instrument panel AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET 2015 User Guide

136 Airbag sys te m
- Accident statistics have shown that chi l­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating posit ion.
- For their own safety, all children, espe­
cially 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back properly restrained
for their age and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your veh icle is equipped with a front Advanced
A irbag System in compl iance with Un ited
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety S tandard
208 as applicable a t the t ime yo ur vehicle was
manufactured .
The front Advanced Airbag System supple­ ments the safety belts to provide addit ional
protection fo r the driver's and front passeng­
er 's heads and upper bodies in fronta l crashes.
The airbags inflate only in fronta l impacts
when the vehicle dece leration is high enough .
The front Advanced Airbag System for the
front seat occupants is not a substitute for
your safety be lts. Rather, it is part of the over ­
all occupant restraint system in your vehicle .
A lways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you, if you are s itting up­
right, wear ing you r safety belt and wearing it
properly . This is why you and your passenge rs
must always be properly restra ined, not just
because the law requires you to be .
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle
has been certified to meet the " low r isk" re ­
qu irements for 3 and 6 year-o ld children on
the passenge r side and very small adu lts on
the dr iver side. The low ris k deploymen t crite­
ria are intended to he lp red uce the risk of in ­
ju ry through interaction with the front airbag
that can occur, for example , by being too
close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates.
I n addition, the system has been certif ied to
comp ly w ith the "suppression" requi rements
of the Safety Standard, to turn
off the front
a irbag for infants 12 months old and yo unger
who are restra ined on the front passenger seat in child restrain
ts that are listed in the
Standard
¢ page 154, Child restraints and
Advanced Airbags.
"Suppress ion" requires the fron t airbag on the
passenger side to be turned
off if :
- a child up to about one year of age is re­
s trained on the front p assenger sea t in one
of the rear -fac ing or fo rward -facing infan t
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your veh icle was
cert ified. For a listing of the child restraints
that were used to certify your vehicle's com­
plia nce w ith the US Safety Standard
¢page 154,
-weight less than a thresho ld level stored in
the control unit is detected on the front pas ­
senger seat .
When a person is detected on the front pas­
senger seat, weighing more than the total
we ight of a ch ild that is about
1 year old re­
stra ined in one of the rear-facing o r forward­
facing infant restraints ( listed in Fede ral Mo­
tor Vehicle Sa fety Standa rd 208 w it h which
t h e Advan ced Airbag Sys tem in yo ur vehicle
was certif ied), the front airbag on the passen­
ger side may or may not deploy .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the electro nic contro l unit de tects a to­
ta l we ight on the front passenger seat that re ­
quires the front airbag to be t urned
off . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front a irbag on the passenger
s ide has not been t urned
off by the contro l
unit and ca n dep loy if the control u nit senses
an impact that meets the cond itions stored in
its memory.
If the total weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old, but less than the we ight of a small adult, the
front a irbag on the passenger side may dep loy
(the
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on) .
For example, the airbag may deploy if: ..,_

M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
-a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the c hild is in one of
t h e chi ld safety seats listed
¢ page 154),
-a chi ld who has outgrown child restraints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OF F light in the center
of the instrument pane l w ill come on and stay
on.
The front ai rbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small ad ult or teenager is o n the front pas ­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upright w ith
their back against a non -reclined backrest
with their feet on the vehicle floo r in front
of the seat is on the front passenger seat .
I f the front passenger airbag deploys, the
F ederal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the " low risk" deployment criteria to help re ­
d uce the risk of inj ury through interaction
with the airbag. " Low risk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de­
celerations as defined in the electronic co ntrol
u ni t.
¢ page 141
Always remember: Even tho ugh you r vehicle
is equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest
p lace for children is properly restrained on the
back seat . Please be sure to read the impor ­
tant information i n the sect ions that follow
and be sure to heed a ll of the WARNINGS.
.8, WARNING
To redu ce the risk of injury whe n an airbag
in flates, always wear safety belts prope rly.
- If you are unres trained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of in jury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serio us inju ries and
c ou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
fla tes -even with an Advanced Airbag
Q page 131 .
Airbag system 137
.8, WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be ser iously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced A irbag System .
- Al tho ugh the A dvanced Airbag Sys tem in
your veh icle is designed to tur n off the
fro nt airbag whe n a rea rward-facing
child res tra int has been insta lled on the
front passenger seat, nobody can abso ­
lutely g uarantee that dep loyment is im­
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen dur ing the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- The in flating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and chi ld against the backrest , center
armrest, doo r, or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld re­
straints in the back seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan­
c e s and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
lig ht does not come o n and stay on, im­
media tely insta ll the rear -fa cing ch ild
safety sea t in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
-=
If, in e xceptiona l circumstances, you must
i nstall 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 s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat's fore and
aft ad justment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible, before install ing •
•

