sensor AUDI Q5 2016 Owner's Manual

Parking system
Switching on and off
Applies to veh icles: w ith Aud i park ing system p lus w ith rear ­
view ca mera
The rearview camera switches on automatically
together with the acoustic and visual park assist
when you put the vehicle in reverse.
F ig. 145 Center console: Pa rking system sw itch
F ig. 146 MM I d isp lay : v isual d istance display
Sw itch ing on
• Switch the MM I on and select reverse gear .
• To use the front parking system, press the
switch
P11A in the center console¢ fig. 145. A
sho rt confi rmation to ne sounds and the indica­
tor light in the switch lights up.
Sw itching betwe en th e re arview came ra and
visual display
• Press t he Graphi c control but ton ¢ page 131,
fig. 147
® to see the vis ual d isplay.
• Press the
Re ar view contro l button to see the
rearview camera image¢
fig. 146.
Switching off
• Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h), or
• press the switch
P"1A or
• swit ch off the ignition.
130
S egments in the vis ual d isplay
The red segments in front of and behind the vehi­
cle
¢ 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 iving farther ¢.&.
in
General Information on page 129!
,& WARNING
- The MMI display cannot show, or cannot ad­
equate ly show, certain objects (such as
sma ll posts or grati ng), re cesses in the
gro und and protrud ing parts on another car.
- On ly use the rearv iew camera to ass ist you if
it shows a good, clear picture . For example,
the image may be affected by the sun shin­
ing into the lens, dirt on the lens o r if there
is a defect .
- Use the rearview camera on ly with the rear
lid completely closed. Make sure any ob jects
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 of
snow and ice for the park assist to operate .
- The visu al display is shown in the illustra ­
tion of the rearview camera. This display
shows where the sensors have detected an obstacle.
- Yo u can change the vol ume and pitch of the
signals as well as the disp lay ¢
page 133.
-Please follow the instruc tions for tow ing a
trailer
¢ page 133.
- What appears in the display is time -de ­
layed .

,....,
N
co
er::
co
,...., mirror or a corner of your vehicle does not co l­
lide with any obstacles. This can damage to
your veh icle.
(D Tips
The left or right orientation lines and surfaces
wi ll be displayed, depending on the turn sig­
na l being used .
Adjusting the display
and warning tones
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus with rear­
view camera
The display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the MMI.
~ Select: I CARI function button > Parking syste m.
Or
~ Se lect: I CARI funct ion button > C ar sy stem s*
control button > Driver a ssi st > Pa rking aid .
Di sp lay
- Off -
when the parking system is switched on,
only aud ible signals are g iven.
- On -when the parking system is switched on,
either the visual disp lay or the picture from the
rearview camera is displayed.
Warning tones
- Front volu me -
fron t se nso r volume
- Front fr equ ency -front se nsor frequency
- Rea r volum e -rear sensor vol ume
- Rea r frequency -rear sensor frequency
-In -car enterta inment fade r/Mus ic volum e
w hile pa rking -
when the parking system is
switched on, the volume of the active audio
source is lowered .
The new ly adjusted value is briefly heard from
the signal generator .
- The warning tones can also be ad justed d i­
rectly by the vis ual disp lay or the picture
from the rearview camera. Simply press the
Sett ings control button.
- Changed settings are activated when park­
ing system is switched on again.
Par king system
- The settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key .
Trailer hitch
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus with rear­
view camera and trailer hitch
Fo r vehicles with a factory installed trailer hitch,
o r a tra ile r hi tch installed according to factory
specifications, the par king system rear sensors
do not come on whenever you shift into reverse
gear or when you press the
P •1~ switch . Remem­
ber, there is no war ning for distances to the rear .
The front sensors remain activated. The visual
display switches to the tra iler tow ing mode. The
picture from the rearview camera w ill not show
the or ientat io n lines nor the blue surfaces .
If you insta ll a hitch yourse lf, this f unct ion may
not work.
Error messages
Applies to vehicles: with Audi parking system plus with rear­
view camera
T he re is an error in the system if the LE D on the
Pw~ switch is blink ing and yo u hear a continuous
alarm for a few seconds after sw itch ing on the
park ing system or when the parking system is al­
ready activated. Have your authorized Audi dealer
correct the error.
(D Tips
If the error is not corrected before you switch
off the ign ition, when you switch on the park­
i ng system again, the LED in the
Pw.A sw itch
will blink.
133

