instrument panel AUDI R8 SPYDER 2015 User Guide

..... N
r-­N "': ..... \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 .....
also not inflate in side or rear co llisions, or in roll­
overs .
Alwa ys rememb er: Airbag s wi ll deploy on ly once,
and on ly in cer tain kinds of collisions. Your safety
b e lts a re a lways there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most
effectively when used w ith the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
c::>page 95.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing whee l or in­
st rument panel will decrease the effect ive­
ness of the airbags and will in cr ease the risk
o f persona l injury in a coll is ion .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches ( 25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit mo re than 10 in ches
( 2 5 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi­
gate whethe r adaptive equipmen t may be
available to help yo u reach the peda ls and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward, sit­
ting s ideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of in jury is much higher.
- Yo u will also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inf lates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
i=> page 98, Safety belts.
- Never let children ride unrestrained or im­
properly restrained in the veh icle. Adjust the
front seats properly. If ch ildren are not
properly restrained, they may be severely in­
jured or killed when an airbag inflates .
- Never r ide with the backrest recl ined .
- Always s it as far as possib le from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
-
Airbag syste m
c::> page 87, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions.
- Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent ser ious injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- 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 du ring bra king or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become p rojectiles and cause in ju ry when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irb ags th at have deployed i n a crash mus t be
r eplaced.
- Use on ly orig inal equipment airbags ap­
p roved by Aud i and installed by a tr ained
technician who has the necessary too ls and
diagnostic equipment to properly rep lace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assu re system
effectiveness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know
"' Be sure to read the important information and
head the WARNINGS for important details
about c hildren and Advanced Airbags
c::>page 122.
The airbag on the passenger s ide makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous p lace for a child to
r ide. The front seat is not the safest p lace for a
c hi ld in a forwa rd-fac ing c hild safety seat.
It can
be a ve ry dangero us p lace for an infant or a c hild
in a rearward-facing seat.
T he Adva nced A irbag Sys tem in you r vehicle has
been certified to comply wi th the Requiremen ts
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 as applicable at the time your ve hi-
cle was manufactured. ..,.
103

Airbag system
The Standard requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off ("suppressed") if
a child up to about one year of age restrained in
one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat. For a listing
of the child restraints that were used to certify
comp liance with the US Safety Standard
¢page 124.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru­
men t panel tells you when the front Advanced
A irbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light w ill come on for a few
seconds and:
- will stay o n if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or ch ild re­
stra int on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat¢
page 112, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight on
the front passenger seat that requires the front
a ir bag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year-old child but
less than the we ight of a small adult, the front
a ir bag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come
on) . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the e lectronic
contro l unit and can deploy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the conditions stor­
ed in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (re-
104
gardless of whether the child is in one o f the
child safety seats listed¢
page 124), or
- a child who has outgrown child restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger ai rbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
instrument panel and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) even if a smal l adult
o r teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting up­
right with their back against a non-reclined back­
rest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat
¢ page 87, Proper seating position for the driver.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of in­
ju ry through interaction with the a irbag. "Low
risk" deployment occurs in those crashes that
take place at lower decelerations as defined in
the electronic control un it
¢page 112, PASSEN­
G£R AIR BAG OFF light.
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carr ier installed on the front seat may be struck
and knocked out of position by the rapidly inflat­
in g passenge r's airbag in a frontal collision . The
a irbag could greatly reduce the effec tiveness of
the child res traint and even seriously injure the
child during inflation.
_&. WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
a ir bag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG

Airb ag syst em
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants .
Fig. 115 Location of driver airbag : in steering whee l
Fig. 116 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the instru­
ment panel
Your vehicle is equ ipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in comp liance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicab le at the time your veh i­
cle was manufactured. The safety belts for the
front seats have "pretensioners" that he lp to take
slack out of the belt system. The pretensioners
are also activated by the electronic control unit
for the airbag system.
The front safety belts a lso have load limiters to
help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steer ing wheel
hub
¢ fig . 115 and the airbag for the front pas ­
senger is in the instrument panel¢
fig. 116. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR­
BAG".
106
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detailed
i nformation about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children .
,&_ WARNING -
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supp lemental p rotection.
- Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn safety belts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety be lts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
prope rly restrained.
,&_ WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small ch ild ren, will rece ive
serious i njur ies and can even be killed by be­
ing too close to the airbag when it inf lates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a sma ll child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that dep loyment un­
der these special condit ions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the "low risk" option under
the U .S. Federal Standard if a chi ld that is
heav ier than the typical one-year old child is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- For its own safety, a child shou ld always r ide
prope rly rest rained for i ts age a nd si ze.
Advanced front airbag system -
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System
in compliance with United States
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 asap­
plicable at the time your vehicle was manufac­
tured.

