warning AUDI Q7 2017 Owner´s Manual

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:E: ' Airbag System for the front passenger seat from
doing its job in a crash.
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sists
of t he 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 severity of the crash.
- An electronic control un it, 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 also "de­
c ides" whether the safety belt pretens ioners
shou ld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver ins ide the steer ing
wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A capac itive passenger detect io n system unde r­
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the elect rical capac ita nce of the
person in the seat. The i nformation registe red
is sent continuously to the electron ic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light
m in the instrument cluster .
- A sensor in each front seat reg isters the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced A irbags .
- The
PA SSENG ER AIR B AG OFF ~; ON @ light
comes on in the headliner ¢
page 285,
fig. 241 and tells you the status of the Ad ­
vanced Airbag on the passenge r side .
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transm its this info rmat ion to the elect ronic
c ontro l unit.
Airb ag sys tem
_& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from funct ion ing
properly .
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personne l.
- 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 w ires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat . The capacit ive pas­
senger detect ion mat in the front passenger
seat will not function p roperly if it is punc­
tured.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenger seat. S uch ob­
jects can influence the capacitance reg is­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect informa tion is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store i tems unde r the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working proper ly.
- 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 chi ld re­
stra ints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restra int system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, p illows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenge r seat .
281

Airbag syste m
The additio na l l ayers prevent the capacitive
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capac itance of the ch ild safe­
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working p roperly.
- Never place or use any electrical device (such as a laptop, CD player, elect ronic
games dev ice, power inverte r or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-vol t
socket or the cigarette lighter socket . S uch
devices can infl uence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- If you must use a c hild 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 prope rly position the ch ild restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
~; light comes on and stays on whenever
the chi ld restraint is installed on the front
passenge r seat .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not come on and s tay on , immediate ly
ins tall child restra int in a rea r seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected
by you r A udi dealer.
_& WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im­
mediately.
- If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the a irbag system from work ­
ing prope rly and may, for instance, deact i­
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~;
light will come on and stay on togethe r with
the a irbag ind icator
light E,I in the inst ru­
men t cluster.
- If liquid is poo led on the seat, bu t has not
soa ked i n, this may also keep the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking properly and ca use the
passenge r frontal a irbag to be enabled
(tu rned on), even though there is a properly
282
installed child rest raint system on the seat .
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect.
If the
front passenger fronta l airbag is turned on,
t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light light
w ill go out.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced A irbag System and the side
airbags supp lement the p rotection offered by the
front three-point safety be lts and the adjustable
head restraints to he lp reduce the risk of injury in
a wide range of accident and crash situat ions. Be
sure to read the important i nformat ion about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter .
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­ pend on the dece leration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the elec tronic contro l
u nit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
e ration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object invo lved in the cras h.
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt
u se, the front passenge r frontal airbag will be
turned off if t he e lectr ica l capaci tance m easured
by the capaci tive p assenge r detection system o n
t h e fron t passenger sea t is less th an the amou nt
programmed in t he e lec tronic cont ro l unit. The
front passenger frontal airbag wi ll also be turned
off if the capacitance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant
of about one year of age in one of the child seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
comes on and stays on to tell you whe n the front
Advanced Airbag System on the passenge r side
has been tu rned off~
page 285.
_& WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in ­
f lates, always wea r safety belts prope rly.
- If you are un res trained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your r isk of injury is much higher.

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:E - You will also receive serious injuries 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
9page 273.
More important things to know about front
airbags
F ig. 2 40 Inflated front airbags
0 0 M
-.a ;z
Safety belts are impo rtant to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and provide sup­ p lemental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protect ion 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
- and the head restraints have been properly ad-
justed
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye w ith
great force, things you have on your lap or have p laced on the seat could become dangerous pro­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in­ flates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
veh icle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy . It
could irr itate skin .
It is important to remember that while the sup ­
plemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other injuries,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra -
Airbag sys tem
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supp lement the three­
point safety belts only in some frontal collisions
in which the vehicle dece leration is high enough
to deploy the airbags .
Front airbags will not depl oy :
- if the ign ition is switched off when a crash oc-
curs
- in side co llisions
- in rear-end coll isions
- in rollovers
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
ai rbag system is less than the m inimum thresh­
old needed for airbag dep loyment as registe red
by the electronic control un it
The front pass enge r airbag also w ill not
deploy:
- when the fron t passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the e lectr ical capacitance measured by
t he capacit ive passenger detection system for
the front passenge r seat ind icates that the pas­
senger side frontal airbag m ust be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER
AIR BA G OFF
"1; light 9 page 285 comes on
and stays on).
_& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the a irbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright posit ion, must not
lean aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are lo cated.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be serio usly
inj ured by an airbag as it unfolds wi th g reat
for ce in the blink of an eye
r:!>page 2 74.
_& WARNING
A child in a re arward-fa cing child safety seat
i nsta lled on t he front passenger sea t will be
serious ly in jured and can be ki lled if the front
Iii-
283

