warning light AUDI RS5 COUPE 2015 Workshop Manual

Airbag syste m
-a small adu lt or teenager is on the front pas ­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitting upright with
their back against a non -reclined backrest with
their feet on the vehicle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
Standard req uires the airbag to meet the " low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag .
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined in the electron ic control unit.¢ page
138
Alw ays re member: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat . Please be sure to read the important infor ­
mat ion in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARNINGS.
_& WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in­
fla tes, always wear safety belts proper ly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning fo rward, s it­
t ing s ideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher .
- You w ill also receive serious inju ries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag ¢ page
128.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates - even w ith an Advanced Airbag
System.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward -facing child re­
straint has been installed on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran­
tee that deployment is impossible in al l con­
ceivable s ituations that may happen dur ing
the usef ul life o f your vehicle .
- The inflating a irbag w il l hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier wi th great force and
134
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld re­
straints in the back seat.
- If you must insta ll a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your au thorized Aud i dealer .
_& WARNING
If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must in­
stall a forwa rd-facing child restra int on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always ma ke sure the forward-facing sea t
has been des igned and certif ied by its man ­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never p ut the fo rward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan ­
el.
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as poss ible, before insta lling the for­
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upr ight position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ign it ion is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot
of ve ry impo rtant parts of the Advanced A irbag
System in it. These pa rts include the we ight ­
sensing mat, senso rs, w iring, bracke ts, and more.
The function of the system in the front passenge r
seat is checked by the e lectronic control unit
when the ignition is on. The control unit mon itors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag i ndicator light on when a malfunct io n in the sys­
tem components is detected. The function of the
a irbag indicator light is described in greate r

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detail below . Because the front passenger seat
contains important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System, yo u must take care to prevent it from be­
ing damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent
the Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat
from do ing its job in a crash .
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sis ts
of the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure veh icle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors . T he control un it also "de­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
sho uld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve inside the instrument panel for
t h e front passenger.
- A weig ht-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that meas ures the tota l weight on the seat. The
information registered is sent contin uous ly to
the electronic control unit to regulate deploy­
ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the pas­
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
¢ page 138.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respect ive seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation registered is sent cont inuously to the
elect ron ic cont ro l unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the i nstrument
pane l¢
page 138, fig . 134 and tells you when
the front Advanced Ai rbag on the passenger
side has been turned
off .
-A sensor below the safety belt la tch fo r the
front seat passenge r to measure the tension on
Airbag syste m
the sa fe ty belt. The tens ion on the safety be lt
and the weight registered by the weight -sens­
ing mat he lp the control unit "decide" whether
the front a irbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not¢ page 129, Child
restraints on the front seat- some important
things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transm its this informat ion to the elect ro nic
cont ro l unit.
A WARNING
D amage to the fron t passenger seat can pre­
vent the fron t air bag from working prope rly.
- Imp roper repai r or d isassembly of the front
passenger and driver sea t will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly .
- Repairs to the front passenge r seat must be
performed by qualified and p roperly trained
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 d isassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sh arp objects in yo ur po ckets or
p la ce them on t he seat.
If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work properly .
- Never carry things on yo ur lap or carry ob ­
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase the we ight registe red by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­
formation to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking prope rly.
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
p roved by Aud i on the front seats.
- Seat cove rs can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag Sys tem from recogniz ing child
1 3 5

Airbag system
restraints or occupants on the front passen­
ger seat and prevent the side airbag in the
seat backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accu­ rately registering 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 or something else to
properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head re­
straints to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to
read the important information about safety and
heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt
use, the airbag will be turned off if the weight on
the passenger seat is less than the amount pro­
grammed in the electronic control unit . The front
136
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the child safety seats that has been
certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 129, Child restraints on the front seat ­
some important things to know .
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You
will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
r::!;>page 128.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 133 Inflated front airbags
-,... N 0 :i: ;;i;
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
airbags can unfold properly and provide supple­
mental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tiona l protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag, .,._