138 Airbag sys te m
the forward-facing child restraint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENG ER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a
l ot of very important parts of the Advanced
A irbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sens ing mat , sensors, w iring, brack­
ets, and more. The function of the sys tem in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
e lectronic control unit when the ignition is on .
T he control unit mon itors the Advanced Air ­
bag System and turns the airbag indicator
light on when a malfunction in the system
components is detected . The function of the
a irbag ind icator light is described in greater
deta il be low . Because the front passenge r
seat conta ins important parts of the Ad­
v a nce d Airbag System, you m ust ta ke care to
prevent it from be ing dam aged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airbag System
consis ts o f the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/dece leration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­
bag System about 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 senso rs. The co ntro l
u nit a lso "dec ides " whet he r the safety be lt
pre tensione rs should be a ctivated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the d river inside the s teer­
i ng w hee l hub . -
An Advanced A irbag w ith gas generator and
cont ro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger .
- A we ight -sensing mat under t he up ho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat.
The informat io n registered is sent continu­
ously to the electronic control unit to regu­
late deployment of the front Advanced Air­
bag on the passenger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instr ument cluster
q page 141.
- A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance betwee n the respective seat a nd the
s teer ing whee l o r i nstrument panel. The in­
formation registered is sent cont inuous ly to
t he ele ct ro nic c ontro l uni t to regula te de­
p loyment o f the front Adv anced A irbags .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the cen ter o f the instr u­
ment panel
q page 142, fig. 152 and tells
you when the fron t Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been tu rned off .
- A senso r below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to meas ure t he tension
on t he safety be lt . T he tension on the safety
be lt and the weight registered by the
weight-sens ing mat he lp the control unit
"decide" whether the front airbag for the
front passenger seat should be turned off or no t
q page 132, Child restraints on the
front s eat -some important things to
k now.
- A senso r in the safety be lt latch fo r th e d riv­
er and fo r the front seat passenger tha t
s enses w het he r th at safety bel t is latche d or
no t and transmi ts this information to t he
elect ronic con trol un it.
A_ WARNING
D amage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from work ing
properly.
- Imp roper repai r or d isassembly of the
front passenge r and dr iver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly .
-

M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-Occ upants who are unbelted, out of posi­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye
¢ page 132.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag in flates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w il l hit the child
sa fety sea t or infant carrier w ith g reat
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest , cente r
armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -facing child sa fety
seats on the rear seat .
- If you mus t install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im ­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position a nd
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
authori zed Au di dealer .
A WARNING
Objects betwee n you and t he a irbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a crash by in­
t erfering wi th the way the air bag un folds
or by being pushed into you as the a irbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on
yo ur lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport i tems on or in the area
of the front passenge r seat . Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air­
bags dur ing braking or other s udden ma­
neuver and become dangerous projec­
t il es that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate .
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, te le­
phone brackets, large, heavy or b ulky ob -
-
Airbag system 141
jects) on the doors, ove r o r near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could cause in ju ry in a c rash , es ­
pecia lly when the airbags infla te .
- Never recline the front passenger 's sea t
to transport objects. Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra king or in a
sudden maneuve r. O bje cts ne ar the air­
bags can become projec tiles and cause
in jur y, partic ula rly when the seat is re ­
clined .
A WARNING
The fine dust create d when air bags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ ing cond itions .
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory conditions shou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting o ut o f the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, was h your hands and face with
mild soap and wate r before ea ting.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the resid ue should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
T wo separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag System ( incl uding the
electron ic co ntro l unit , se nsor circu its and sys­
tem wir ing) is mo nitore d continuously to
m ake su re that it i s fu nc tioni ng properly •
•

