AUDI Q3 2018 Owners Manual

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The front Advanced Airbag System supp lements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the driver'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
straint system in your vehicle. Always remember
that the a irbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitting upr ight, wear ing your safe­
ty belt and wear ing it properly. This is why you
and your passengers m ust always be properly re­
stra ined, not just because the law requ ires you to
be .
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle has
been certified to meet the " low r is k" requ ire­
ments for 3 and 6 year-o ld 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 a irbag 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 Standard
~ page 136, Child restraints and Advanced Air­
bags.
"S uppress ion" requ ires the front a irbag on t he
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a ch ild up to about one year of age is restra ined
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear­
facing o r forward-fac ing infant restra ints listed
in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208
with wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your
vehicle was ce rtified. For a l isti ng of the ch ild
restraints that were used to certify your vehi­
cle's compliance with the US Safety Standard
~ page 136,
Airb ag sys tem
-weight less than a threshold leve l stored in the
control unit is detected on the front passenger
seat.
When a person is detected on the front passen­ ger seat, weigh ing more than the total weight of
a chi ld that is about 1 year old restrained in one
of the rear -facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with which the Advanced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified), the front
airbag on the passenger side may or may not de­
ploy.
The
PAS SEN GER AIR BA G OFF light comes on
when the electronic control unit detects a tota l
we ight on the front passenger seat that requ ires
the front a irbag to be turned off. If the
P A SSEN ·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not been
turned off by the con trol unit and can dep loy i f
the control unit senses an impact that meets the
conditions stored in its memory.
If the to tal weight on the front passenger sea t is
more than that of a typ ica l 1 year-old, but less
than the weight of a small adult, the front airbag on the passenger side may deploy (the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF
light does not come on).
For e xample , the air bag ma y deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ica l 1
yea r-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whethe r the child is in one of the
child safety seats liste d
~page 136),
-a child who has outgrown c hild rest raints is on
t he front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
t h e in str ument pane l wi ll 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 umi nate and s tay 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 non -reclined backrest with
their feet on the vehicle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat . .,,.
119

Airbag syste m
If the front passenger airbag deploys , the Feder ­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined in the electronic control unit . ~
page 124
Alway s rem ember: Even though you r veh icle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat. Please be sure to read the important infor­
mat io n in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARN INGS .
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of inj ury when an airbag in­
flates, a lways wear safety belts properly .
-If you are unrestrained, leaning forwa rd, s it­
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of injury is much higher .
- Yo u will also receive serious injur ies and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag r:!> page 114.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rea rward-facing child re­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran­
tee that deployment is impossible in all con­
ceivable s ituations that may happen during
the useful life o f you r vehicle .
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld re­
straints in the back seat.
120
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SS EN GER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your authori zed Aud i dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional ci rcums tances , you must in­
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-facing sea t
has been des igned and certified by its man ­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward -facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down ad ­
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as poss ible, before installing the for ­
ward-facing chi ld restrain t.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the child rest raint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Always move the passenge r seat into its
rearmost posit ion i n the seat's fo re and aft
ad justmen t range, as far away from the a ir ­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for ­
ward-facing chi ld restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ign it ion is switched on.
' Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot
of very impo rtant parts of the Advanced A irbag
System in it . These parts include the weight-
sensing mat, sensors , wir ing, brackets, and .,.