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-and the head restraints have been p roperly ad -
justed.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye w ith
great force, things you have on yo ur lap o r have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous p ro­
jectiles, and be pushed into yo u if the airbag in­
flates.
When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they dep loy. It
could irr itate skin.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup ­
p lemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious in juries, other injur ies,
for example swell ing, bruising and minor abra­
sions, can also happen when a irbags inf late. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags o nly supplement the
three point safety belts in some frontal col lisions
i n which the veh icle deceleration is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
F ront airbags will not deploy:
- if the ign it io n is switched off when a crash oc -
curs,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in ro llovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the airbag system is less than the minimum thresh ­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control un it.
Th e front pa ssenger airbag will al so not
depl oy:
-when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as
sensed by the Advanced Airbag System indi­
cates that the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has to be turned off by the electronic con­
trol unit (the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of se rious injury in crashes .
Airbag syste m
- To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright pos ition, must not
lean aga inst 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 position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
in ju red by an a irbag as it unfo lds with great
for ce in the blink of an eye
Q page 129.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety sea t
i nsta lled on the front passenger seat w ill be
se riously inju red and can be killed if the front
a irbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat o r infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearwa rd fac ing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of except ional circumstances and the
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating posi tion and have the airbag system
inspected by your authori zed Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfe r­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be ­
ing p ushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never hold things in yo ur hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transpo rt items on or in the a rea of
the front passenger seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous project iles that can
cause serious persona l injury if the a irbags
inflate.
1 37

Airb ag syst em
-Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These obje cts
could cause injury in a crash, e specially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objec ts . Items can also move into
t h e area of the side airbag or the front air ­
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu·
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The f ine dust created when a irbags dep loy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions .
- To reduce the r isk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other resp iratory con­
ditions should g et fr esh air r ight away by
get ting out of the vehicle o r opening w in ­
dows or door s.
- If you are in a col lision in w hich a irbags de­
p loy, wash your hand s and fa ce wi th mild
soap and water before eating.
- Be caref ul not to get the dus t into you r eyes,
or into any cuts or s cratches.
- If the residue should get into you r eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separa te indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the elec· tronic control unit, sensor circuits and system
w iri ng) is monitored cont inuous ly to make sure
that it is funct ion ing properly whenever the ign i·
138
tion is on . Each time you t urn on the ignit ion, the
fl airbag monitoring indicator light wi ll come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The sy stem must be inspected when th e II
indicator light :
-does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on t he ignit ion, or
- comes on wh ile driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, t he
i ndic ator light will fi rst s tart flashing to catch the
dr ive r's at ten tion and the n stay on con tinuou sly
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys ­
tem inspected immediately .
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front air ­
bag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignit ion is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supp lemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
c> page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer .
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup·
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 134 Sec tion fro m t he in strument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF ligh t
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is loca ted in
the center of the inst rument panel
c> fig . 134. ..,.

Airbag syste m
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined ¢
page 112, Correct
passenger 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 or supporting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading or impression on the weight-sens ing 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
P ASS ENGER AIR BA G OF F
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PASSE NGER A IR BAG OFF or PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
will briefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster display . Thi s 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 funct ion ing prop ­
erly cannot prov ide supplementa l protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢
page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Aud i dealer.
It is possible that
the a irbag will inflate when it is not s up­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag in flates, a chi ld without a
child restraint, in a rearward-facing child safe­
ty seat or in a forward-facing child restraint
that has not been proper ly 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 yea rs and
140
younger, a lways ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and size.
- Always install forward or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat -even with an
Advanced A irbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-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, immediately insta ll the
rea r-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seating
position and have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authori zed Audi dealer .
- A t ight tether or other s trap on a rea rward­
facing chi ld restraint attached to the front
p assenger sea t can put too much pressure
on the weight-sens ing mat in the seat and
reg ister more weight than is actually on the
seat. The heavier weight registered can make the system work as though an adult
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed caus ing
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the seat into i ts rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and aft ad justmen t range, as fa r away
from the airbag as possib le. The backrest
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASS ENGER AIR BAG OF F light does
not go out when an adult is s itting on the
front passenger seat after tak ing the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
prope rly seated and restra ined at one of the
rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer befo re transpo rting
anyone on t he fro nt passenger seat.