..... N
r-­N "': ..... \!) ..,.,
N ..,., .....
- An electronic control uni t, with integrated
crash sensors for front an d side impacts. The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based o n the information received from
the cras h sensors . The control un it also "de­
c ides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
should be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger .
- A weight-sens ing mat under the upholstery
padd ing of the front passenger seat cush ion
that measures the total we ight on the seat . The
information registered is se nt cont inuously to
the e lectronic control unit to regulate dep loy­
ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the pas­
se nger side.
- An a irbag monito ring system and indicator
li ght in the inst rumen t cluster
¢page 112.
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the cen ter of t he instrument
pane l
¢page 112, fig . 118 and te lls you when
the front Advanced Ai rbag on the passenger
side has been turned
off .
-A sensor be low the safety belt la tch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on
the safety be lt . The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight-sens­
ing mat help the control unit "dec ide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
shou ld be turned
off or not ¢ page 103, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know.
- 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
t ransmits th is info rmation to the electronic
control unit.
~ WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre ­
vent the front airbag from work ing proper ly .
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly .
Airbag syste m
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
pe rformed by qualified and properly t rained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upho lstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble o r remove parts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in yo ur pockets or
place them on the seat. If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase the we ight registered by the
weight-sens ing mat and send the w rong in­
formation to the a irbag con trol unit .
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Pa rts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking prope rly.
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement up­
hols tery that have not been specifically ap­
p rove d by Aud i on t he front se ats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag Sys tem from recogni zing child re­
s traints or oc cupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent t he side a irbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, b lan kets or
similar items on the front passenger seat .
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from accu­
rately register ing the child restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
- 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 o r some thing else to
p roperly pos ition the c hild restra int , ma ke
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on an d stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat .
109

Airbag syste m
backrest is not reclined ~ page 87, Proper
occupant seating positions,
- the adu lt is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door,
- the safety belt is being properly worn and that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other th ings that may cause an incorrect reading or
impression on the weight-sensing mat under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latch for the front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OF F
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF or PA SSEN­
GER AIR B AG ON
will briefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster display . Th is is to inform the driver
of the current front passenger airbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not function ing prop­
erly cannot prov ide supplemental protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing wrong
with the Advanced Airbag System . It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inflate when it is
not supposed to, or will not inflate when it
sho uld.
- Have the airbag system inspected immedi­
ately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without a
child restraint, in a rearward-facing child safe­
ty seat or in a forward-facing child restraint
that has not been properly installed will be
ser iously injured and can be killed .
- Even though your veh icle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certa in
that all ch ildren, especially 12 years and
114
younger, a lways ride proper ly restrained for
their age and size.
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
appear and stay on have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- A tight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing child restraint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-sens ing mat in the seat and
reg iste r more weight th an is actually on the
seat. The heav ier we ight registered can
make the system work as though an adult
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed ca using
serious or even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forwa rd- facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possib le. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upr ight position.
Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
wheneve r the ign it ion is switched on .
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenge r seat after tak ing the steps
described above, have the airbag system in­
spected by your Audi dealer before trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­ bag on the passenger s ide will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi . Installing, remov­
i ng, se rv ic ing or repair ing a pa rt in an a rea of the ..,_

..... N
r-­N "': ..... \!) ..,.,
N ..,., .....
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system wi ll not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by prevent ing an a irbag from de­
ploying when needed or dep loying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, o r change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument panel or mod ify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or te lephone moun tings to the su rfaces cov­
er ing the airbag units.
- F or cleaning the ho rn pad or instrument
pane l, use only a soft, d ry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners
cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness o r strength of the mater ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repa ir, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All wo rk on the stee ring wheel, inst rument
pane l, front seats or elect rical system (in­
cluding the installation of aud io equipment,
cellu lar telep hones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the train ing and special eq uipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see you r au­
tho rized Aud i dea le r o r qualified workshop.
- Never mod ify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without inte rfe rence:
- N ever install seat covers or replacement
up ho lstery over the front seatbacks that
Airbag syste m
have not been specif ically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorized Aud i dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must
be rep laced by an authorized A udi dealer or
qualified technic ian who has the technical
info rmation, t raining and specia l equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it m ust be replaced w ith new repla cemen t
p ar ts des igned and app roved especially for
your Aud i model version . Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be perfo rmed by qualified wor k­
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv­
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance book let under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starte r are separated from
the vehicle batte ry w ith a pyrotechnic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qua lified
dealer - risk of an acc ident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter 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 Material
-specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
stra int system including airbag modules and
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
a ll applicable laws and regulations must be ..,_
115

