sensor AUDI Q5 2017 Owner's Manual

Parking aid
mirror or a corne r of your veh icle does not col­
lide with any obstacles. This can damage to
your vehicle.
(D Tips
The left or right orientation lines and surfaces
will be displayed, depending on the turn sig­
nal being used .
Adjusting the display
and warning tones
A pp lies to : ve hicles w ith Audi park ing system plus w ith rea r­
view ca mera
The display and warning tones can be adjusted in
the MMI.
~ Select: ICARlfunction button> Parking system.
Or
~ Select: I CARI funct ion button > Car systems*
control button > Driver assist> Parking aid .
Display
-Off -when the parking system is switched on,
only audible 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 volume -front sensor volume
-Front frequency -front sensor frequency
- Rear volume -rear sensor volume
-Rear frequency -rear sensor frequency
-In -car entertainment fader/Music volume
while parking -
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 di­
rectly by the v isual disp lay or the picture
from the rearview camera. S imply press the
Settings control button.
- Changed settings are act ivated when park­
in g system is switched on again .
130
-Th e settings are automatically stored and
assigned to the remote control key.
Trailer hitch
Applies to : vehicles wi th Audi parking sys te m plus wi th rear­
v iew camera an d tra il er hitc h
For vehicles with a factory installed trailer hitch,
o r a trailer hitch installed according to factory
spec ifications, the parking system rear sensors
do not come on whenever you shift into reverse
gear or when you press the
p, qA switch. Remem­
ber, there is no warning for distances to the rear.
The front sensors remain activated. The visual
display switches to the trailer tow ing mode. The
picture from the rearview camera w ill not show
the or ientat ion lines nor the blue surfaces .
If you install a hitch yourself, this function may
not work.
Error messages
App lies to: vehicles wi th Audi parking sys te m plus with rear­
v iew camera
There is an error in the system if the LED on the
PJJJA switch is blinking and you hear a continuous
alarm for a few seconds after switching on the parking 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
ing system again, the LED in the
Pw.o. switch
will blink.

Safety belts
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 144.
"' Push
the loop -around fittings up c::> fig. 163 @,
or
"'squeeze together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings down@.
"'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 informat ion
c::> page 142.
(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 positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
ness of safety belts and will even inc rease the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Improper seating
positions a lso increase the risk of serious injury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating pos i­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all
veh icle occupants and especially for children.
Therefore:
"' Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting 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.
146
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly 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 ion
c::> page 142.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts ore tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped w ith safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sensors
i n front, side and rear-end collisions of great se­
verity and in a rollover. This tightens the belt and
takes up belt slack
c::> & in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 147.
Taking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seatback
that has been folded forward .
@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be acti­
vated once.
- Th e safety belt pretensioners do not deploy
in minor frontal, side and rear-end colli­
sions.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are acti­
vated, a fine dust is released. This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
- Th e relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. An authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop is familiar
with these regulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regulations if the vehicle or indi­
vidual parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have your authorized Aud i
dealer perform this service for you.

Airbag syste m
-a small adu lt or teenager is on the front pas ­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitting upright with
their back against a non -reclined backrest with
their feet on the vehicle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Feder ­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as def ined
in the electronic control unit.¢
page 158
Alway s remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat . Please be sure to read the important infor­
mat ion in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARN INGS.
A WARNING
To red uce the risk of inj ury when an ai rbag in­
fla tes, a lways wear safety bel ts p roperly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning fo rwa rd, s it­
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is much h igher .
- Yo u will also re ceive serious injur ies and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag ¢
page 148.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates - even w ith an Advanced Airbag
System.
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re­
straint has been installed on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely g uaran­
tee that deployment is impossible in all con­
ceivable s ituations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
- The inflating a irbag w il l hit the child safety
seat or infant c arrier with great force and
154
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the back rest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child re­
straints in the back 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, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating posi tion and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your au thori zed Au di dealer.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional ci rcums tances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing child res traint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-fa cing sea t
has been des igned and certified by its man ­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the fo rward -facing child restraint
up against or very nea r the instrument pan ·
el.
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fo re and aft
adjustment range , as far away from the air­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for­
ward-facing chi ld restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
no t next to o r in front of the child rest raint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ign it ion is swi tched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenge r sea t in your veh icle has a lot
of ve ry important parts o f the Advanced Airbag
System in it. These parts include the weight­
sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and
more. The function of the system in the front
1111>

