child seat AUDI Q7 2018 Owner´s Manual

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::r ' Airbag System for the front passenger seat from
doing its job in a crash.
The front Ad vanced Airbag System con sists
o f the follo wing :
-Cras h 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 electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
contro l 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 ione rs
shou ld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the d river ins ide the steer ing
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the fron t passenger.
- A capac itive passenger detect ion system under­
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the elect ric al capac ita nce of the
person in the seat. The informat ion registe red
is sent contin uous ly to the e lectron 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 eac h front seat registers the dis ­
tance between the respective seat and the
stee ring wheel or instrument pane l. The infor ­
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Adv a need A irbags .
- The
PA SSENG ER AIR BAG OFF~; ON @ light
comes on in the headliner
c:> page 281,
fig . 236 and tells you the status of the Ad ­
vanced Airbag o n the passenge r side .
- A sensor i n the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whethe r that safety belt is latched or not and
t ransm its this info rmat io n to the elect ronic
c ontro l unit.
Airbag syste m
A 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 p revent the
Advanced A irbag System from f unct ion ing
p roperly .
- Repa irs to the front passenger seat must be
pe rformed by qualified a nd p roperly tra ined
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger sea t.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat o r disconnect w ires from it .
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat . The capacit ive pas­
senger de tec tion mat in the front passenger
seat will not funct ion p roperly if i t is punc­
tured.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenge r seat. S uch ob­
jects ca n infl uence the capaci tance reg is­
t ered by the cap aci tive passenge r detection
sys tem, so that incorrect in forma tion is pro ­
vided to the ai rbag control unit.
- Neve r store i tems unde r the front p assenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat cou ld be dam ­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys ­
tem from wor king p roper 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 Air ­
bag System from recognizing chi ld re­
stra ints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and preven t the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploy ing properly .
- If a seat heater has bee n retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passe nger seat,
neve r ins tall any child restra int system on
t his seat.
- Never use cushions, p illows , blankets, or
sim ila r it ems o n the front passenge r seat .
277

Airbag syste m
The additiona l layers 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 u ch
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 child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the 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
passenger seat .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not come on and s tay on, immedi ate ly
install child restra int in a rear seating posi ­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your 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 wi th
the a irbag ind icator light
m in the inst ru­
ment cluster.
- If liquid is poo led on the seat, bu t has not
soa ked in, this may also keep the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking properly and ca use the
passenge r frontal a irb ag to be enabled
(tu rned on), even though there is a properly
278
installed child restraint 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,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light will
turn off.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced A irbag System and the side
airbags supp lement the protection offered by the
front t hree-point safety belts 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 electronic contro l
u nit . Crash seve rity depe nds on speed and decel­
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the cras h.
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt
use, the front passenge r frontal a irbag will be
turned off if t he e lectr ica l capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenge r detection system o n
t h e fron t pa ssenger sea t is less th an the amou nt
prog rammed in t he e lec tronic contro 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 chi ld 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 a nd stays on to tell you when the front
Advanced Airbag System on the passenge r side
has been tu rned off<=?
page 281.
,&_ WARNING
T o reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in ­
flates, always wear safety belts prope rly.
- If you are unres trained, leaning forward, si t­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your r isk of injury is much highe r.
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:E - -Yo u will also receive serious injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
9 page 269 .
More important things to know about front
airbags
F ig. 235 Inf lated fro nt a irbags
0 0 M
-.:,
~
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold prope rly and provide sup·
p lemental pro tection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide add i­
tional protect ion for the chest and face of the
d river 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 proper ly ad-
justed
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
g reat fo rce, things you have on your lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in·
flates .
W hen 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 ­
p lemental a irbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other injuries,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra-
Airbag system
s ions, 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 ­
po int safety belts only in some frontal collisions
in which the vehicle dece leration is high enough
to dep loy the airbags .
Front airbags will not depl oy :
- if the ignition is switche d off when a crash oc-
curs
- in side co llisions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollovers
- when the crash decele ration measured by the
airbag system is less than the m inimum thresh­
old needed for airbag dep loyment as registe red
by the electronic con trol un it
The front passenger airbag also w ill not
deploy:
- when the fron t passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the e lectr ica l capacitance measured by
the capacit ive passenger detection system for
t he front passenge r seat ind icates that the pas­
senger side frontal airbag must be switched off
by the e lectronic control unit (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF~;
light 9 page 281 comes on
and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the r isk 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 located.
- 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 with g reat
for ce in the blink of an eye
r=> page 2 70.
A WARNING
A child in a re arward-fa cing child safety seat
i nsta lled on the front passenger seat will be
seriously in jured and can be ki lled if the front .,,.
279