Airb ag syst em
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
pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing t ire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the suspension, including the springs, suspension struts, 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 meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it wou ld 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.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's s uspension including
use of unapproved t ire-rim comb inat ions can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in­
crease the risk of ser ious persona l injury in a
crash .
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
te ristics as the components or iginally insta l­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved by A udi.
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the senso rs
in the b uck le to send the wrong information
t o the electron ic contro l modu le and prevent
t he Advanced Airbag System from working
properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfere
with the safety be lt b uckles and that they
are not obstructed.
116
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 119 D river 's airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
u nderneath the steer ing whee l
~fig. 119, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same height in the instrument panel 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 a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
~ page 110 , More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keeping the driver or front passen­ ger in posit ion in a frontal collision so that the
airbags can provide supplemental protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restra int system in your vehicle. A lways re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wea ring it p roperly. This is why you sho uld a l­
ways wear your safety be lt, not just because the
l aw requires yo u to do so¢
page 95, General
notes .
llll-

.... N
l'­
N "1: rl I.O
"' N
"' ....
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
be lts are a lways there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental knee a irbag system is designed to re ­
duce the likelihood of serious injur ies, other inju­
ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising, minor ab ra­
sions and fr iction burns can also occur when an
airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
- The electronic control module
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the contro l unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunct ion (warning/
indicator light is on)
<::.>page 13 .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
<=> page 110.
- If the airbag indicato r light comes on when
the vehicle is being used, have the system
inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer .
Airbag system
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully deployed knee airbags .
Fig. 120 Inflated airbags protecting in a frontal collision
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger deploy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in fronta l collisions when the dep loymen t
threshold stored in the control un it is met .
When the system deploys fill the airbags with a
propellant gas, and inflate between the lower
part of the in str ument panel and the driver and
the lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
<=> page 110, fig. 117.
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 lower ex­
tremities .
All o f this takes place in the b link of an eye, so
fa st that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed . The airbags also inf late
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they dep loy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with proper­
ly worn safety belts s low down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury .
117

Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passenger must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection.
,8. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in­
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im­ proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
- at least 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 forward or to the side, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy .
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference . Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfering
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children or
animals in the footwell in front of the pas­
senger seat .
If the airbag deploys , this can
result in serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
118
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag. Small
objects can be thrown through the vehicle
if the airbag deploys and injure you or your
passengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch­
es or other damage in the area of the instru ­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated .
- If children are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a collision
r::-, page 122, Child Safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants.
Fig . 121 Sid e airb ag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 121 facing the doors .
They are identified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the ele ctronic control module and external sid e
i mpact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
t e r.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air ­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
II>

..... N
r-­N "': ..... \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 .....
Fuse panel @
No. Con sume r
3 Parking system
4 Engine compartment lid release
Diagnostic interface, light switch, indica-
5 tor l ight
P asse nger A ir Bag OFF , selector
lever
6 Networking gateway
7 Right headlight
Automatically d imm ing inside mirror, ga-
8 rage door opener (Homelink), washer
pump relay, power outlets relay
9 Left headlight
1 0
[!] button
11 Pressure sensor,
climate controls
12 Airbag
Fuse panel @
No. Consumer
1 Radiator
fan (1)
2 Rad
iator fan (2)
3 Exterior lighting
4 Exterior lighting
6 Blower regulator
Fuse pan el @
No. Con sumer
1 Rear view camera
2 Tire pressure monitoring system
4
Cell phone package, telephone antenna
amplifier
5 Instrument cluste r
6 Networking gateway
7 Steering column lever
8
Diagnostic
interface, brake pedal switch,
selector lever
9 Rain/light sensor
10 Light switch
1 1 Special functions contro
l modu le
1 5 Sound amplifier
16 Radio
Fu ses a nd bulb s
Fuse panel @
No . Con sumer
3 Auxiliary water pump
5 Supply terminal
15, starter
6 Pump for brake booster
7 Horn
8 Wiper motor
9 Wiper motor
10 Head light washer system
12 Power
outlets and cigarette lighter
Fuse panel ®
No . Con sumer
1 E lectronic Stabilization Program
2 Electronic Stabilization Program
3 Partition window defogger
4 Rear window defogger
5 Power locking system
6 Inter ior lights, washer nozzles
7 Anti-theft a larm system
8 Climate controls
9 Heated seats
10 Lumbar support
11 Control
module for doors
12 Control module fo r doors
Bulbs
Note
Your vehicle is equipped with maintenance -free
headlights and rear lights . Howeve r, if a bulb has
to be changed, please consult your autho rized
Audi dealer or other qualified workshop.
21 1