sensor AUDI Q5 2015 Owner's Manual

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Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system p lus w ith rear­
view came ra
The reorview camera switches on automatically
together with the acoustic and visual park assist
when you put the vehicle in reverse.
Fig. 145 Center console: Parking system switch
Fig. 1 46 MMI display: visual dista nce display
Switching on
.. Switch the MMI on and select reverse gea r.
.. To use the front parking system, press the
switch
P' "A in the center console c::> fig . 145. A
sho rt confirmat ion tone sou nds a nd the indica­
tor light in the switc h lights up.
Switching betwe en th e re arview camera and
v is ual display
.. Press the Gr aphic control button c::> page 132,
fig. 147
® to see the visual d isplay .
.. Press the
Rear view cont ro l button to see the
rearview camera image
c::> fig . 146 .
Switching off
.. Drive faster than 6 mph ( 10 km/h), or
.. press the sw itch P
11JA or
.. swi tch off the ignit ion.
Par king system
Segm ents in th e vi sual display
T he red segmen ts in front of and behind the vehi­
cle
c::> fig. 146 help you to determine the distance
between you and an obstacle. As your vehicle
comes closer to the obstacle, the segments move
closer to the vehicle. The collision area has been
reached when the next to last segment is dis­
played. Do not continue dr iv ing farther ¢.&.
in
General Information on page 130!
A WARNING
--The MM I display cannot show, or cannot ad-
equate ly show, certa in objects (such as
smal l posts or grating), reces ses in the
ground a nd protr uding p arts on ano ther car.
- Only use t he rearview came ra to ass ist you if
it shows a good, clear picture. For examp le,
the image may be affected by the su n shin ­
ing into the lens, dirt on the lens or if there
is a defect.
- Use the rearv iew camera only with the rear
lid completely closed. Make sure any objects
you may have mounted on the rear lid do
not block the rearview camera.
(D Tips
-The sensors m ust be kept clean and free o f
snow and ice for t he park assist to operate.
- The visua l display is shown in the ill ustra­
tion of the rearview camera. This disp lay
shows whe re the sensors have detected an
obstacle.
- Yo u can change the volume and pitch of the
signa ls as well as the display ¢
page 134.
-Please fo llow the instruc tions for tow ing a
trailer ¢
page 134.
-What appears in the disp lay is time -delayed .
131

Parkin g system
mirror or a corner of yo ur vehicle does not col­
lide with any obstacles. This can damage to
your vehicle.
(D Tips
The left or right orientation lines and sur faces
wi ll be displayed, depending on the turn sig­
nal being used .
Adjusting the display
and warning tones
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith Audi park ing system p lus w ith rear­
view ca mera
The display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the MMI.
~ Select: I CARI function button > Pa rking system .
Or
~ Select: ICARI funct ion button > Car s ystem s*
control button> Driver ass ist > Par king aid .
D is pl ay
- Off -when the parking system is switched on,
only audib le signals are given .
-On -when the parking system is switched on,
either the visual disp lay or the picture from the
rearview camera is disp layed.
Warning tones
- Front volum e -
front sensor volume
- Front frequency -front sensor frequency
-Rea r volume -rear sensor volume
-Rear fre quenc y -rear sensor frequency
- In -ca r entertainment fader /M usic volume
w hile pa rking -
when the parking system is
switched on, the volume of the active audio
source is lowered.
The newly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generator.
(D Tips
- The warning tones can also be adjusted d i­
rectly by the visual display or the picture
from the rearview camera. Simply press the
S ett ing s control button.
- Changed settings are activated when park­
i ng system is switched on again .
134
-The settings are automatica lly stored and
assigned to the remote contro l key .
Trailer hitch
App lies to vehicles : wi th Audi parking sys te m plus wi th rea r­
v iew camera a nd t railer hitch
For vehicles with a factory installed trailer hitch,
o r a trai ler h itch installed accord ing to factory
spec ifications, the parking sys tem rear sensors
do not come on whenever you shift into reverse
gear or when you press the
P" 1A switch. Remem­
ber, there is no warning for distances to the rear.
The front sensors remain activated . The visua l
display switches to the trailer towing mode. The
picture from the rearv iew camera w ill not show
the or ientat ion lines nor the blue surfaces.
If you insta ll a hitch yourse lf, this function may
not work.
Error messages
App lies to vehicles: wi th Audi parking sys te m plus with rea r·
v iew camera
There is an error in the system if the LED on the
PwA switch is b linking and you hear a continuous
a larm for a few seconds after switching on the
parking system or when the parking system is al­
ready act ivated. Have your authori zed Audi dealer
correct the error.
(D Tips
If the error is not corrected before you switch
off the ignition, when you switch on the park­ i ng system again, the LED in the
Pw.o. sw itch
will blink.