M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on continuous ly whenever the
i gnit ion is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light does not appear and not stay on all
the t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
routed around the child restraint as descr i­
bed in the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking re­
tractor on the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been act ivated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose o r have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
¢ page 162 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the chi ld 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 the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the we ight-sensing mat to measure
more we ight than is actually on the seat.
If the PA SSEN GER AIR B AG OFF light st ill
do es not come o n
and does not stay on con­
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the chi ld restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions. Have the a irbag system
inspected by your author ized Audi dealer
i mmediately .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat posit io n and
make sure that the child is properly restrain­
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
A irbag system 143
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignitio n is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PAS SENGER
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
¢ page 113, 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 o r support ­
ing thei r weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly wo rn and
tha t the re is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accesso ry sea t covers or cushions o r other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or imp ression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It i s
-
•
•

144 Airbag sys tem
possible that the airba g will inf late when
it is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
A WARNING
If t he front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restra int, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing child re­
straint that has not been properly insta lled
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make c ertain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always instal l forwa rd or rear-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward -fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme ­
diately install the rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r au­
tho riz ed Aud i deale r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
wa rd-facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register mo re weight
than is ac tually on the seat. The heavier
weight registe red can make the system
work as though an adu lt were on the seat
and dep loy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed caus ing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward-facing child re­
st raint on the front passe nger seat, a l­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sit io n in the seat's fo re and aft adjust­
me nt range, as f ar away from the airbag
as possib le. The b ackrest m ust be adjus t­
ed to an upr ight position. Make sure that the
PA
SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the ste ps described above, make su re the
adu lt is prope rly seated and restra ined at
one o f the rea r sea ting pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front p assenger
se at.
(D Tips
If the weig ht-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat de te cts an empty seat, the
front air b ag on the p assenger side wi ll 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 o n your Aud i. Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the veh icle can damage a part of an
airbag system and p revent that system from
working p roperly in a coll is io n.
There are some important t hings you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system w ill not be impaired and that dis­
ca rded components do not cause inju ry or pol­
lute the environmen t.
A WARNING
Imprope r care, serv ic ing and repair p roce­
dur es can increase the risk of personal in ­
ju ry and death by prevent ing an a irbag
from deploying when needed or dep loying
an a irbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct , or change the
steer ing whee l horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or mod ify them
in any way .

M N
er
u..
co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment , cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­ backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace-
Airbag system 145
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version . Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic 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/hazardouswaste/per-
ch lorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend 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 Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi ,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion 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
•
•

146 Airbag system
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
measured by the sensors and prevent the air ­
bag from deploying when it should.
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.
~ 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 a irbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 153 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig. 153, the knee 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 and up­
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
¢ page 140, More important things to
know abou t front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly . This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
r::!;> page 123, General notes. ..,.

"' N
a: LL co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Remember 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 str ikes or is struck by another afte r the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Therefore, always wear your
safety bel ts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental knee a irbag system is des igned
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther in juries , fo r example, swel ling , bruising,
and minor abras io ns and frict ion bu rns ca n al ­
so occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of :
-The elec tronic control mod ule
- T wo inf latab le airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erato r), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- T he airbag ind icator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ign ition is turned off
- in frontal collisions w hen the decelerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers
- in the event of a system malfunct io n (wa rn -
i ng/indicator ligh t is on)
r::!> page 19.
& WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can
only p rov ide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
c::>page 140.
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 19
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
A irba g sy stem 14 7
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is pos­
sib le that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to , or will not inflate
when it should .
How knee airbags work
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re ­
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fi g. 154 In flated a irbags protect ing in a fronta l co lli·
s ion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collisions.
If the front airbags dep loy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal co llisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When the system deploys, the ai rbags fill
with a propellant gas, and inflate between the l ower part of the instrument pane l and the
driver and t he lower part of the instrument
panel and the front passenger
c::> page 140,
fig . 151 .
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
cush io n the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremit ies .
All of th is takes place in the blin k of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
i nfla te with a g reat dea l of fo rce and it is im­
po rtant for occupant safety that no thing
sho uld be in their way when they deploy.
II>-

148 Airbag system
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
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 supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk 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 ad­
justing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant 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/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- T he risk of personal injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing your safety belt. The risk in­
creases even more should the airbag de­
ploy.
-Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter­
fering with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenger seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air­ bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
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 ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
~page 152, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 155 Sid e airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests¢
fig. 155. They are iden­
tified by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic contro l module and external
side impact sensors ..,.