CD
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passenger seat is checked by the electronic con­
tro l unit when the ignition is on . The control unit
monitors the Advanced A irbag System and turns
the airbag indicator light on when a malfunct ion
in the system components is detected. The func­
tion of the airbag indicator l ight is descr ibed in
greater detai l below . Because the front passen­
ge r seat conta ins important parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you must take care to p re ­
ve nt i t from being damaged. Damage to the seat
may prevent the Advanced Airbag for the fron t
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 that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System a bout the severity of the crash.
- An e lectronic 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. The control unit a lso "de­
c ides" whether the safety belt pretens ioners
should be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control
valve for the driver ins ide the steer ing
wheel hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and contro l
valve inside the instrument pa nel for
the front passenger.
- A weig ht-sensing mat under the upho lstery
padd ing of the front passenge r seat cushion
t h at meas ures the total weight on the seat. The
i nforma tion registered is sent continuously to
the e lectron ic cont rol unit to reg ulate dep loy­
ment o f the front Adv a need A irbag on the pas­
senger side .
- An airbag monito ring system and indicator
li ght in the instrument cluster
¢ page 158.
-A senso r in eac h front sea t registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument pane l. The infor­
mation reg istered is sent contin uously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Adva need A irbags.
Airb ag sys tem
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l¢
page 159, fig . 167 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
t he front airbag fo r th e fron t passe nger seat
should be tu rned off o r not ¢
page 149, 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 p revent the
Advanced A irbag System from f unct ion ing
properly .
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and p roper ly trai ned
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 o r remove parts from the
seat or disco nnect 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 t he weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and s end the wro ng in­
formation to the a irbag con trol u nit.
- Never store i tems unde r the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
un der the pas senger se at could be
~
155

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 with pretensioners
and load limiters and the adjustable head re­
stra ints to help reduce the r isk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to read the important informa tion about safety and
heed the WARN INGS in t his chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the act ivat ion of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measu red by the crash
sensors and regis tered by the electronic control
unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel-
156 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 149, 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 148.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 166 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 . ..,.

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 .
158
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
~i (USA models} / !f (Canada models}
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 Advanced A irbag System ( including the e lec­
tronic control unit, sensor circuits and system
wiring) is monitored continuously to make sure
that it is functioning properly whenever the igni­
tion is o n. Each time you turn on the ignit io n, the
airbag monitoring ind icator light
II (USA mod ­
e ls)
!E,I (Canada models) w ill come on for a few
seconds (self diag nostics).
The s ystem must be inspected when the
indicator light
fl ( USA models) tE,I
(Canada models ):
- does no t come on when the igni tion is sw itched
on,
- does no t go out a few se co nds afte r yo u have
sw itched on the igni tion, or
- comes on while driv ing.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
i ndicator light will come on to serve as a constant
r eminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ate ly.
If a ma lfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSENGER
A IR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay o n
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
A n a ir bag system t hat is not functioning prop­
e rly cannot provide sup plemental pro te ct ion
in a fronta l crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 13
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­ posed to, or will not inflate when it should.