Safe ty belt s
The shou lder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the body
c::> A in Safety belt position on
page 148.
"' Push
the loop -around fittings up c::> fig. 164 @,
or
"'squeeze together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings
do wn @.
"'Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er important information
c::> page 146.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safety belts .
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly posit ioned on the body .
Improper seating pos it ions reduce the effective­
ness of safety be lts and will even increase t he risk
of injury and death by moving the safety be lt to
cr itical areas of the body. Improper seating posi­
tions a lso increase the risk of serious injury and
death when an airbag deploys and strikes an oc­
cupant who is not in the correct seating posit ion.
A dr iver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and espec ially for children. Therefore :
"' Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sit -
ting position in the vehicle while traveling
c> _& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
150
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­ing used.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other important information
c> page 146.
Belt tensioners
· How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts
are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is act ivated by sensors
i n front, side and rear-end coll is ions of great se­
verity and in a rollover . This tightens the belt and
takes up belt s lack
c::> .&. in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 151.
T aking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Neve r let the belt remain ove r a rear seatback
that has been folded forward .
(D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be acti­
vated once.
- In minor frontal and s ide collisions, in rear­
end co llisions and in acc idents involving
very little impac t fo rce, the safety belt pre­
tensioner are not activated.
- When the safety belt pretensione rs are acti­
vated, a f ine dust is released. This is normal
and is not caused by a fi re in the vehicle.
- T he re levant safety requirements mus t be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped . An authorized
Audi dealer or qua lified wor kshop is familia r
with these regulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, env ironmental
and other regu lations if the veh icle or indi­
vidual parts of the system, part icu larly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend yo u have your author ized Audi
dea ler perform this service for you.

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detail below . Because the front passenger seat
contains important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System, yo u must take care to prevent it from be­
ing damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent
the Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat
from do ing its job in a crash .
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sis ts
of the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors . T he control un it also "de­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
sho uld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve inside the instrument panel for
t h e front passenger.
- A weig ht-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that meas ures the tota l weight on the seat. The
information registered is sent cont in uous ly to
the e lectronic control unit to regulate dep loy­
ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the pas­
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
¢ page 162.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respect ive seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation registered is sent cont inuously to the
elect ron ic cont ro l unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the i nstrument
pane l¢
page 162, fig . 168 and tells you when
the front Advanced Ai rbag on the passenger
side has been turned
off .
-A sensor below the safety belt la tch fo r the
front seat passenge r to measure the tension on
Airbag syste m
the sa fe ty belt. The tens ion on the safety be lt
and the weight registe red by the weight -sens­
ing mat help the control unit "decide" whether
the front a irbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not¢ page 153, Child
restraints on the front seat- some important things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transm its this informat ion to the elect ro nic
cont ro l unit.
A WARNING
D amage to the fron t passenger seat can pre­
vent the fron t air bag from working prope rly.
- Imp roper repai r or d isassembly of the front
passenger and driver sea t will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly .
- Repairs to the front passenge r seat must be
performed by qualified and p roperly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upho lstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sh arp objects in yo ur po ckets or
p la ce them on t he seat.
If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work properly .
- Never carry things on yo ur lap or carry ob ­
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase the we ight registe red by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­
formation to the a irbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking prope rly.
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
p roved by Aud i on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­ bag System from recognizing child
159

