airbag off AUDI Q7 2013 Owner´s Manual

192 Airbag system
-Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas·
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­
ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- 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
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re- straint manufacturer's instructions
re­
quire 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 re·
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install child restraint in a rear seat­
ing 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 of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash .
When the electronic control unit registers a low severity crash and the safety belt is being
used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys,
followed by the second stage after a much lat· er time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash
of medium severity, the first stage of the air ·
bag deploys followed by the second stage at a
much later time in the crash sequence· re·
gardless of whether the safety belt is being
used or not . In higher severity crashes as reg­
istered by the electronic control unit, both the ..,.

first and second stages deploy almost at the
same time.
On the passenger side, regard less of safety
be lt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amo unt programmed in the electronic control
un it. The front airbag on the passenger side
w ill also be turned off if one of the child safe­
ty seats that has been certified under Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recog nized 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 t urned off
Q page 186, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know .
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inf lates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, yo ur risk of inj ury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
Q page 184.
More important things to know about
front airbags
F ig. 2 11 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfo ld properly and pro ­
vide supplemental protection in a fronta l col­
l ision.
A irba g sy stem 193
The front airbags are designed to provide ad ­
ditional protection for the chest and face of
the driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly
- t he seats have bee n positioned so that the
occ upan t is properly seated as far as poss i­
b le from the airbag
- and the head restraints have been properly
adj usted
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, t hings you have on your lap
or have placed on the seat co uld become dan­
gerous projecti les, and be p ushed in to you if
the a irbag inf lates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
T his is no rma l and is not caused by a fi re in
the vehi cle. This dust is made up mos tly of a
powder used to lub ricate the airbags as they
deploy. It could irritate skin.
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
s u pplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood o f serious injuries, other
injuries, for example swelling, bruising and
minor abrasions, can a lso happen when air ­
bags inflate . A irbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags
supplement the th ree-point safety belts only
i n some frontal co llisions in which the vehicle
deceleration is high enough to deploy the air­
bags.
Front a irbags will not deploy :
-if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
occurs
- in side collisions
- in rear-end co llisions
- in rollovers
- when the crash dece leration meas ured by
the air bag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for airbag deployment as
reg istered by the electronic cont ro l unit
The front passenger airbag also will not
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu-
pied ..,.

194 Airbag sys te m
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem indicates that the front airbag on the
passenger side has to be turned off by the
electron ic control unit (the
PA SSEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on)
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against o r place any pa rt
of the ir body too close to the area where
the airbags are located .
- Occ upants who are unbelted, out of posi­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
¢page 186.
A WARNING -
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armres t, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward-fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of excep tional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
i nc rease the r isk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by be ing pushed into you as the airbag
i n flates.
- Never hold things in yo ur hands or on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transpo rt items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the a rea of the front air­
b ags du ring bra king or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangero us projec­
tiles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the ai rbags inflate.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholde rs, tele­
phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing whee l,
instrument panel , seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could ca use in jury in a c rash, es­
pecially when the airbags infla te.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transpo rt objects . Items can a lso
move into the a rea of the s ide airbag or
the front airb ag d uring bra king or in a
sudden maneuve r. Objects nea r the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
in ju ry, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined.
- Never tilt the front passenger seat back­
rest forward when the vehicle is moving .
An inflating a irbag w ill force the back­
rest backward and can injure rear seat oc­
cupants.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ i ng cond itions.
-
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma o r othe r respiratory
....__ c_ o_ n_ d_ it_ i_o _ ns_ s_ ho _u_ l_ d ....:g:_ e_ t_ f_re _s_ h _ a_ i_r _ri ..::g :....h _t __
_J .,.