,....,
N
co
er::
co
,...., The shoulder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the bod y ¢
A in Safety belt position on
page 147.
.. Push
the loop- around fittings up ¢ fig. 164 @,
or
.. squeeze to gether the@ button, and push the
loop-around fittings
do wn@ .
.. Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is p roperly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er important informat ion
¢ page 145.
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 a re correctly pos itioned on the body .
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
n ess of safety be lts and will even inc rease the
ris k of injury and death by mov ing the safety bel t
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Imp roper seating
positions also increase the risk of serious inj ury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occ upant who is not in the co rrect seat ing posi­
tion . A driver is respons ible for the safety of all
vehicle occupants and espec ia lly for children.
Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to ass ume an incorrect
s itting position in the veh icle wh ile traveling
¢ &, .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury a nd death wheneve r
a vehicle is be ing used.
S afet y be lts
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
are cor rectly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­ ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat io n ¢
page 145.
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 equ ipped w it h safety belt
pretens ione rs . The system is activated by sensors
i n front, s ide and rear-end collisions of great se­
ver ity and in a ro llover. This tightens the bel t and
t a kes up belt slack¢.&.
in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 150.
Taking up
the slack he lps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Neve r let the belt remain over a rea r seatback
that has been folded forwar d.
{D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be ac ti­
vated once.
- T he safe ty be lt pretensione rs do no t de ploy
in minor fron tal, side a nd rear -end colli ­
sions .
- W hen the safe ty belt pretensioners are acti­
vated, a fine dust is released . This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the ve hicle .
- T he relevant safety requirements mus t be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. An autho rize d
Audi dealer or qua lified workshop is familia r
w ith these reg ulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to yo u.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmenta l
and other regulat ions if the vehicle or indi­
vidua l parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have yo ur autho rized Aud i
dea ler perform t his service fo r you.
149

Airbag syste m
greater detail below. Because the front passen ­
ger seat contains important parts of the Ad­
vanced Airbag System, you must take care to pre ­
vent it from being damaged. Damage to the seat m ay prevent the Advanced Airbag for the front
passenger seat from doing its job in a crash .
The front Advanced Airba g Sy stem con sists
of the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the seve rity of the crash .
- An electronic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides " whethe r to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit a lso "de­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
shou ld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver ins ide the steering
whee l hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger .
- A weight -sensing mat under the upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures th e total weight on the seat . T he
information registered is sent continuously to
the e lec tronic control unit to regu la te dep loy­
ment of the front Advanced A irbag on the pas ­
senger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indica tor
l ight in the instrument cluster
c> page 161 .
-A sensor in each front sea t registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­ mation reg istered is sent continuous ly to the
electronic control u nit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced A irbags.
- T he
PASSEN GE R AIR B AG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the inst rument
pane l
c> page 161 , fig . 168 and tells you when
the front Advan ced Airbag on the passenger
side has been turned off .
- A sensor below the safety belt la tch fo r the
front seat passenger to meas ure the tension on
158
the safety belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight reg istered by the weight-sens­
ing mat help the contro l unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not c> page 152, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know .
-A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the e lectronic
cont rol u nit.
_&. WARNING
Damage to the fron t passenge r seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from work ing properly .
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unctioning
proper ly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat mus t be
performed by qualified and proper ly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove pa rts from the
seat o r disconnect wi res from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pocke ts or
place them on the seat. If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is p unctured
it cannot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­ jects on the passenger seat. Such items can increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­
formation to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working properly .
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from recognizing child

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl .....
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 inju ry 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 act ivation of the safety be lt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and regis tered 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 elect ronic control unit. The front
Airbag system
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
q page 152, 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
qpage 151.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 167 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and provide sup­
plemental protection in a frontal collision .
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag, ..,.
159

Airbag system
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
r::;,fig. 168.
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 turned off
by the electronic control unit. Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will 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,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front seat,
or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint 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-facing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child 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
r::;, page 152, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and <=> page 171, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
162
not appear and not stay on all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again ;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly instal­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been correctly routed around
the child restraint as described in the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions;
- 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. The belt must not be loose or
have loops of slack so that the sensor below the
safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
c:::;,page 180.
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and child safety seat are not
being transported on the front passenger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is
not blocked. Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passenger 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-sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authorized Audi dealer immediately .
- move the child 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should 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 PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan-
ces, make sure that:
1111>

