belt AUDI Q3 2015 Owner's Guide

120 Airbag sys te m
on the safety belt. The tension on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the
we ight-sensing mat help the control un it
"decide" whether the front a irbag for the
front passenger seat should be turned off or
not ¢
page 114, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know .
-A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iv ­
er and for the front seat passenger that
senses whether that safety belt is latched or
not and transm its this informa tion to the
electron ic cont ro l unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from working
properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and driver seat wi ll pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by q ualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never
remove the front passenger or
dr iver seat from the veh icle.
- Never
remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat .
- Never disassemble or
remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it .
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat .
If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sens ing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­ senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Ai r­
bag System under the passenge r seat
cou ld be damaged, prevent ing them and
t h e a irbag sys tem from wo rking proper­
ly .
-
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement
upho lstery that have not been specifica l­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat
covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing chi ld re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or similar items on the front passenger
seat. T he additional padding w ill prevent
the we igh t-sensing mat in the sea t from
accurately regis tering the child rest rain t
or pe rson on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­ ing p roperly.
- If you m ust use a child restraint on the
front passenge r seat and the child re­
straint manufacture r's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
someth ing e lse to properly pos ition the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the ch ild re­
s traint is i nstalled on the front passen­
ge r seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and st ay on, immed i­
ately install child rest raint in a rear seat­
ing position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
s ide a irbags supp lement the protect ion of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters a nd the
adjus table head rest rain ts to help reduce the
r isk of in jury in a wide range of accident and
c rash situations . Be s ure to read the impor ­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter .
Deployment o f the Adv a need A irbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
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by the crash senso rs and registered by the
e lectronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regard less of safety
be lt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control
un it . The front ai rbag on the passenger side
will also be turned off if one of the ch ild safe­
ty seats that has been certified unde r Federa l
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recog nized on the sea t. T he
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
ligh t comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned off
c::> page 114, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury whe n an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of in jury is much highe r.
- You w ill also rece ive serious inj uries and
cou ld eve n be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in·
fla tes · even with an Advanced Airbag
c::> page 112.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fi g. 119 Inf lated fro nt air bags
Safety belts are impo rtant to help keep front
seat occupa nts in t he p roper seated pos ition
so that airbags ca n unfo ld prope rly and pro·
A irba g sy stem 121
vide supplementa l protection in a fron tal col ­
lision .
T he front airbags a re des igned to provide ad­
d it ional p rotec tion fo r the ches t and fa ce of
the d river and the front seat passenger when :
- safety belts are wo rn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the
occupan t is properly seated as far as poss i·
b le from the airbag,
- and the head restraints have been properly
adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the bli nk of an eye
with great force, th ings you have on your lap
o r have p laced on the seat co uld become dan·
gerous p ro jectiles , and be pushed in to you if
the a irbag inf lates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
T his is norma l and is not ca used by a fi re in
the ve hicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powde r used to lubricate the air bags as they
deploy.
It could irr itate skin .
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re·
d uce the like lihoo d of se rious injur ies, ot he r
injur ies, for ex ample swe lling, br uis ing and
minor ab rasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags
on ly supplement the three point safety be lts
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
deceleration is high enough to deploy the air ­
bags.
Front a irbags will not depl oy :
- if the ignition is switched off when a crash
occurs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear -end co llisions,
- in rollove rs,
- when the crash dece leration measu red by
t he air bag system is less than the min imum
t hreshold needed fo r airbag deploymen t as
reg istered by the electronic cont ro l unit. ..,.

122 Airbag sys te m
Th e front p assenger airbag will als o not
d eploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu­
pied,
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem indicates that the front airbag on the passenger side has to be turned off by the
electronic control unit (the
PA SSE NGER AIR
BA G OFF
light comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious inju ry in crashes.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against o r place any part
of their body too close to the area where
the airbags are located .
- Occ upants who a re unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be se ­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
9page 114.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
sea t because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-
Objects between you and the airbag will
i ncrease the r isk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by be ing pushed into you as the airbag
i nflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the a rea of the front air­
bags du ring bra king or other sudden ma­
neuver and become dangerous p rojec­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in­
jury if the airbags inf late.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, tele ­
phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering whee l,
instr ument panel, seat backrests or be ·
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could cause in ju ry in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects. Items can also move into the area of the s ide airbag or
the front airbag du ring bra king or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause inj ury, par tic ularly when the seat is re ­
clined .
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ i ng cond itions.
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory conditions shou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors .

