the ch ild restraint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned .
- Make sure that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r th e ignit ion is switched o n.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenge r seat in your ve hicle has a lo t
of ve ry important parts of t he Advanced A irb ag
System in it. These parts incl ude the weight ­
sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and
more . The f unction of th e system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electronic con­
trol unit when the ign ition is on. The control unit
moni tors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the a irbag ind icator light on when a malfunction
i n the system compone nts is detected . The func­
t ion of the a irbag ind icator light is described in
greate r deta il be low. Because t he front
233

Airbag syste m
passenger seat contains important parts of the
Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to
prevent it from being damaged . Damage to the
seat may prevent the Advanced A irbag for the
front passenger seat from doing its job in a
crash .
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sist s
o f the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/decelerat ion to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electron ic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides " whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The contro l unit also "de ­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
sho uld be activated.
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub .
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A weight -sensing mat unde r th e upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that meas ures the tota l weight on the seat . T he
information registered is sent continuously to
the e lec tronic control unit to regu la te dep loy­
ment of the front Adva need A irbag on the pas ­
senger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
c> page 23 7 .
- A sensor in each front sea t registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic cont rol u nit to regulate deployment
of the fro nt Advanced A irbags.
- T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instr ument
pane l
c> page 23 7, fig. 232 and tells you w hen
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off.
-A sensor be low the safety belt latch fo r the
front seat passenger to meas ure the tension on
234
the sa fety be lt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight -sens­
ing mat he lp the contro l unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not c> page 228, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know .
-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 informat ion to the e lectronic
cont rol u nit.
_&, WARNING
Da mage to the front passenge r seat can pre ­
vent the front airbag from work ing prope rly .
- I mp roper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning
proper ly.
-Repairs to the front passenger seat mus t be
performed by qualified and proper ly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle.
-Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
-N ever d is a ssemble o r remove pa rts from the
seat or disconnect wi res from it.
- N ever carry sharp objects in your pocke ts or
p lace them on the seat. If the weight-sens ­
ing mat in the passenger seat is p unctured
it ca nnot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase t he weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­ formation to the a irbag control u nit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat cou ld be dam­
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from worki ng p roperly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by A ud i on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from recognizi ng ch ild

restraints or occupants on the front passen­
ger seat and prevent the side airbag in the
seat backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accu­
rately registering the child restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child restraint in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts and the adjustable head restraints 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.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­ pend on the deceleration 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 , regardless of safety belt
use, the airbag will be turned off if the weight on
~ the passenger seat is less than the amount pro-...,
~ gram med in the electronic control unit. The front N
8 airbag on the passenger side will also be turned 0 :c ' Airbag system
off if one of the child seats that has been certi­
fied under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on to tell you when the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side has been turned off
~ page 228, Child restraints on the front seat ­
some important things to know .
_&. 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~ page 227.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 231 Inflated front airbags
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 front 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 the head restraints have been properly ad-
justed .
.,.
235

Airbag syste m
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 control unit. Each time you
sw itch on the ignit ion, the
P ASS ENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small c hild or child re ­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight ­
sensing mat .
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come
on and sta y on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat,
o r
- a rearward-fac ing child rest ra in t has been in ­
stalled on the front passe nger seat, or
- a fo rwa rd-facing child restra int has bee n in stal­
led on the front passenger seat, o r
- the weight reg istered on the fro nt passenger
seat is equal to o r less than the comb ined
we ight of a typ ica l 1 yea r-old restrained in one
of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with w hich the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
I f t he front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag wi ll not dep loy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Never insta ll a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas ­
senger seat, the safest p lace for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat
¢ page 228, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 249, Child safety.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light 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
P A SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light
s tays o n cont inuous ly wheneve r the ig nition 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
238
- reactivate the system by switching the ignition
off and then switching it on again;
- remove and reinsta ll the chi ld restraint . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly insta l­
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 ch ild re­
straint ma nufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convert ib le lock ing retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled t ight. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
be low the safety belt latc h on the seat can do
i t s
job¢ page 259 .
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and c hild seat a re not be ing
transpo rted on the front passenge r seat;
- ma ke sure that t he safety be lt te nsion sensor is
not b locked. S hake the safety belt latch on the
front passenger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to t ie the child
seat to t he fron t passenger sea t, make s ure
that it is not so tight that it causes the weight ­
sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat.
If th e PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light still do es
n o t come on
and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switc hed on),
- take the child restra int
off the front passenge r
seat and insta ll it p roperly a t one of the rear
seat pos itions. Have the airbag system inspect ­
ed by yo ur Audi dealer immediate ly .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat pos ition and m ake
sure that the child is proper ly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht sho uld NOT
come on when t he ignit ion is on and an ad ult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 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
..,.

