airbag off AUDI Q3 2018 User Guide

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
:::,
00
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 . ..,.

0 co ......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
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 .

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

The side airbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can h elp to reduc e th e risk of injury to
the dr iver's and front passenge r's upper torso on
t he side of the vehicle th at is struck in a side col ­
lis ion . The airbag deploys on ly in side impac ts
and only when the vehicle acceleration reg istered
by the control unit is h igh enough. If this rate is
be low the reference va lue programmed into the
control unit, the s ide airbags will not be tr ig ­
gered, even though the car may be badly dam ­
aged as a result of the collision.
It i s not possib le
to define an airbag triggering range that wi ll cov­
er ev ery possible angl e of impact, since th e cir ­
cumstances will vary conside rably between one
coll is ion and another . Important factors include ,
for example , the nature (hard or soft) of the im­
pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed , etc .
r::;;, page 130 , Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide p rotection .
The airbag sys tem is
no t a substitu te for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu ­
pant restraint system i n your veh icle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
he lp to p rotect yo u if you a re wea ring your safety
be lt and wea ring it properly. This is another rea­
son why you shou ld always wear your saf ety
be lts, not just because the law requi res you to do
so
r::;;, page 106 , General information.
It is important to remember that while the s up­
p lemental side ai rbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, oth er inju­
ri es, for example, sw elling , bru is ing, and minor
abrasions can a lso be associated with deployed
side airbags. Remember too , side airbags will de­
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of a cci­
dents -your safety belts are always t here to offer
p rotection .
Vehicle damage , repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
~ of over -sensitive o r failed airbag activation . In
~ some coll is io ns, both front and s ide a irbags may r--.
~ in flate. Remember too, that airbags will deploy 0
g only once and only in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions -(X)
Airb ag sys tem
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which a irbags are not
s u pposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system w ill n ot deploy:
- when t he ignit io n i s t urned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end coll is io ns
- in rear-end col lisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
--Safety belts and the airbag system will only
p rov ide protect ion when occupants are i n
the prope r seat ing pos ition
r::;;, page 130 .
- If the ai rbag ind icator light r::;:, page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
a uthor ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le th at
t he airbag will inflate when i t is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late w hen it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy ins tan tly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who ore properly restrained.
F ig. 117 In fla ted s ide airba gs on lef t side of ve hicl e
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with prope llant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat s urface area marked "AIRBAG" .
It ex-
pands between the side trim panel a nd the .,.
129

Airbag system
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
q page 132, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­ member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
q page 106, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain airbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and m inor abra­
sions can also be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these airbags will dep loy o nly
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea­
tures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monito red electronically to
make certa in it is fun ction ing properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignit ion is tu rned off,
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat io n meas-
ur ed by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
132
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
~ page 42,
Front seats .
-If the airbag ind icator light q page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How 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.
Fig. 119 Il lustratio n of pr inciple: I nflated s ide curta in air ­
bags on t he le ft s ide
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i­
cle that is struck in a side collision
~ fig. 119.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing position is not prope r or upright or if
i tems a re located in the area where the supple­
mental sid e cu rtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to children ~
page 134.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cush ion" the impact and in this way .,.

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A WARNING
Chi ld ren on the front seat of any car even w ith
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 ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- 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
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN ­
G ER 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 exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest 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
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward-facing child restraint .
- Always ma ke sure that the safety bel t upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the chi ld restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
t ioned.
Ch ild safety
-Always make sure that the PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
@ Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another collision situat ion.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa rd (FMVSS)
208, as we ll as Canada Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
T he Advanced A irbag system in you r vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low- risk" require­
ments fo r 3- and 6-year old ch ildren on the pas­
senger side and sma ll adu lts on the driver side.
T he low risk deployment criter ia are intended to
reduce the risk of injury t hrough interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates . In addition, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front a irbag fo r infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in c hild rest raints t hat are lis ted in
the Standard.
E ven though your veh icle is eq uipped wit h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
those 12 yea rs and younger, should a lways ride
in the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
135

Child safety
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight
of the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat . The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint ", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re­
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of­
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants
and typical 1 year-old child have been stored in
the control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a child restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight
measured by the weight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be different for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re­
straint to the seat. The sensor below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de­
cide" , whether there is a child restraint with a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off.
136
· Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception­
al circumstances you must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag
is turned off and that the airbag status is always
correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporating new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
differen t weights and si zes and different 'foot­
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007 Ride AA2403FOF