away by getting out of the vehicle or
opening windows or doors.
-If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into you r
eyes, or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PA SSEN ·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the
e lectronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored cont inuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignit ion is on . Each t ime you
turn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring in­
d icator light
I will come on for a few seconds
(sel f diagnos tics) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicato r light
I:
- does not come on when the ignit ion is
switched on
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have swi tched o n the ignition, o r
- comes on w hile driving
If an airbag system malfunct ion is detected,
the indicator light will first start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminde r
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that tur ns the front
a irbag on the passenger side off, the
PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light w ill come on and stay
on w henever the ignition is on.
A irbag system 195
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
p roperly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on, it
means that there may be something
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
I t is poss ible that the ai rbag w ill inflate
when it is not supposed to, or will not in­
fla te when it sho uld.
- Have the airbag system inspe cted imme­
diate ly by yo ur aut ho rized Aud i dea ler.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fi g. 212 Sec tion fro m th e in str um ent pa nel: PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF light
-
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is loca ted
i n the center of the instrument pa ne l
¢ fig. 212 .
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht will come
o n and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electronic control unit. Each
t ime yo u turn on the ignition, the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few
seconds and:
- w ill stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied
- w ill stay on if there is a small chi ld or child
restraint on the front passenger seat
- w ill go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and sta y on
if the ignition is on and ..,.
•
•

196 Airbag sys te m
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing chi ld restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a fo rward -facing child restraint has been in­
sta lled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passen­
ger seat is equa l to or less than the com­
bined weight of a typical 1 year -old restrain ­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac­
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght will stay on. Nev­
er install a rearward-fac ing c hild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place fo r
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seat ing positions on the rea r seat
~ page 186, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
~ page 205, Child Safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light c om es
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light stays on cont inuo usly whenever the
ignit ion is on. If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
routed through the child restra int as descri­
bed in the chi ld restrai nt manufacturer's in­
stru ct ions;
- make sure that the convert ible locking fea­
tu re on the safety belt fo r the front passen­
ger seat has been a ctivated and that the
sa fe ty belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor be
low the sa fe ty belt latch
on the seat can do its job~
page 215.
-ma ke sure that things tha t may increase the
weight of the ch ild and chi ld safety seat a re
not being t ransported on the front passen ­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen ­
sor is not blocked. S hake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seatback and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is be ing 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 act ually on the seat .
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
t in uous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Aud i dealer
immed iately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure that the ch ild is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is app rop riate for
its s ize and age.
The
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
t h e front passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and s tays on o r
f lashes fo r about 5 seconds w hile d riving, un ­
der these ci rcumstances, make sure tha t:
- the adult on the front passenge r seat is
prope rly seated on the cente r of the sea t
cushion wi th his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
~ page 166 , Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support-
ing their weight on the armrest, .,.

-the safety belt is being p roperly worn and
that there is not a lot of slack in the safety
belt webbing,
- accessory seat covers or c ushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat under the upholstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat .
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF or
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G ON will briefly appear
i n the instrument cluste r display . Th is is to in­
form the driver of the current front passenger
ai rbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
prope rly cannot provide supplemental p ro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light comes on, it
means that the re may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced Ai rbag System .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not s upposed to, or w ill not in­
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diately by your author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restraint, or in a rearward-fac ing
child safety seat, o r in a forward-facing
child restraint that has not been properly
installed will be serio usly injured and can
be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make
certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younge r, a lways ride on the
A irbag sys tem 197
back seat properly rest rained for their
age and size.
- Always install forward or rear-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced A irbag System.
- If you must install a rearwa rd-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme­
diate ly install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rea r seat ing pos ition and have
the air bag sys tem inspected by y our au­
thori zed A udi dealer.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rea r­
ward-facing child rest raint attached to
the front passenger seat can p ut too
m uch p ressu re on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and register more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the sea t into its rearmos t po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible . The backrest must be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
eve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger sea t after taking
the steps described above, make su re the
a du lt is properly seate d and restra ined at
one o f the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag sy stem inspe cted by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger
seat.
•
•

198 Airbag system
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi . Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working p roperly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair , adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer. - The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only once . After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version . Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!