124 Airbag sys te m
- a rearward-facing ch ild restraint has been
insta lled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been in­
sta lled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passen­
ger seat is equa l to or less than the com­
bined weight of a typical 1 year-old restrain­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac­
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
P A S­
S ENG ER AIR BA G OFF
light will stay on . Nev­
er install a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child rest raint is at one
of the seat ing positions on the rear seat
¢ page 114, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 133, Child Safety.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light c om es
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regular ly to
make certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light stays on cont inuo usly whenever the
ignit ion is on. If the
PA SSENGER AIR BA G
OFF
light does not appear and not stay on all
the t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinsta ll the chi ld restraint.
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correctly ro uted around the child restraint as descr i­
bed in the chi ld restraint manufactu rer's in­
stru ctions;
- make sure that the convertible locking re­
t ra ctor on the safety belt fo r the front pas­
senger seat has been act ivated and that the
sa fety belt has been pulled tight . The belt
must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the senso r below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job ¢
page 143.
- make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen ­
sor is not blocked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seatback and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sens ing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
t inuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen- ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions . Have the airbag system
inspected by your autho rized Aud i deale r
immed iate ly.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the child is properly restra in­
ed in a c hild restra int that is approp riate for
its s ize and age.
The
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
t h e front pas senge r sea t. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un ­
der these ci rcumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger sea t is
prope rly seated on the cente r of the sea t
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not reclined
¢ page 95, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being proper ly worn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webb ing, .,..

M N
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,...., ..,., ,....,
-accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sens ing mat
under the upholstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt 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
PASS ENGER AIR B AG O FF or
PAS SENGER AIR B AG ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster display . Th is is to in­
form the driver of the current front passenger
a ir bag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator l ight
c> page 16
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by you r autho rized Aud i dea ler. It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates , a ch ild without
a child restraint, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing chi ld re­
straint that has not been properly insta lled
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younge r, always ride o n the
back seat properly restrained fo r their
age and si ze.
- Always install forward or rea r-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat - even
with an Advance d Airbag System. A
irbag
sys tem 125
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PA SS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme­
diate ly install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rea r seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspe cted by your au­
thorized A udi dealer.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rea r­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can p ut too
m uch pressure on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and registe r more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
must install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the airbag
as possible . The backrest must be adjust­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever 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 sea t after taking
the steps described above, make su re the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one o f the rear seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger
seat.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty sea t, the
front airbag on the passenger side wi ll be ..,.
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safety belts with pretens ioners are scrap ­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Yo ur authorized Audi
dea ler is familiar w ith these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this se rv ice for you .
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and sent to the electronic co ntrol
u ni t. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the fo rce levels measured by the
se nsors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in w hich it would not dep loy i f the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas ­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's s uspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag pe r­
formance and increase the risk of ser ious
personal in jury in a crash.
- Never install suspe nsion components
t ha t do not have the same per fo rman ce
c h arac ter istics as the componen ts or igi­
nally insta lled on your vehicle .
- Never use ti re -r im combi nat ions tha t
h ave not been approved by A udi.
A WARNING
-
Items s tored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con­ tro l modu le and prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from work ing properly.
A irba g sy stem 12 7
-Always ma ke s ure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig . 1 21 Side a irbag locat ion in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests<=)
fig. 121 facing the
doo rs . They are identified by the word "AIR­
BAG".
The side airbag sy stem bas icall y consi st s of :
- t he ele ctron ic cont rol modu le and external
side impact sensors
- the two a irbags located in the s ides of the
front backrests
- t he airbag warning ligh t in the instrument
cluste r.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make ce rtain that it is f unctioning properly
at all times. Each time you turn on the ig ni­
tion, the airbag syst em ind icator light will
come on for a few seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to red uce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up­ per to rso on the s ide of the vehicle that is
str uck in a s ide collis ion. The ai rbag deploys
on ly in side impac ts and only when the vehicle
acce le ration reg istered by the cont ro l unit is
high enough. If this rate is be low the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
IJJ-