Airbag system
restraints or occupants on the front passen­
ger seat and prevent the side airbag in the
seat backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accu­ rately registering the child restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to
properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head re­
straints to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to
read the important information about safety and
heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt
use, the airbag will be turned off if the weight on
the passenger seat is less than the amount pro­
grammed in the electronic control unit . The front
160
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 recognized on the seat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 153, Child restraints on the front seat ­
some important things to know .
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You
will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
r::!;> page 152.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 167 Inflated front airbags
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Safety belts are important to help keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
airbags can unfold properly and provide supple­
mental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tiona l protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag, .,._

Airb ag syst em
-Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These obje cts
could cause injury in a crash, e specially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objec ts . Items can also move into
t h e area of the side airbag or the front air ­
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu·
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The f ine dust created when a irbags dep loy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the r isk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other resp iratory con­
ditions should g et fr esh air r ight away by
get ting out of the vehicle o r opening w in ­
dows or door s.
- If you are in a col lision in w hich a irbags de­
p loy, wash your hand s and fa ce wi th mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be caref ul not to get the dus t into you r eyes,
or into any cuts or s cratches.
- If the residue should get into you r eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separa te indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the elec· tronic control unit, sensor circuits and system
w iri ng) is monitored cont inuous ly to make sure
that it is funct ion ing properly whenever the ign i·
162
tion is on . Each time you t urn on the ignit ion, the
airbag monitoring indicator light
II wi ll come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The sy stem must be inspected when th e
indicat or light
fB :
-does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on t he ignit ion, or
- comes on wh ile driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, t he
i ndic ator light will fi rst s tart flashing to catch the
dr iver's at ten tion and the n st ay on con tinuo usly
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys ­
tem inspected immediately .
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front air ­
bag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignit ion is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
c> page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer .
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup·
posed to, or will not inflate when i t should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 168 Sec tion fro m t he in strument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF ligh t
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is loca ted in
the center of the inst rument panel
c> fig . 168. ..,.

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The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been t urned
off
by the electron ic control unit. Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
P A SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- wi ll stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go out if the front passenger seat is occ u­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight ­
sensing mat .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st co me
on and st a y on
if the ignition is on and
- a ca r bed has been insta lled on the front seat ,
o r
- a rearward-fac ing c hild restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a fo rward-facing child restraint has been insta l­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to o r less than the comb ined
weight of a typica l 1 yea r-old restrained in one
of the rear -facing or forwa rd-facing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified .
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
fro nt airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing chi ld restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat
¢ page 153, Child re ­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 172, Child safety.
If the PA SSENGER AI R BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the condit ions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on cont inuous ly whenever the ignition is
on.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appea r and not stay on a ll the time , stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
Airbag syste m
- reactivate the system by t urning the ignition off
and then turning it on again;
- remove and reins tall the child restra int . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been correct ly routed around the chi ld
restraint as described in the c hild restraint
manufacturer's instruc tions;
- make sure that the convertible locking feature
on the safety belt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight . T he belt must not be loose or
have loops of s lack so that the sensor below the
safety belt lat ch on the seat can do its job
~ page 181.
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and c hild safety seat a re not
be ing transpo rted on the fro nt passenge r seat;
- make sure t hat the safety belt tension sensor is
not b locked. Shake the safety belt lat ch on the
front passenge r seatback and forth;
- I f a strap or tet he r is be ing used to tie the child
safety sea t to the front passenge r seat, make
sure that it is not so t ight that it causes the
weight -sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still d oes
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- t ake the child rest raint
off the front passenge r
seat and instal l it properly at one of the rea r
seat pos itions. Have the a irbag system inspec t­
ed by your authorized Audi dealer immediately .
- move the child to a rear seat posi tion and make
sure that the child is properly rest ra ined in a
child restraint that is appropr iate for its size
and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light sho uld NO T
come on when the ignit ion is on and an adult is
s itting in a proper seating position on the front
pass enger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while dr iv ing, unde r these circumstan­
ces, make sure that :
- the adult on t he front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion w ith ..,_
163