more. The function of the system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electronic con­
trol unit when the ignition is on . The control unit
monitors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the airbag indicator light on when a malfunct ion
i n the system components is detected . The func ­
tion of the airbag indicator light is descr ibed in
greater detail below . Because the front passen­
ge r seat contains important parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to p re­
vent it from being damage d. Damage to the seat
may prevent the Advanced Airbag for the front
passenger seat from doing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists
of the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle t hat
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System a bout the severity of the crash.
- An electronic 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 control unit a lso "de ­
c ides " whether the safety be lt pretens ione rs
sho uld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the d river ins ide the s teer ing
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pa ne l for
the fron t passenger.
- A weig ht-sensing mat unde r the upho lstery
padding of the front passenge r seat c ushion
that meas ures the to tal weight on the sea t. The
informa tion registered is sen t continuously to
the e lectronic cont ro l unit to reg ulate dep loy ­
ment of the front Adv a need Ai rbag on the pas­
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
¢ page 124.
-A sensor in each front seat reg isters the dis ­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument pane l. The infor­
o co mation reg istered is sent continuously to the ......
~ electronic control unit to regulate deployment N
8 of the fro nt Advanced A irbags . 0
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Airb ag sys tem
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l¢
page 125, fig . 115 and te lls yo u when
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off.
- A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on the safety belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the we igh t registered by the weight -sens­
ing mat help the contro l unit "decide" whethe r
the front airbag fo r th e fron t passe nger seat
should be tu rned off o r not ¢
page 115, Child
restrain ts on the front seat -some impor tant
things to know.
- A sensor in the s afety be lt latch for the drive r
an d for the front seat passenger that senses
whether tha t safety be lt is la tched o r not and
transmits this information to the e lectronic
control un it.
A WARNING ,-
Damage to the front passenge r seat can pre-
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unct ion ing
properly .
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and p roper ly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or d river
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
p lace them on the seat . If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work p roper ly .
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenge r seat . S uch items can
increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and s end the wrong in­
formation to the a irbag control unit.
- Never store i tems unde r the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
un der t he passenger se at could be
~
121

Airbag syste m
damaged, preventing them and the airbag
system from working properly.
- Never place seat covers or rep lacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats .
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side a irbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cush ions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The add it ional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from acc u­
rately reg istering the ch ild restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from funct ioning properly.
- If you must use a child rest raint on the front
passenge r seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer 's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the ch ild restraint, make
certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSEN GER AIR B AG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately in­
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur autho rized Aud i deale r.
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-po int safety belts and the adjustable
head restraints to help reduce the risk of injury in
a w ide range of acc ident and crash s ituations . Be
sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in th is chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the act ivat ion of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
un it. Crash severity depends on speed and de cel-
122
eration 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
u se, the airbag will be turned off if the weight on
the passenger seat is less than the amount pro­
grammed in the electronic control unit . The front
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the child safety seats that has been
certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recogn ized on the seat .
The
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
and stays on to te ll you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
q page 115, Child restraints on the front seat­
some important things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in ­
f lates, always wea r safety belts properly.
- If you are un restrained, leaning forward, sit ­
ting sideways or out of position i n any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will a lso 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
q page 114.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 114 Inflated front a irbags
Safety be lts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and prov ide sup-
plemental protection in a fronta l collision . ..,.

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The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- sa fety belts are worn prope rly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
c u pant is properly sea ted as far as possible
from the airbag,
- and the head restra ints have been p roperly ad-
justed.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye w ith
g reat fo rce, things you have on your lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro­
jectiles, and be p ushed into you if the ai rbag in ­
flates.
When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
ve hicl e. Thi s dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likel ihood of ser ious injuries, other i nju ries,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra­
sions, can a lso happen when airbags inflate . Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags only supplement the
three po int safety belts in some frontal collisions
i n which the ve hicle decelerat io n is high enough
to deploy the airbags .
F ront airbag s will not deploy:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollove rs,
- when the c rash decelerat io n meas ured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic contro l unit.
The front passenger airbag will also not d eplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occ upied,
- when the we igh t on the fron t passenge r seat as
sensed by t he Advanced A irbag System indi-
Airb ag sys tem
cates that the front a irbag on the passenger
side has to be turned off by the e lectronic con­
trol unit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the r isk of ser ious injury in crashes .
- To reduce the r isk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright posit ion, must not
lean aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
lo cated.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be serio usly
in jur ed by an airbag as it unfolds with g reat
force in the blink of an eye
r=> page 115.
A WARNING
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
insta lled on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be ki lled if the front
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or in fant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immedia tely insta ll
the rea r-facing child safety se at in a rear
seating posi tion and have the airbag system
inspected by your au thorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
= -
Objects between you and the airbag will in -
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
i ng with the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
i ng p ushed into you as the airbag inflates.
123