a,
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co
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 167 Sect ion from the instrument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is located i n
the center of the instrument pane l¢
fig. 167 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been t urned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger sea t is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a small child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go ou t if the front passenge r seat is occu­
pied by an adul t as reg istered by the weight­
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come
on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on t he front seat,
or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Sta ndard 208 with w hich the Adva nced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front a irbag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
Airb ag sys tem
AIR BAG OFF light wi ll stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a ch ild in any
k ind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat¢
page 149, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and r::;, page 168, Child safety.
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be su re to check the light regularly to make cer ­
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not appear and not s tay o n all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignit ion
off and then t urning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the child restraint . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly insta l­
led and tha t the safety belt for the fro nt pa s­
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed around
the child res traint as desc ribed in the c hild re ­
stra int man ufactu rer's instructions;
- make sure that the convert ible lo ck ing fea ture
on the safety be lt 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 be low the
safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
c:;, page 178 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passe nger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is
not blocked . Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passe nger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sens ing mat to measu re more weight
t han is actually on the seat.
If th e PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switc hed on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it properly at one of the rear
Iii--
159

Airbag syste m
service actio n is entered i n your Audi War­
ranty
& Maintenance book let under AIRBAG
REPLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the a lternator and
the starter fr om the vehicle electr ical sys­
tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
c ircuit interrupte r.
- Work on the pyrotec hnic circuit interrupt ­
er must only be performed by a qualified
dea ler -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all app licab le safety precautions
m ust be followed.
@) For the sake of the env ironment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi ­
al -specia l handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretens ioners are scrapped, all
app licable laws and regulat ions must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is fam iliar
w ith these req uirements a nd we recommend
t ha t you have yo ur deale r perform t his servi ce
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle 's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash . For e xamp le, using t ire -r im
comb inat io ns not approved by Audi, lower ing the
vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspe nsion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the fo rces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic contro l unit. Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the fo rce levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­ ing when it should .
162
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim comb inations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the r isk of serious personal injury i n a
crash.
- Never insta ll suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly in stal­
led on you r vehi cle.
- N ever use tire-r im combinations that have
no t been approved by Aud i.
A WARNING
It ems stored between the safe ty belt buckle
and the cen ter conso le can cause the sensors
in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic contro l module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from working
proper ly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfe re
wit h 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. 168 S ide a irbag locatio n in the d river's seat
The side airbags a re located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 168 and the rear back­
rest * facing the doors . They are ident ified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag s ystem basically consi st s of :

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-the e lectron ic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags * located in the
rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the inst rument clus-
ter.
The a irbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that i t is functioning properly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light wi ll come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safe ty
be lts 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 on ly in side impacts
and only when the veh icle accelera tion reg istered
by the control unit is high enough . If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the s ide airbags will not be tr ig­
ge red, even though the car may be badly dam­
aged as a result of the collision .
It is no t possib le
to define an airbag trigge ring range that w ill cov­
er every possible angle of impact, since the cir ­
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between one
collision and another. Important factors include,
for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the im­
pacting objec t, the ang le of impact , vehicle
speed , etc .
q page 164, 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 posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can prov ide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re ­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
h e lp to protect you if you are wea ring your safety
be lt and wea ring it p roperly. This is ano ther rea­
son why you s hou ld always wear yo ur safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires yo u to do
so
q page 140, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup­
p lement al side a irbag sys tem is designed to re-
Airb ag sys tem
duce the likelihood of serious injuries , other in ju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor
abras ions can also be associated wit h deployed
s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide airbags will de­
ploy only once and only in certain k inds of acci­
dents -your safety belts are always there to offer
protect io n.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over -sens it ive or fa iled a irbag activation . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nl y once and only in certa in kinds of collisions -
yo ur safe ty belts are alw ays there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is t urned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in fro nt-end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents t he front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side ai rbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
--Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition ¢
page 164 .
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 13
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 w ill not inflate w hen it should.
163

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by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de­ ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­ ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this position.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers orto 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
c;, page 168, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside 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.
Airbag system
-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 equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­ cupants.
£!!$Sir
Fig. 170 S ide cur ta in system, drive r's side : side cu rtain a ir­
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win­
dows
c;, fig. 170. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the cen­
ter roof pillar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safety 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 struck in a side colli­
sion. The side curtain airbag inflates in side im­pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration 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 will cover every possible angle of impact, ..,.
165