Airb ag syst em
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers m ight be classified as Perchlorate Mater ia l
-special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including a irbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
app licab le laws and regu lations must be ob­
served. Your authori zed A udi dealer is fami lia r
w ith these requirements and we recommend
that you have yo ur 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 A irbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using t ire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicl e, chang ing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the spr ings, suspension s truts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control un it. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force leve ls meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in c rashes in which it wo uld not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preve nt the airbag from deploy­
i n g when i t should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's s uspension including
use of unapproved ti re -rim comb inations can
change Advanced A irbag pe rformance and in ­
crease t he risk of serious persona l injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components or iginally insta l­
led on your veh icle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi .
166
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety be lt b uckle
and the center console can cause the sensors i n the buckle to send the wrong informat ion
to the electronic control module a nd prevent
the Adva nced Airbag System from wor king
properly .
- Always ma ke sure that nothing can interfere
w it h the safe ty belt bu ckles an d that they
are no t obstr ucted.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
F ig. 169 S ide ai rbag locat io n in th e dr ive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
fron t seat backrests ~
fig. 169 and the rear back­
res t* fa cing the doors. They are identified by the
word "AIRBA G".
The side airbag sy stem bas ically consi st s of :
-the electron ic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the s ides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to
make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the air­
bag system indicator light w ill come on for a few
seconds (self d iagnost ics) .
II>-

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The side airbag system supplements the safety be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col­ lision . The airbag deploys only in side impacts
and only when the veh icle acceleration registe red
by the control unit is high enough . If th is rate is
be low the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the side ai rbags wi ll not be trig­
gered, even though the car may be bad ly dam­
aged as a result of the collision .
It is not possible
to define an airbag triggering range that will cov­
er every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably 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 168, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help 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 protect ion.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the side airbag system can only
he lp to p rotect you if you are wear ing your safety
be lt and wearing i t properly. This is ano ther rea­
son why you shou ld always wear your sa fety
be lts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
r::;;, page 144, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup ­
p lemental side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­ ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags. Remember too, side airbags will de­ ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci­
dents -your safety belts are always there to offer
protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over -sens itive or fa iled a irbag activation . In
some coll isions, both front and s ide airbags may
i nflate. Remember too, that airbags will deploy
only once and only in ce rtain kinds of collisions -
Airb ag system
you r safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag sy ste m w ill not deploy :
-when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- 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
provide p rotection when occ upants are in
the proper seating position
r::;;, page 168.
- If the airbag ind icator light r::;:, page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le tha t
the airbag will inflate when i t is not sup­
posed 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 ore properly restrained.
Fig. 170 Inflated s ide a irbags o n left s ide o f vehicle
9 a: (D Cl)
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG" .
It ex-
pands between the side trim panel and the
ll>
167

M N
co ~ co
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
-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 authorized
Audi dealer .
-If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
¢ page 172, Child safety .
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags w ill not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measu re increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings i n the door pane l.
- Never d rive with interior door trim pane ls
removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper­ ly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
-Always make certain that openings are covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equ ipment is installed in the inside
door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
Ai rb ag system
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc ­
cupants.
,ft QOD'
8i 0 ci: a, m
F ig . 1 7 1 Side curtain system, d river 's s ide: s ide cu rta in a ir­
bag locat io n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side w in­
dows ¢
fig. 171. They are identified by the word
"A IRBAG" on the w indshie ld frame and the cen­
ter roof pi llar.
The side c urta in airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the ris k of in­
j u ry for occ upants' heads and upper torso on the
s ide of the vehicle that is str uck in a s ide coll i­
s io n. The side c urtain airbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acce leration reg­
istered by the contro l unit is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference va lue programmed in­
to the control un it, the side curtain airbag will
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collis ion . It is
not possible to define an airbag triggeri ng range
that w ill cove r every possible ang le of impact,
s ince the circumstances w ill vary considerably be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for examp le, the nat ure (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc.
¢ page 170, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety f unction, sa fety
belts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec-
t ion. ..,.
169