Airbag system
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light does not
come on and stay on, immediately 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 in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when 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 braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate .
- Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG'' on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, 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 air­ bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
284
-
projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the front passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in electric capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should be
off, or can cause the airbag to work in a way
that is different from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is not , or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob­
ject could cause the passenger front airbag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that
is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening 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 eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water .

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:E Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the fun ction of
the A dvanced Airbag System: the
El ligh t and
t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; ON @ Light.
The Advanced Airbag System as we ll as the side
a ir bags and side c urta in air bags with ejec tion
m it iga tion fea tures ( in cludi ng the e lectro nic con­
tro l uni t, sensors and sys tem wiring) are a ll
monitored co nti nu ously to ma ke sure that they
are funct ioning properly whenever the ignition is
on. Every t ime you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system ind icator
light E,lwill come on for a
few seconds (function check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicato r light
E,I:
- does not come on when the ignit ion is switched
on
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, o r
- comes on w hile driving
If an airbag sys tem malf unct ion is de te cted, the
indicator light w ill come on to serve as a co nstant
remi nder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately .
If a mal function occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF~.
lig ht w ill come o n an d stay on
whenever the ignit ion is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct io ning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicato r light¢
page 29
comes whe n the vehicle is be ing used, have
th e sys te m in spect ed immed iate ly by yo ur
au tho riz ed Aud i deale r.
It is possible that
th e air bag will i nflate w hen it i s n ot su p­
p osed to, o r will not i nfla te whe n it shou ld.
Airbag system
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF '1; ON @ light
Fi g. 241 Sect io n from t he headli ner: PASSENGE R AIR BAG
OFF~ ; ON
@ light
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @ light is
located in t he headliner ¢
fig. 241.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light will come
o n and stay on to tell you w hen t he fro nt Ad­
van ced Air bag o n the p assenge r side has been
tu rned
off by t he e lec tron ic control unit. If the
bulb fo r the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @
light b urns o ut, t he a irbag ind icator light El w ill
come on to signal a ma lfunction in the Advanced
Airbag System. Altho ugh the burned-out b ulb
will not change the way the front passenger's
frontal a irbag works, it w ill no longer be possible
to use the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @
ligh t to make s ure that the airbag on/off s tatus is
c or rec t fo r th e o ccu pan t on the front passenge r
sea t. Have the airb ag system inspec ted immedi­
ate ly by yo ur au thorized A udi d ealer .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @ light
will blink for about S seconds when:
- the capacit ive passenger detection system,
which switc hes the front sea t passe nger's fron ­
tal Advanced Airbag o n and off, detects a
change in the st atus of the front pa sse nger
se at.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; ON
@ light s tops blin kin g, a lways make sure that the
air bag st atus (on o r off) as shown by the ligh t is
prope r for the age, size and e lec trica l capacitance
of t he perso n occ up ying the front passenger
seat . Always ma ke sure that the safety be lt fo r
t h e front passenger seat is proper ly fastened .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~;/ PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON
@ light will show the statu s of the ..,.
285

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:E: ' seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immediately.
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age.
Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~ ; light
s h ould NOT com e on ...
The PASS ENGER AI R BAG OFF ~ ; light should
NO T come on when the ignition is on and an
adult is sitting in a proper seating position on the
front passenger seat . If the
PASS ENGER AIR
BAG OFF ~;
light comes on and stays on while
driving, under these circumstances, make sure
that :
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or he r back up aga inst the backrest and the
back rest is not reclined,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
ho lding on to the passenger assist handle
above t he front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the a.rm rest,
- the safety belt is be ing properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush ­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that migh t ca use the ca­
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late electrical capacitance .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
-If the status of the Adv a need A irbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF,;; ON @ light
blinks for about 5 seconds to catch the driv­
er's attention .
If this happens, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and check the
steps described above .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF,;; light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is s itting on the front passenger
-
Airb ag sys tem
seat after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adu lt is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions . Have the a irbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer before trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
A WARNING
f-
An a irbag system that is not functioning prop-
e rly cannot prov ide supplemental protect io n
i n a front al crash.
- I f the ai rbag ind icator light~
page 29
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
authorized 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 WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children , espec ially 12 years and
younge r, always ride on the back seat p rop­
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize .
- Always install fo rwa rd or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat - even with an
Advan ced Airbag System.
- I f you must install a rea rwa rd-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of excep tional circums tances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF,;, light does not
appear and stay on, immediate ly install the
rear-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seat ing
position and have the a irbag system in­
spected by your authori zed Aud i dea ler.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the a irbag as poss ible . The back rest
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position .
287