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position in a frontal co llision so that the airbags
can provide supp lemental protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt. Rathe r, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety belt
and wearing it properly. This is why you should al­
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requ ires you to do soc::>
page 120, General in­
formation.
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 yo ur vehicle str ikes or is struck by
anothe r after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
sys tem works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety bel ts correctly.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental knee a irbag sys tem is designed to re­
d uce the likelihood of serious i njur ies, other inj u­
ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising, and mino r
abrasions and friction b urns can a lso occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consist s of:
- T he elec tronic control mod ule
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the dr ive r and one fo r the front
passenge r
- T he airbag ind icator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airb ag system will not deploy:
- when the ign ition is turned off
- in frontal collisions when the dece lerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear -end collisions
- in ro llovers
Ai rb ag system
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
c::>page 19.
A WARNING
-
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c::> page 136.
-If the airbag indicator light c::>page 19
comes w hen the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
Applies to veh icles: w it h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully deployed knee airbags.
F ig . 1 36 Inflated airbags protecting in a frontal collision
T he knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions .
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee airb ags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
t h reshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the a irbags fill with a
propellan t gas, and inf late be tween the lower
part o f the instr ument pane l and the driver and
the lowe r part of the instrument pane l and the
front passenger
c::> page 136, fig. 133.
Although they are not a soft p illow, they can
cus hion the impact and in this way they can help
to reduce the risk of injury to the lower extremi-
ties.
1111>
143

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-the e lectronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides o f the
front backrests
- the a irb ag warning light in the inst rument cl us-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ica lly to
make certa in th at it is func tioning properly at all
times. Each time you t urn on the ign ition, the a ir ­
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide a irbag system supp lements the safety
be lts and c an he lp to reduce the r is k of i njury to
the dr iver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a s ide col ­
lision. The airbag dep loys only in side impacts
and only when the veh icle acce leration registered
by the control unit is high enoug h. If th is rate is
below the refe rence value programmed into the
control un it, the side a irbags will not be t rig­
gered, even though the car may be bad ly dam­
aged as a result of t he coll is ion. It is not poss ible
to define an airbag trigge ring range that will cov­
e r every possib le ang le o f impact , since the c ir­
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between one
collision and another . Important factors include,
for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the im ­
pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 146, Impor tant safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their norma l safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide protect ion.
T he airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­ pant res traint system in your veh icle. Always re­
membe r th at the s ide a irbag system can only
h elp to p rotect you if yo u are wear ing your safety
be lt and wea ring it p roperly . T his is ano th er rea­
son why you s hou ld always wea r yo ur safety
b e lts, no t just because the law req uires you to do
so ¢
page 1 20, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental s ide a irbag sys tem is designed to re­
d uce the likelihood of serious i njuries, other inju-
Airbag syste m
ries, for example, swell ing, bruising, and minor
abrasions can a lso be associated with dep loyed
s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide a irbags w ill de­
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci­
dents -your safety belts are always there to offer
protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessari ly an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some collisions , both front and side airbags may
infla te. Remembe r too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o n ly onc e and on ly in certa in ki nds of co llisions -
yo ur safety belts a re a lways the re to offer p rotec­
t io n in those accidents in wh ich airbags are not
s u pposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is tu rned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas -
ured by the senso r is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollove rs.
In some types of ac cidents the front airbags, side
c ur tain airbags and s ide airbags may be triggered
togethe r.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 146.
- If the airbag ind icator light ¢ page 19
comes when the ve hicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate wh en it is not sup­
posed to, or will not infla te when it shou ld.
145

Airbag system
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 148, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it prope rly. Thi s is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 120, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curta in air bag system is designed to help red uce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and minor abra ­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these a irbags w ill dep loy only
once and only in certa in kinds of acc idents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protect ion.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control modu le and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and rear side w indows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly to
make certain 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).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is turned off,
-in sid e collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
148
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
& WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 53,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicator light¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re ­
strained .
E
Fig. 140 Illustra tion of princ ip le: Inflated side curtain a ir­
bags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i­
cle that is struck in a side collision¢
fig. 140.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate w ithin the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The side curtain airbag cou ld injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
mental s ide curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to children
¢ page 150. .,,.

M N
0:: l­oo ,...., \!) ..,.,
N ..,., ,....,
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to provide supplemental protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate without interference. Un­
suitable accessories fitted inside the expan­
sion range of a head airbag can dangerously interfere with its function. A deploying head
airbag develops enough force to catapult
any piece of add-on component out of its
path of inflation and into the passenger
compartment . An occupant hit by such a
projectile can suffer serious injury or death
¢ page 238, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if you have any objects clipped onto them (for
example pens). If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
Airbag system
-Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be used
¢ page 238, Addi­
tional accessories and parts replacement.
- Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the
side curtain airbags can help provide protec­
tion.
- The airbag system can only be triggered once .
If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Always have work involving the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag components, or other repairs per­
formed by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop. Otherwise the airbag
system may not work correctly.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
149