Airbag syste m
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-fac ing 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, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your a uthorized Audi dea ler.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag w ill in ­
crease the risk of inj ury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfo lds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the a irbag 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 brak ing or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause 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, sea t backrests or between
those areas and yoursel f. 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 o r the front a ir­
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
280
-
pro jecti les and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined.
- Never p lace 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 pe rson on the seat
is heavie r than he or she act ually is . The
change in elec tric capa citan ce beca use of
such o bje cts can c ause the p assenge r 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
wo rked without objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenge r seat that will cause the
capacitive passenge r detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occup ied by a person when it is
not , or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person act ually
sitt ing on the seat. The presence of an ob­
ject could ca use the passenger front air bag
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 prob lems for people with a
h istory of asthma or other breath ing cond i­
tions .
- To reduce the r isk of breathing p roblems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh a ir 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 m ild
soap and water before eating.
- Be ca refu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them w ith wate r.

Airbag syste m
front seat p assenge r's frontal Ad vanced Airbag.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light:
-will come on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- will come on if t he e lectr ica l capacitance meas ­
u red by the c apac it ive passenger detect ion sys ­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward -facing
or forward-facing chi ld rest raints listed in Fed­
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith
which the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i­
cle was certif ied; For a list ing of the child re­
straints that were used to cert ify your vehicle 's
compliance with t he U .S. Safety Standard
¢ page 293.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as reg istered by the capacitive
passenger detection system .
- T he
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF~; light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on and . ..
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, o r
-a rearward-fac ing ch ild restrai nt has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal­
l ed on the front passenger seat,
- and if the electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the comb ined capac itance of a typical 1 year­
o ld infant a nd one of t he rearward-fac ing o r
fo rwa rd -fa cing ch ild restrain ts lis ted in Federal
Motor Ve hicle Safety Standard 208 with w hich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified .
I f t he fron t passenger sea t is no t occ upied, the
fron t ai rbag w ill not dep loy, and the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
"1 ; lig ht wi ll stay on.
Neve r install a rearward-fac ing ch ild rest rai nt on
t he fro nt passenge r sea t, the safest p lace for a
chi ld in any k ind of chi ld restraint is at one of t he
seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 2 70,
Child restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know
and ¢ page 291, Child safe ­
ty .
282
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
comes on . ..
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light comes
on when one of the condit ions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to make
certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF~;
light stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition
i s on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not appear on and does not stay on all the
t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turn ing the ignit ion
off for more than 4 seconds and then tur ning it
on again;
- remove and re install the ch ild restraint . Make
sure that the child restra int is prope rly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senge r sea t has bee n correct ly rou ted th rough
t he ch ild restraint as desc ribed in the c hild r e­
straint man ufacturer's instructions;
- ma ke sure that t he convert ible loc king re tra c­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt has been pu lled tight .
- make sure that no e lectrica l device (s uch as a
laptop , CD p layer , e lectronic games d evice,
power inverte r or seat heater for chi ld seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the c igarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retro­
fitted or otherw ise added to the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that noth ing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob­
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light still
does not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light still
does not come on and does not stay on cont in u­
ous ly (when the ign ition is switched on),
- take the child restra in t off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear ..,.