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl .....
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate . When the veh icle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
app licable laws and regulations must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
w ith these req uirements 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
pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, chang ing 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
e lectronic 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 wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the fo rce 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 injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components or iginally instal­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airb ag sys tem
A WARNING
-Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors
i n the buckle to send the w rong information
to the electronic contro l modu le and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfe re
with the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 1 69 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver 's seat
T he side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests
r='.> fig . 169 and the rear back­
rest* facing the doo rs. They are ident ified by t he
word "AIRBAG".
The si de airbag system ba sic ally con sis t s of:
- the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two a irbags 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 electronica lly to
make certain that it is functioning proper ly at all
t imes . Each time you turn on the ignition, the a ir­
bag system indicator light w ill come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
Ill-
165

Airbag syste m
The side airbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver'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 vehicle acceleration registered
by the control unit is high enough . If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the s ide a irbags wi ll not be tr ig­
gered, even tho ugh the car may be badly 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, s ince the cir­
cumstances will vary cons iderably 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 167, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in pos it io n in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
he lp to p rotect yo u if you are wea ring your safety
be lt and we aring it properly. This is ano ther rea­
son why you should always wear your safety
be lts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
r::;, page 143, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental side a irbag system is des igned to re ­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju ­
ries , for example, swelling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags . Remember too , side airbags will de­
ploy o nly once and only in certain kinds of acci­
dents -your safety belts are always there to offer
p rotection .
Veh icle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack of
veh icle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over -sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some coll is ions, both front a nd side a irbags may
inflate. Remembe r too, that airbags will deploy
only once and only in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions -
166
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which a irbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The si de airbag system will not d eploy:
- when t he ign it ion is tu rned off
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collis ions
- 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 protect ion when occupants are in
the prope r seat ing pos ition
r::;, page 167.
- If the a irbag ind icator light<=> page 16
comes w hen the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when i t is no t sup­
posed to, or wi ll not inf late when it sho uld .
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 1 70 Infl ated s ide airbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant 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 .,..

Airbag system
-Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
¢page 171, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing a ir pressure ins ide the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels
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 ho les have been properly closed.
-Always make certa in that openings are
covered or f illed if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop .
168
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­ cupants .
n nc
Fig. 171 Side cur ta in system , drive r's s ide: side c urta in a ir­
bag loca tion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win­
dows
¢ fig. 171. Th ey a re identified by the word
"A IRBAG" on the windshie ld frame and the cen­
te r roof pillar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safe ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
side of the vehicle that is str uck in a side coll i­
s ion . The side curta in a irbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle accelerat ion reg­
istered by the control unit is high enough .
If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control unit, the side curtain airbag will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision . It is
not possible to define an airbag triggering range
that w ill cover every possible angle of impact,
s ince the circumstances w ill vary considerably be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc.
¢ page 169, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
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
tion.
...

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl ..... The airbag system is not a s
ubstitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle. 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 j ust because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 143 , General information .
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain a irbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other injuries,
for example , swel ling , bruising, and m inor abra­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these a irbags wi ll dep loy only
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basicall y
consi sts of:
- The electron ic contro l module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain it is f unct ion ing properly at all
times. Ea ch time you t urn on the ign it ion , the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self d iagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the igni tion is turned off,
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat ion meas-
u red by the senso r is too low,
- i n rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system w ill only
provide p rotection when occupants a re in
the proper seating position ¢
page 63, Gen­
eral information .
-If the airbag indica to r ligh t¢ page 16
cumes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
Airb ag sys tem
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re ­
strained.
Fi g. 172 Illust ratio n of p rinciple: Inflated s ide cur tain air­
bag s on t he left s ide
The side cu rtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows on the side of the vehi­
cle that is struck in a side collision
~ fig. 172 .
N 0 ..... 0 ct (X) m
When the system is triggered, the s ide cu rtain
airbag is filled w ith propell ant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by th e AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
s ide curtain airbag must in flate w ithin the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not prope r or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
menta l s ide cu rtain a irbag inflates. This applies
especially to ch ild ren
~ page 171 .
Although they are not a soft pillow , side curtain
airbags can "cush io n" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the r isk of injury to the
head and the upper pa rt of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the a irbag deploys .
T his is q uite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle.
169