Airbag syste m
-Never h old things i n your hands or on your
lap whe n the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
ca use serious personal injury if the a irbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or nea r the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a c rash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front a ir­
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing p roblems for people w ith a
his to ry of asthma or o ther b reathing condi­
tions .
- T o reduce the risk of brea thing problems,
those w ith asthma or o ther respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or o pening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de ­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eat ing.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the resid ue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water .
124
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
!f Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni ­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Adva nced A irbag System as well as the side
airbags and s ide curta in a irbags w ith ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con ­
tro l unit, sensors and system wiring) a re all
monitored cont inuo usly to make sure that they
are functioning properly whenever the ignition is on. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the airbag
monitoring i ndicator light
m w ill come on for a
few seconds (self d iagnostics) .
The system mu st be inspected when the
indicator light
E,I:
- does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
sw itched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driv ing.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
i ndicato r light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ate ly.
If a ma lfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
A n airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide sup plemental pro tect ion
i n a fro nta l crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light ¢
page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
t he air bag will i nflate when i t is no t sup ­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should .

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PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 115 Sect ion from the instrument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF ligh t is located i n
the center of the instrument panel¢
fig. 115 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger sea t is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a small child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go ou t if the front passenge r seat is occu­
pied by an adul t as reg istered by the weight­
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come
on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on t he front seat,
o r
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Sta ndard 208 w ith w hic h the Adva nced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front a irbag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
Airb ag sys tem
AIR BAG OFF light wi ll stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a ch ild in any
k ind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat¢
page 115, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 134, Child safety.
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be su re to check the light regularly to make cer ­
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not appear and not s tay o n all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignit ion
off and then t urning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the child restraint . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly insta l­
led and tha t the safety belt for the fro nt pa s­
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed around
the child res traint as desc ribed in the c hild re ­
stra int man ufactu rer's instructions;
- make sure that the convert ible lo ck ing retrac­
t or on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight. The belt m ust not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latc h on the seat can do
its job¢
page 144 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passe nger seat;
- make sure that the safety be lt tens ion sensor is
not blocked . Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passe nger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being 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 measu re more weight
t han is actually on the seat.
If th e PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switc hed on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it properly at one of the rear
Iii--
125

Airbag syste m
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authorized Audi dealer immediately .
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The
P ASSE NGER AIR BAG O FF light shou ld NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front passenger seat. If the
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adu lt on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the backrest and the
backrest is not recl ined
c> page 98, Correct pas ­
senger seating positions,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the arm rest ,
- the safety belt is be ing 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 inco rrect read ing o r
imp ression on the weight-sens ing mat under
the upho ls tery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt extende r has not been left in the
sa fety belt latch for the front passenge r seat .
I n addition to the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the inst rument panel, the
message
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF or PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
wi ll briefly appear in the inst ru ­
ment cluster display . This is to inform the driver
of th e current front passenger airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop­
er ly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash.
126
- If the airbag indicator light c> page 14
comes when the veh icle 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 wi ll not inflate when it should.
_& WARNING
I f the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, in a rea rward-facing chi ld safe­
ty seat or in a forward -fac ing chi ld restrain t
that has not been proper ly ins talled will be
seriously injured and can be killed .
- Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that a ll children, espec ia lly 12 years and
younger , always ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and size .
- Always install forward or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat -even with an
Advanced A irbag System .
- If you must insta ll a rearward-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SSEN GER AIR BA G OFF light does not
appear and stay on, immediately install the
rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seat ing
position and have t he a irbag system in­
spected by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing chi ld restraint attached to the front
passenger sea t can put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat. The heavier 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
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the airbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjus ted to an upr ight position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG

0 co ......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seating positions .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
{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 will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of th e
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and prevent that system from working properly in a collision .
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
Airbag system
-For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water . Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.) must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical
information, training and special equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag compo ­
nents must be performed by qualified work-
shops only. Make sure that any airbag
Ill-
127

Airbag system
service action is entered in your Audi War­
ranty
& Maintenance book let under AIRBAG
REPLACEMENT RECORD.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretens ioners are scrapped, al l
applicable laws and regulat ions must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requ irements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For examp le, using t ire-rim
combinations not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs , suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of serious personal in jury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­
led on your veh icle .
128
.
-Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center conso le can cause the sensors
in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic control module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
-Always make sure that nothing can interfere
w ith 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. 116 Sid e a irbag locatio n in the dr ive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests
~ fig . 116 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
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is mon itored electron ically to
make certain that it is functioni ng properly at a ll
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air ­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics). .,,_