u. co ..... N
" N ..... 0 0 :c ' his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined ¢
page 209, Correct
passenger seating positions,
- the adult is not taking weig ht 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 be lt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
th ings that may cause an incorrect read ing or
impression on the weight-sens ing mat under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenge r seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latch for the front passenger seat.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF or PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
w ill br iefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster display . T his is to inform the dr iver
of the curre nt front passenge r airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator l ight¢
page 23
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by yo ur
au thori zed Au di dealer. It is possible that
the a irbag will in flate when it is not s up­
posed to, or will not inflate when it shou ld .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-facing child re­
straint that has not been properly installed
w ill be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certain
that all ch ild ren, especially 12 years and
Airbag syste m
younger, always ride on the bac k seat prop­
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize.
- Always install forward or rea r-facing child
seats on the rea r seat
-even w ith an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rea rward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because o f
except ional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
s tay on, immed iate ly ins tall the rea r-facing
child sea t in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing ch ild restraint attached to the front
p a ssenger se at c an put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat . The heav ier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adu lt
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serio us or even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the airbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjusted to an upr igh t position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
wheneve r the ignit ion 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 tak ing the steps
described above, make sure the adult is p roperly sea ted and restra ined a t one of the
rear sea ting posit ions.
- Have the ai rbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r before transpo rting anyone on
the front passenge r seat.
239

lL t:0 ....
'"" ......
'"" .... 0 0 :c ' 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 deploy .
Full y inflated airbags in comb ination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. 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 provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in­
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly 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 airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is
improperly positioned 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 interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the risk of injury in an accident by interfering
Airbag system
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
animals r ide in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious 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 . Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) 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 there are no cracks, deep scratch­
es or other damage in the area of the instru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a collision
<=> page 249, Child safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 235 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
<=> fig . 235 and the rear back­
r est facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
.,..
243

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 236 Inflated side airbags on left side of vehicle , rea r
side airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas­
senger. In order to help provide this additional protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with
great force. The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands . This ap­
plies especially to children
~ page 249, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collision
~ fig. 236.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
" cushion " the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
_&. WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or 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 de­ ploy.
- 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.
-
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
.,._
245

Airbag syste m
items are located in the area where the supp le­
mental side curtai n airbag inflates . This applies
especia lly to
children ¢ page 249 .
Although they a re not a soft p illow, s ide c urtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dus t may deve lop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supp lemental protect ion.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating posit ions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used .
- Never let occ upants place any parts of the ir
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
ta in a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate witho ut interference. Un­
s u itable accessories fit ted inside the expan­
sion range o f a side curtain airbag can dan­
gerously interfere with its function. A de ­
ploying head airbag develops enough force
to catapult any piece o f add-on component
o ut of its path of inflat ion and into the pas­
senger compartment. An occupant hit by
s u ch a projectile can suffer ser ious injury or
death ¢ page 339, Technical Modifications .
-Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
yo u have any objects clipped onto them (for
example pens) . If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built- in coat hooks on ly for light­
weight cloth ing . Neve r leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in t he pockets that may
248
inter fere with a irbag deployment and can
cause persona l injury in an accident.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- On ly use factory-insta lled sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be
used¢ page 338, Addi­
tional accessories and parts replacement .
-Always sit in p roper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the
side curtain airbags can help p rovide protec­
tion .
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an autho rized
Aud i dea le r o r qualified workshop.
- Always have wo rk involv ing the side curtain
airbag system, remova l and installat ion of
the airbag components, or other repairs pe rformed by a qualified dealers hip . Other­
wise the airbag system may not work cor­
rectly.
- Never attem pt to mod ify any com ponen ts of
the airbag system in any way .

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c> page 220, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children a re at
greater r isk of se rious injury in c rashes than
ad ults .
Because ch ildren's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they requ ire restra int systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight, and body struc ­
ture. Many coun tries and a ll states of the United
States and p rovinces of Canada have laws requi r­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -3 5 mp h
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the
child would sudden ly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg) . Under these condit ions, only an appro­
priate ch ild restraint properly used can reduce
the r isk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used imp roperly, they can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in an acc ident .
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must a lways r ide in the back seat properly re­
stra ined fo r their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restra int on t he front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and h eed the important information and warnings
c> page 228. Infants and other chi ldren who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re ­
stra int that is for their size and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental s ide air­
bags provide in some kinds of crashes.
For more information please see information
provided by the:
Ch ild saf ety
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http ://
www .safercar .gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www .tc .gc .ca (for Canada)
Cons ult the ch ild safety seat manuf acture r's in­
structions in order to be sure t he seat is right for
yo ur chi ld's size
c> page 252, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
format ion and WARNINGS about ch ild safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restra ints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your veh icle and how they work
whe n infants and children in child restraints are
on the fro nt passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion, we cannot re­
peat it all he re . We u rge you to read the detailed
i nformat ion in this owner 's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag Sys tem in yo ur veh icle
and the very important information about trans ­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small ch ildren .
A WARNING
-
-Accide nt statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
i n the front seat ing pos it ion. Always restrain
a ny child age 12 and unde r in t he rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restra ined prope rly whe never r id ing
i n a vehicle. An u nres tra ined o r improperly
rest rained chi ld cou ld be inju red by st riking
the interio r or by being ejected from the ve ­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater r isk of injury or death
through contact w it h an inflating a irbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
prov ides the h ighest degree of protect io n
for infants and small children in most acc i­
dent situat ions .
249