Airbag syste m
Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
11;; li ght comes on and stays on all t he
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF 11;; light
does not go out when an adult is si tting on
the front passe nger seat a fter ta king the
steps described above, make sure the adult is p roperly seated and restrained at one of
the rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
@ Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenge r
side w ill be tu rned off, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
11;; light will stay on.
-
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov­ ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an area of the
ve hicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
i n a collision .
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
env ironment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repai r proce­
dures can increase the r is k of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or dep loying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the stee r­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument pane l or modify them in any way.
288
- Never attach any objects s uch as c upholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the a irbag un its.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened w ith plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the st iffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag canno t deploy and p rotect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust , or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, inst rument
panel, front seats or e lectr ica l system ( in­
cluding the installation of a udio eq uipment,
cellular telephones and C B radios, etc.)
m ust be perfo rmed by a qualified techn ician
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strong ly recommend that you see your au­
thorized A udi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module mus t always be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an autho riz ed Au di dealer.
- The a irbag system can deploy on ly once. Af­
ter an airbag h as been deployed, i t m ust be
repla ced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approved espec ia lly for your
Audi model version . Replacement of com­
plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be perfo rmed by qua lified workshops
only. Make su re that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your A udi Warranty
&
Ma intenance boo klet under AIRBAG RE-
PLAC EM EN T RECORD.
~

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:E -For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circ uit interrupt ­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in ­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all app licab le safety precautions
must be followed .
® For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les a nd pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requi rements a nd we recom­
mend t hat you have you r 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
performs in a crash . For example, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicl e, chang ing the s tiffness of the suspens io n,
in clud ing the spr ings, suspens ion str uts, shock
absor bers et c. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic contro l 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 which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the fo rce levels meas ured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­ in g when i t should .
Airbag sys tem
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 suspension components that
do not have the same pe rformance charac­
teristics as the components o rigina lly ins tal­
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations t hat have
not been approved by Audi.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 2 42 Sid e airbag location in t he drive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢ fig . 242 and the rear back­
r es t* facing the doo rs.
The side airbags installed for the front seating
pos itions have bee n des igned and certified to
help reduce the risk of in ju ry that can be caused
by a irbags when they inflate, pa rticu larly when
the oc cupant s itting next to it is not seated prop ­
erly . T he side airbag for the fron t passenger seat
can be used w it h properly installed chi ld re­
straints . Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restra int in a vehicle: Safety belts
c::> page 265,
Airbag system c::> page 273, Child safety
c>page295 .
The side airbag sy stem ba sica lly consi st s of: II>
289

Airbag syste m
-the e lectronic contro l modu le and external side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- two rear side airbags*
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter .
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the air­
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear* passenger 's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
s ide collision . The airbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and on ly wh en the vehicle acceleration reg ­
iste red by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
t o the control unit, the side airbags w ill not be
tr iggered , even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision .
It is not pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
w ill cover every possib le ang le of impact , since
the c ircumstances wi ll vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another . Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, v ehicle
speed, etc.
c::> page 291 , Important safety in­
s tructions on the side airbag sys tem.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help k eep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a side collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather , it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wea ring it properly . Th is is another rea ­
son why you should always wear your safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires you to do
so ¢
page 265 , General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup ­
plemental side a irbag system is des igned to re-
290
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certa in
k inds of acc idents -your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over -sens itive or fa iled airbag activat ion. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nl y once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is tu rned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
-in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front ai rbags, 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 proper seating pos ition
c::> page 291 .
-If the airbag ind icator light c::> page 29
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 i t is not sup­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.

u (0 ...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
:E How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 243 Inflated side airbags on left side of vehicle , rear
side airbag optiona l equipment
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area.
It expands between the
side trim panel and the passenger. In order to help provide this additional protection, the side
airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second
at very high speed and with great force. The sup­
p leme ntal side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
mental side airbag expands. This applies espe­
cially to children~
page 295, Child safety. Sup­
plemental side airbags inflate between the occu­
pant and the door panel on the side of the vehicle
that is struck in certain side collision
~fig. 243.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de­ ploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
-
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or _,.
291