seats AUDI A8 2018 Owner's Guide

Airbag syste m
-The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier w ith great force and will
smash the ch ild seat and c hild against the
backrest, center armrest , door or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
seat on the front passenger seat because of exceptional c ircumstances and the
PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
facing child seat in a rea r seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer.
- Forward-facing ch ild seats insta lled on the
front passenge r's sea t may in terfe re with
the deployment of the airbag and cause se­
rious persona l injury to the child.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward -facing seat
has been designed and cert ified by its man­
ufact urer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the h ighest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward-facing child res trai nt.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front o f the child restrain t
so tha t the safety belt will be properly pos i­
tioned.
- Make s ure tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
230
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will
be d isplayed whenever a ch ild restraint is in­
stalled on the front passenge r seat and the
ignit ion is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not stay on, perform the checks desc ribed
~ page 23 7, Monitoring the Advan ced Air­
bag System.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ge r seat an d install it prope rly at one of the
rear sea t positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on .
- Have the ai rb ag system inspec ted by your
Aud i dea ler immediately.
- Always carefully follow ins truc tions from
child restrain t manufacture rs when instal­
ling child restra ints .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional ci rcumstances, you must in ­
stall a forward or rearward-fac ing child re­
stra int on the front passenger's seat:
- Improper installat ion of child restraints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from provid ing any protect ion.
- An improperly installed child restra int can
inter fere with the airbag as it deploys and
serious ly injure or even kill the child - even
w ith an Advanced A irbag System.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with the child seat or
car rier.
- Never p lace add itiona l items on the seat
that can increase the tota l weight registered
by the weight -sensing mat and can cause in ­
jury in a crash.

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 .

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
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro ­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in­
flates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
veh icle. Th is dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irr itate sk in .
It is important to remember that while the sup ­
p lemental a irbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example swelling, bruising and m inor abra ­
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate . A ir­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front a irbags supplement the th ree­
point safety belts only in some fronta l co llisions
in which the veh icle decelerat ion is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
- i f the ign it ion is switched off when a crash oc-
c ur s,
- i n s ide collisions,
- in rear -end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control unit .
The front passenger airbag als o will not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as
sensed by the Advanced A irbag System indi­
cates that the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has to be turned off by the electronic con­
trol unit (the
P A SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on).
_& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong pos ition can increase the
r is k of serious in jury in c rashes.
- To reduce the risk of inju ry when the airbags
inflate, the d river an d passengers must
al-
236
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
in jured by an airbag as it unfolds with g reat
force in the blink of an eye
~ page 228.
_& 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 infla ting air bag will h it the ch ild seat o r
infan t ca rrier wi th great force and wi ll
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -fac ing ch ild seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rea rw ar d facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because o f
except ional circumstances and the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immed iate ly install the rear­
facing chi ld seat in a rear seating posit ion
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r.
_& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the r is k of injury in a c rash by interfe r­
ing wi th the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing p ushed into you as the air bag infla tes.
- Never hold things in you r hands o r on your
lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the a rea of
the front passenge r seat. Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing b raking or other s udden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious persona l injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or othe r
objects (such as cup holders, telephone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob jects) on -

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

Airbag syste m
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen ­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air ­
bag on the passenger side w ill be turned off,
and the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light will
stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Install ing, remov­
i n g, servic ing o r repa iring a part in an area of the
ve hicle can damage a pa rt of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a co llision .
There are some important t hings yo u have to
know to make sure th at the effect iveness of the
system wi ll not be impaired and that dis carded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repair proce­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
-Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
i ng wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument pa ne l or mod ify them in any way.
-Never attach any objects such as cup holders
o r te lephone mount ings to the surfaces cov­
er ing the ai rbag units.
-For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
pane l, use on ly a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners cou ld damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or st rengt h of the materia l so
t h at the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
-Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
-All work on the stee ring wheel, i nstr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in ­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
ce llular telephones and CB rad ios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
240
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
-F or any work on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see yo ur au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
-Never install seat covers or replaceme nt
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not bee n specific ally app roved by
A udi.
-Neve r use additional seat c ushi ons that
cover the areas where the side airbags in ­
flate.
-Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs o r to
t h e seam in the area of the s ide airb ag
module mus t always be repai red immedi ­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
-The airb ag sys tem can be act iv a ted only
once . A fter an airbag has in flated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qua lified tech nic ian who has the technical
information, train ing and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
-The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new rep lacement
parts des igned and approved espec ially for
your Aud i model version. Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be perfo rmed by qualified work­
shops only. M ake sure that any a irb ag se rv ­
ice act ion is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE ­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
a lter nator and starter a re separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circu it
interrupter.
-Wo rk on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inte rrupt­
e r must o nly be perfo rmed by a qua lified
dealer
-r isk of an a cciden t!
-If the vehicle or the c ircuit inte rr u pte r is
sc rapped, all appli cable safety p recau tions
mus t be followed.
..,.

lL t:0 ....
'"" " '"" .... 0 0 :c ' the circumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
c> page 247, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curta in airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re ­
member t hat the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wea ring your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . T his is anothe r reason
why you should always wear your safety be lts,
not just because the law requi res you to do so
¢ page 219, General information.
It is important to remember that while the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injur ies, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and minor abra ­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags
upon dep loyment. Remember too, these airbags
will deploy only once and only in certa in kinds of
accidents
-your safety belts are a lways there to
offer protect ion.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic contro l module and external side
impact senso rs
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear s ide windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to
make certain it is funct ioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain a irbag is not a ctivated:
- if the ignition is switched off,
Airbag system
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas­
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear -end co llisions .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c> page 54,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag ind icator light i=> page 23
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should .
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
F ig . 2 38 Illus trat io n of pr incip le: Inflated side curta in a ir­
bags o n the left s ide
T he side cu rtain airbags inflate between the oc­
c u pant and the w indows in a side coll is ion
¢fig. 238.
When the system is triggered, the s ide curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
th rough a seam above the front a nd rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional pro tect io n, the
s ide curtain airbag must inflate w ithin the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or upright or if
247

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

Child sa fety
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, o r
doo r.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptional c ircumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear ­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­ sition and have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and cert ified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side a irbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
t ions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
earner.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rea rmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjus tment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward- facing child restraint .
- Always make sure tha t the s afety belt upper
anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
250
- Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ign it ion is switched on.
(D Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a c rash . Damage to
a child restraint that is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another co llision situat ion.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equ ipped with a front "Advanced
A irbag System" in compl iance with U nited States
Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as we ll as Canada Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standa rd ( CMVSS) 208 as applicab le a t the t ime
you r vehicle was manufactured.
The Adva nced A irbag system in yo ur vehicle has
been certified to mee t the "low- risk" require­
ments fo r
3-and 6 -yea r old chi ld ren on the pas ­
senger side and sma ll adu lts on the driver s ide.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of inj ury t hrough interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by be ing
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel whe n the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
a rd, to tur n off the front a irbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on t he fro nt pas ­
senger seat in c hild restraints t hat are lis ted in
t h e Standard.
E ven thoug h your veh icle is eq uipped w it h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
t h ose 12 yea rs and younger, sho uld always ride
i n the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
t h e front seat a potentially dange rous p lace for a
ch ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-facing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .