belt AUDI R8 SPYDER 2012 Owner's Guide

electronic control unit (the PA SS ENGE R 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 risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright posit ion,
must not lean against or place any part
of the ir body too close to the area where
the a irbags are located .
- Occupants 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 blin k of an eye
¢page 111.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child sa fety
sea t insta lled on the front passenger seat
wi ll be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front ai rbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-
-The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest , door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
c ome o n and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat o r infant car­
rier wi th great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof . Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a c rash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
A irbag system 119
or by be ing p ushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold things in you r hands o r on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat . Objects
could move into the a rea of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in ­
jury if t he a irbags inflate .
- Never p lace or attach accessories or oth ­
er objects (such as cup holders, te le­
phone b rac kets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r o r near the area
marked "AIRBAG " on the s teering wheel,
instrument panel, seat bac krests or be­
tween those areas and yo urself. These
objects could cause inju ry in a c rash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects . Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­ bags can become projec tiles a nd cause
in ju ry, partic ula rly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
T he fine dus t created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
wi th a history of as thma or other breath­
ing cond itions.
- T o reduce t he risk of bre ath ing problems,
those wi th asthma o r other respiratory
conditions s hou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing 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 ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the resi due should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
•
•

Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occ upied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PA S­
SENGER A IR BAG OF F
light will stay on. Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat
c:> page 111, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and c:> page 130, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light c omes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PA SS ENG ER AIR BA G
OFF
light stays on cont inuously whenever the
i gn it ion is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight does not appear on and stay on a ll
the t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- r eact ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and re install the child restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety be lt fo r the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
ro uted through the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint man ufacturer's in ­
structions;
- make su re that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety be lt for the front passen ­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
c:> page 138;
- make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen­
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on t he front passenge r seatbac k and
forth;
- If a st rap or tether is being used to tie the
c hild safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make s ure t hat i t is no t so tight tha t it
A irbag system 12 1
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
d oes not come on
and does not stay on con ­
tin uous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child rest ra int off the front passen-
ge r seat and have the a irb ag sys tem inspect ­
ed by yo ur authori zed Aud i dealer . Do not
transport children witho ut a c hil d safety
seat.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht sho uld
NOT come on when the ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
c:> page 92, Proper occupant seating posi ­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing 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 be ing properly worn and
that the re is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accesso ry seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an inco rrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing m at
under t he upho ls tery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger sea t,
- a safety belt extender h as not been left in
t he sa fe ty belt latch for the fron t passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
l igh t in the center of the instrument panel,
t h e message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear
i n the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
•
•

A WARNING
1
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 cup
holders 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
Airbag system 123
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 authori zed 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
t enance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and s tarter are separa ted
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!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped , all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten ­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material - special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc .ca. gov/hazard o u swaste/ per-
ch [orate . When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familiar with these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you.
•
•
•
•

124 Airbag system
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion strut s, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­ple, increase the force levels measured 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 meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not .
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­ er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used.
It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
-Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
· Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system con provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 124 Drive r's airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
~ fig . 124, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees lower
thigh areas as a supplement to the protection
by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
~ page 118, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keeping the driver or front
passenger in position in a frontal collision so ..,.

that the airbags can provide s upplemental
protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety be lt. Rathe r, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your veh icle . Al­
ways remember that the airbag system ca n
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly . This
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
be lt, not just because the law requires you to
do soc::>
page 102, Why safety belts?.
The safety belt buck le for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the air­ bag control module if the safety belt is being
used or not . If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher
r ate of decelera tion than if the belt is not be­
in g used. Therefore, in a par ticular collision , it
is poss ible th at an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remembe r too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are a lways there to offer protec ­
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, for example when your vehi­
cle strikes o r is struck by another after the
fi rst coll is io n.
This is just one of t he reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wea r your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental knee airbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther injuries, fo r example, swel ling, b rui sing,
minor abrasions and friction burn s can also
oc cur when an airbag infl ates.
The knee airbag system basically cons ists
of :
-The elect roni c con trol mod ule
A irba g sy stem 125
- Two in flatable ai rbags (a irbag and gas gen ­
erator), one for the driver and o ne for the
front passenger
- The a irbag i ndicator light in the instr ument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is tu rned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
meas ured by the cont ro l unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/ind icator light is on)
c::> page 14.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection w hen occupa nts
are in the proper seating position
<::>page 118.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the sys tem inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re­
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
F ig. 12 5 Inflated a irbags prot ecting in a frontal coll i­
s io n
-
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the dr iver and fro nt pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collisions .
II>-

126 Airbag sys te m
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
a lso deploy in frontal co llisions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When the system dep loys fill the airbags with
a prope llant gas, and inflate between the low­
er part of the instrument panel and the driver
and the lower part of the instrument panel
and the front passenger
<=> page 118, fig. 122.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cush ion" the impact and in this way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities.
A ll of this takes place i n the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The a irbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and it is im­
portant for occupant safety that noth ing
should be in the ir way when they deploy.
Fu lly inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the r isk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must know and do to help the safety belts and
a ir bags to provide supp lemental protection .
,&. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wear ing sa fety belts inco rrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
just ing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenge r keep their upper bodies and knees at the following m
inimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the stee ring wheel/inst ru­
ment panel.
- at leas t 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if
you lean fo rward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly posi tioned and you are
not wearing yo ur safety belt. The risk in ­
creases even more should the a irbag de­
ploy.
- Always ma ke sure that the knee airbag
can inf late without interference. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can increase
the risk of in jury in an accident by inter­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, espec ia lly children
or anima ls in the footwe ll in front of
the passenger seat. If the a irbag de·
ploys, th is can result in serious or fatal
injur ies.
- No objects of any k ind shou ld be car­
ried in the footwell area in front of the
driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky ob­
jects (shopping bags, for example) can hamper o r prevent proper deployment
of the airbag . Small objects can be
th rown thro ugh the veh icle if the air­
bag deploys and injure yo u or your p as­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air ­
bags are located .
- If child ren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
<=> page 130, Child Safety.

Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants .
Fig. 12 6 Side a irbag locat ion in t he d river 's seat
The s ide a irbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t backrests ¢
fig. 126 facing the
doors. They are identified by the word "AIR­
BAG".
The side airbag sy stem ba sic ally con sis ts of:
- th e e lectronic control module and exter nal
s ide impact senso rs
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the a irbag warning 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 indicato r light will
come on fo r a few seconds (self diagnosti cs) .
The s ide airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the dr iver's and front passenger's up­
pe r torso and head inj uries on the side of the
veh icle tha t is s truck i n a side collision . The
ai rbag dep loys only in side impacts and only
when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the cont rol unit is high e nough . If t his rate is
be low the reference va lue programmed into
the control unit, the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision .
It is not
possible to def ine an a irbag tr igger ing range
A irba g sy stem 12 7
that will cove r every possib le ang le of impact,
since the circumstances wi ll vary cons iderably
between one co llision and another. Important
factors include, for examp le, the nature (hard
or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of i mpact, vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 128, Im ­
portant safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the drive r or front
passenger in position in t he event of a side
collision so that the side airbags ca n provide
protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle . A l­
ways remember that the side airbag system
c an on ly help to pro te ct yo u if you are wearing
your safe ty be lt and wea ring i t properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety be lts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 102, Why safety
belts? .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
supplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru ising,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too ,
s ide a irbags will deploy only once and only in
ce rtain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
a re a lways the re to offer p rotection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even t he lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessa rily a n in d i­
cation of ove r-s ensitive o r failed airbag activa­
t ion. In some col lisio ns, both front and side
airbags may in flate. Remember too, that air­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in ce rtain
k inds of co llisions -yo ur safety belts are a l­
ways the re to offer protection in those acci­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag sy ste m will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the a ccelera tion
meas ured by t he sensor is too low

128 Airbag system
-in front -end collisions
- in rear-end co llisions
- in ro llovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags
and side a irbags may be triggered together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system wi ll
only p rov ide protection when occupants
are in the proper sea ting posit ion
¢page 128.
- If the airbag indicato r light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the vehicle ac­
celeration in a side co llision is high
enough to activate the airbag.
How supplemental side airbags work
-
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re ­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 127 Inflated side air bags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered , the airbag is
fi lled with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
B AG".
It expands between the side t rim panel
and the passenger. In order to help provide
this additiona l protection, the side airbag
must inflate with in 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 sup ­
p lemental side a irbag expands . This appl ies
especia lly to childre n ¢ page 130, Child Safe- ty
. Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
li sion
¢ fig. 12 7.
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 deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
-
An inflat ing s ide a irbag can cause se rious
or fata l injury. Improperly wearing safety
bel ts and imp roper sea ting positions in­
crease the r isk of se rious personal injury
and dea th whenever a vehicle is being
used .
- In order to reduce the risk of in jury w hen
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean aga inst the area whe re the
supplementa l side airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where the s upplementa l
s ide airbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety be lts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of the ir body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the s ide airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence.

130 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The physical princip les of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash app ly also to children
¢ page 104. But unlike adu lts and teenagers,
their muscles and bones are not fully devel­
oped. In many respects children are at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­ ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the United States and provinces of Canada have
l aws requiring the use of approved ch ild re­
straint systems fo r infants and small child ren.
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. T his means the weight of
the child would s uddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions,
only an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in­
jury in an acc ident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your child's size¢
page 133, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important informat ion and WARN INGS
about child safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced A irbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in chi ld re­
straints are on the front passenger seat. Be­
cause o f the large amount of important info r­
mation, we cannot repeat it all here. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this owner
's manual about airbags and the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport ­
ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
.&, WARNING
-
All vehicle occupants and especially chi l­
dren must be restra ined properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child could be in­
jured by strik ing the interior or by being
ejected from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or impact. An unrestra ined or
i mproperly restra ined child is also at great­
er risk of injury or death through contact
with an inflat ing airbag.
.&, WARNING
--Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be seriously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- 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, door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not
come on and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier w ith great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.

A WARNING
-=
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
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 manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upright 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 replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk " re­
quirements for 3- and 6- year-old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system
Child Safety 131
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, a child should al­
ways ride in the seat properly restrained for
its age and size . The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dan­
gerous place for a child to ride. The front seat
is not the safest place for a child in a forward­
facing child safety seat .
It can be a very dan­
gerous place for an infant or a larger child in a
rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re­
straints and for the different models of the
same kind of child restraint offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a
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