128 Airbag system
though the car may be badly damaged as a re ­
sult of the collision . It is not possible to de­
f ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another . Important facto rs
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehi cle speed, etc. ¢
page 129, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
As ide from the ir normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
coll is ion so th at the side a irbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety be lt. Rather, it is pa rt of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your ve hicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is another reason why you should a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 104, General
notes .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental s ide a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other injuries, for example, swell ing, bruising,
and minor abras ions can also be associated
with deployed side a irbags . Remember too,
side ai rbags w ill deploy on ly once and o nly in
cer tain k inds of accidents -yo ur sa fe ty belts
a re a lways there to offer protect ion .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of veh icle damage are not necessar ily an indi­
cation of over-sensi tive or failed a irbag activ a­
tion. In some co llisions, both fron t and s ide
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­ bags will deploy only once and only in certain
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acci­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed .
The side airbag sy ste m will not depl oy :
- when the ignition is turned off - in side co
llisions when the accelera tion
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear -end collisions
- in rollove rs .
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
trigge red together .
_&. WARNING
-
-Safety b elts and th e airbag system w ill
only provide prote ction when occupa nts
are in the proper seating position
9 page 129.
- If th e ai rbag ind icator light ¢page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
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.
F ig. 122 In flated side a irbags o n left s ide of veh icle
~ 0 :::, 00 a,
When the system is triggered, t he a irbag is
filled with propellant gas and b reaks through
a seam in the seat su rface area ma rked "AIR ­
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In order to help provide
t hi s additional protect ion, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very h igh speed and with great force . The sup­
plementa l side airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or upright or if ..,.

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items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side airbag expands. This applies
especially to children ¢
page 133, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
lision
¢ fig . 122.
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 de­
ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways 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 pro­
vide supplemental protection.
_& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease 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
supplemental 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.
Airbag system 129
-Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by inter fering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates.
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cupholders, tele­
phone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat
backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplement al side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
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130 Airbag system
-Damage (cracks , deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in the area of the side airbag module must
always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Aud i deale r.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
acc ident ~
page 133, Child Safety .
-Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor ­
rectly measure increasing air pressu re in­
side the doors when air escapes thro ugh
larger, unclosed openings in the door
pane l.
- Never drive with inter ior door trim pan­
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the ins ide door panel and
the openings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed .
- Always make certa in that openings are
covered or filled if additional speake rs
or other equ ipment is installed in the
ins ide door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
wo rkshop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants.
Fig . 123 S ide curta in s ystem, d river 's s ide: side curt ain
airbag locat io n
The side curta in airbags are located on both
s ides of the interior above the front and rear
s ide windows ~
fig. 123. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar .
The side curta in airbags conta in featu res that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent ve­
hicle occupants or parts of their bod ies from
being comp letely o r partia lly ejected from the
vehicle interior in certai n side impa cts and ve­
hicle rollovers.
The side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to red uce the
risk of in jury for occ upants ' heads and uppe r
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
in a side collision. The side curtain a irbag in­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­ cle acceleration registered by the control unit
is h igh enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the con trol unit,
the side curta in a irbag w ill not be tr iggered,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a resu lt of the co llision .
It is not possib le to
define an airbag triggering range that w ill
cover every possib le ang le o f impac t, since the
c ircumstances will va ry considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors
incl ude, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact, ""

M N M N
0 ::i co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
vehicle speed, etc. c> page 131, How side cur ­
tain airbags work .
Aside from their normal s afety func tion, safe­
t y belts work to he lp keep the d river or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety be lt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle . Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
is another reason why you shou ld always wear
your safety belts, not just beca use the law re­
qu ires you to do so
c> page 104, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to he lp
reduce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
i n ju ries, for example, swell ing, b ruising, and
minor abras ions can also be associated w ith
these airbags . Remember too, these a irbags
will dep loy only once and only in certain kinds
of accidents - yo ur safety belts are a lways
there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sis ts of:
- The electronic contro l mod ule and externa l
s ide impact sensors
- The side curtai n airbags above t he front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation
features
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The a irbag system is monitored ele ct ron ic all y
to make certain it is functioning properly at a ll
times. Eac h time you turn on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if th e ign it io n is turned off,
- i n s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measure d by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end co llisions.
A irba g sy stem 131
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection w hen occupants
are in th e proper seating position
c> page 51, Front seats .
- If the airbag indicator light c> page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspe cted immediately
by your authori zed A udi dealer .
It is pos­
sib le t hat the airbag will inflate when i t
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
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 restrained .
Fig. 124 Illust rat io n of p rinciple: I nfla ted s ide cur tai n
a irbags on the left s ide
T he side c urta in airbags inflate be twee n the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
<=> fig. 124 .
When the system is t rigge red, the side curta in
a irbag is filled with propellant gas and b reaks
th ro ugh a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG labe l. In or­
der to he lp provide this additional protection,
the side curta in a irbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great fo rce . The side curta in a irbag could in­
jur e you if your sea ting pos it io n is not prope r
o r uprig ht or if items are located in t he a rea
whe re the supplemen tal side curta in a irbag
infla tes . This applies espe cially to ch ildren
<=> page 133. II--