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::r ' 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.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
should NOT come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light should
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an
adu lt 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 her back up aga inst the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
ho ld ing on to the passenger assist handle
above t he front passenger door o r supporting
the ir we ight on the arm rest,
- the safety be lt is be ing properly wo rn and that
the re is not a lot of slack i n the safe ty belt web­
bing,
- the re are no aftermar ket seat covers or cush­
ions or other things (s uch as blankets) on the
front passenge r seat tha t migh t cau se the ca ­
pacit ive 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 sma ll is sitting on the front passenger
Airbag syste m
seat a fter tak ing 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 passenge r seat.
A WARNING
-
An a irbag system that is not functioning prop­
e rly cannot prov ide supplemental prote ct ion
i n a front al cra sh.
- I f the ai rbag ind icator light
~page 25
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspe cted immedia tely 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 WARNING
,= -
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rea rward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be serious ly 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 sea t prop­
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize.
- Always install fo rwa rd or rea r-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat - even with an
Advan ced Airb ag Sys tem.
- I f you must install a rea rwa rd-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
c a use of ex cep tional cir cums tan ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; light does not
appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seat ing
position and have the a irbag system in­
spected by your authorized Aud i dea ler.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward- facing child restraint on
the front passenge r seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justmen t range, as far away
from the a irbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position.
283

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:E ' -For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit 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 applicable safety precautions
must be followed .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate 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
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash . For example, using tire-rim
combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic 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 kinds of changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should .
Airbag system
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 performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Side airbags
· Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 237 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests ¢
fig. 23 7 and the rear back­
rest* facing the doors.
The side airbags installed for the front seating
pos itions have been des igned and certified to
help reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
the occupant s itting next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used w ith proper ly installed chi ld re­
straints . Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts¢
page 261,
Airbag system ¢ page 269, Child safety
r:=> page 291.
The side airbag system basically consists of: .,..
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: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. 238 In fla ted sid e airbags o n le ft s id e of vehicle , rea r
side a irbag op tional 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
plemental 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 291, 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. 238.
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.
_&. 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 .,.
287

Airb ag syste m
by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupho lders, 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 w ith 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 author ized
Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side a irbag mod ule m ust always
be repa ired immed iate ly by an authorized
Audi dealer .
-If children are seated imp roperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
¢ page 291, Child safety.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side a irbags w il l not func­
t ion properly if sensors cannot correct ly
measure increasing air pressure ins ide the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with inter ior door tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and the
open ings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed.
288
- 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 Aud i dea ler or qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbags can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 239 S id e curt ain airbags, driver's side: locatio n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior
above the front and rear side win­
dows
¢ fig. 239.
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or part ially ejected from the vehicle
i nterior i n certa in side impacts and veh icle roll­
overs .
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 in a
s ide collision . The side curtain airbag inflates in
s ide impacts and on ly when the veh icle accelera­
tion registered by the control unit is high enough. If this rate is be low the reference va lue
programmed into the contro l unit, the side cur ­
tain airbag will not be triggered, even though the car may be badly damaged as a result of the ..,.

Airbag syste m
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supp le­
mental side curtain airbag inf lates . This applies
especia lly to children
c::> page 291.
A lthough they are not a soft pi llow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may deve lop when the airbag deploys .
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
f ire in the veh icle .
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain 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 do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supplemental protect ion.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating posit ions increase the risk of serious
personal inju ry and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of the ir
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
ta in a irbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate witho ut interference.
- Use the built- in coat hooks on ly for light­
weight cloth ing. Neve r leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets th at may
interfere w ith airbag deployment and can
ca use personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hoo ks.
- Only use factory-installed s un shades or, if
shades installed after the veh icle leaves the
factory, use only genuine Audi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun viso rs ove r to the side
windows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at­
tached to the sun visors. They could come
290
loose and cause serious injury if the side cu r­
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fraction of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a side curtain airbag .
- The airbag deployment zones must be kept clear at all times. Make s ure there are no
objects, pets, or othe r persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any time.
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors.
A WARNING
- The a irbag system can deploy on ly once. If
the airbag has been triggered, the system
m ust be replaced by an authorized A udi
deale r or qualified workshop .
- Always have work invo lv ing the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installat ion of
the airbag components, or other repairs
pe rformed by a q ualified dealership. Other­
w ise the airbag system may not work cor­
rectly.
- Never attempt to mod ify a ny components of
the airbag system in any way.