200 Airbag system
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests ¢
fig. 213 and the rear
backrest* facing the doors. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags (as an ordered
option)
-the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument
cluster .
The airbag system is monitored electron ically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's, front and rear* passeng­
er's upper torso on the side of the veh icle that
i s struck in a side collision . Th e airbag deploys
on ly in side impacts and only when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control unit is
high enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­
sult of the collision. It is not possible to de­
f in e an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors
include, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact ,
vehicle speed, etc . ¢
page 201, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function , safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
coll ision so that th e side airbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety be lt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle . Al­
ways remember that the side 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 a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 175, General
notes .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is in g,
and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too,
s ide airbags will dep loy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents - your safety belts
are always there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage , repair costs or even the lack
of vehicl e damage are not necessarily an indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t ion. In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remember too, that air ­
bags will deploy only once and only in certain
k inds of co llisions -yo ur safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acc i­
den ts in which airbags are no t supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is t urned off
- in side collisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rea r-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags ,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
triggered together .
A WARNING
-
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
ar e in the proper seating position
¢page 201.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The airbag may

inflates in side impacts and only when the ve­
hicle acceleration registered by the control
un it is high enough. If this rate is below the
reference value programmed into the contro l
unit, the side airbags will not be triggered,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a result of the coll ision.
It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that will
cover eve ry possible angle of impact, since the
circumstances w ill vary considerably be tween
one co llision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the natu re (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
veh icle speed, etc. c::>
page 203, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe ­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a co lli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubstitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it prope rly. Thi s
i s another reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety bel ts, not just beca use the law re­
q ui res you to do soc::>
page 175, General
notes.
It is important to rememb er that while the
side curta in a irbag sys tem is designed to he lp
r educe the like lihood of se rious injur ies, other
in ju ries, for example, swell ing, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these a irbags w ill dep loy on ly once and
only in certain kinds of accidents - your safety be lts are a lways there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag sy stem ba sicall y
consi sts of:
- The electronic control mod ule and external
s ide impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and rear side windows
A irba g sy stem 203
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lec tronically
to make ce rtain i t is func tioning prope rly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag i s not activat ed :
- if the ignition is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in rea r-end collisions.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide pro te ction when occup ants
are in the proper seating posi tion
c::>
page 71, General recommendations.
- If th e air bag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized A udi dealer . The side curtain
airbag may not work properly even when
the vehicle acce lerat ion in a side collision
is high enough to activate the airbag.
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
ore properly restrained.
Fi g. 216 Illustrat io n of pr incip le: Inflated side curtai n
a irbags on the left s ide
-
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
IIJ,,

206 Child Saf ety
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
ch ild safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptiona l circumstances and
the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating posit ion and have the air­
bag system inspec ted immediately by
yo ur Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you mus t
install a forward -facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make su re the forward-fac ing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the man ufacturer's in­
struct ions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move t he passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat 's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible before installing
the ch ild restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upr ight position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always rep lace child rest raints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child rest raint that is not visible
could cause i t to fail i n another collisio n
si tua tion.
Advanced front airbag system and
children
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced
A irbag System" in compliance w ith United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time you
r
vehicle was manufacture d.
T he Adv anced Airbag system in yo ur vehicle
has been certified to mee t the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3-and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and sma ll adults on the
drive r side. The low r is k dep loyment cr iteria
are intended to red uce the risk of in jury
through interact ion w it h the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the a irbag inflates . In addition, the syst em
has been ce rtified to comply wit h the "sup­
pression" re quirements o f th e Safety Sta nd­
ard, to t urn off the fron t airbag for infan ts up
to 12 months who are res trained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that a re list­
ed in the Standard.
E ven though your veh icle is eq uipped wit h an
Advanced Airbag system , a ll children, espe­
cia lly those 12 years and yo unger, should a l­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a ch ild to ride . The front
seat is not the safest p lace for a ch ild in a for­
ward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It can be a ve ry
dange rous place fo r an infan t or a large r child
i n a rea rward-f acing se at.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
c h ild restra int on the front passenge r seat us­
i ng the weig ht-sens ing mat in the seat cush ­
ion and the sensor be low th e safe ty belt latch
o n the front passenge r seat that measures t he
tens ion on the s afety be lt.
T he we ight -sensi ng mat measures total
we ight of t he chi ld and the ch ild safety seat
and a c hild b la nk et on the front passenger
seat. The we igh t on the fron t pa sse nger se at
is re late d t o the desig n of the ch ild res trai nt
and its "f ootprint", the s ize and shape o f the
bottom of the chi ld restraint as it sits on the .,..