AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2015 Owners Manual

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How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three -point safety be lts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restra ints* to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of acc ident and
crash situat ions. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS i n this chap ter.
Dep loyment of the Advanced Airbag System
and the activat ion of the safety be lt pre ten­
sioners depend on the dece lerat ion meas ured
by the c rash senso rs and registered by the
e lectronic control u nit. Cr ash severity depends
on speed and dece leration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash.
On the passenge r side, reg ard less of safety
be lt use, the fron t passenger fronta l airbag
will be t urned off i f the electrical capacitance
measured by the capac itive passenger detec­
tion system on the front passenger seat is less
than the amount programmed in the e lectron­
ic control unit. The front passenger frontal air­
bag will also be turned off if the capac itance
measured by the system for the front passen­
ge r seat equa ls that of an infant of about one
year of age in one of the child seats that was
used to cert ify the Advanced Airbag Sys tem
u nder Fede ral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 . The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on to tell you when t he
front Advanced Airbag System on the passen­
ger s ide has been turned off
r:=:, page 152.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inf lates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, yo ur r isk of inj ury is much hig he r.
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
cou ld eve n be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in-
A irba g sy stem 149
flates -even w it h an Advanced A irbag
c=:, page 139.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fi g. 16 1 In flated front airbags
Safety be lts are important to he lp keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position
so that airbags can unfold properly and pro­
vide supplementa l protect ion in a frontal col­
li s ion.
The front airbags are des igned to provide ad­
ditional protection for the chest and face of
the driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn proper ly,
- t he seats have been positioned so that the
occupant is properly seated as far as poss i­
ble from the airbag,
- and for ad justab le head restra ints: the head
restraints have been properly adj usted .
Bec ause airbags infl ate in the bli nk of an eye
wi th great force, th ings you have on your lap
o r have p laced on the seat co uld become dan ­
gerous projectiles, and be p ushed into you if
the a irbag inf lates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re le ased.
This is norma l and is not caused by a fi re in
the ve hicle . This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy. It could irr itate skin.
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other
i njur ies, for example swelling, bruis ing and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air-
bags inflate. A irbags do not protect the arms .,_

150 Airbag sys te m
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags
supp lement the three-point safety belts only
in some frontal collisions in which the vehicle
dece leration is high enough to deploy the air­
bags.
F ront airbag s will not d eplo y:
-if the ignition is switched off when a crash
occurs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in ro llovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by
the a irbag system is less than the minimum
t h reshold needed for airbag deployment as
registered by the electron ic control uni t.
The f ront pas senger airbag also will not
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu­
pied,
- when the electrical capac itance measured by
the capacitive passenger detect io n sys tem
for the front passenger seat indicates that
the passenger side fronta l airbag must be
switched off by the e lectronic control unit
(the
PA SSENGER AIR BA G OFF light
c> page 152 and how they work comes on
and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against or place any part
of the ir body too close to the area where
the a irbags are located.
- Occupants who a re unbelted, out of posi­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it un folds
with great force in the blin k of an eye
i=>page
141.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat in­
stalled on the front passenger seat will be
-
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even w ith an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild seat
or infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild seats on
the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child seat on the front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immed i­
ately insta ll the rear-facing child seat in a
rea r seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by yo ur Audi dealer.
A WARNING
c'-----
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the r isk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering 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 veh icle is in use.
-
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air­ bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangero us projec­
tiles that can cause ser ious perso nal in­
jury if the a irbags inflate.
- Never p lace or attach accesso ries o r oth­
er objects (such as cup holders, te le­
p hone bra ckets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, over o r near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering whee l,
instr ument panel, seat bac krests o r be­
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could ca use in jury in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects. Items can a lso
move into the a rea of the s ide airbag or
the front airbag during braking or in a

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sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re­
cl ined .
- Never place or transport objects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the
front passenger seat could cause the ca­
pacitive sensor in the seat to s ignal to
airbag system that the seat is occupied
by a person whe n it in fact is not, o r that
the person on the sea t is heavier than he
o r she actually is. The change in electric
capacitance beca use of such objects can
cause the passenger front airbag to be
turned on when it sho uld be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
worked w ithout objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenger seat that will
cause the capacitive passenge r detection
system in the seat to s ignal to the A irbag
System that t he seat is occupied by a
pers on when it is not, or to sign al tha t it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the pe rson actually sitting on the
seat . The presence of an object co uld
cause the passenger front a irbag to be
turned on when it sho uld be off, or co uld
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
wor ked w ithout the object on the seat.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when a irbags dep loy
c an cause b reathing problems for peop le
w ith a his to ry o f asthma o r other brea th­
ing condi tion s.
- T o reduce the r is k of brea thing prob lems,
those w it h a sthma or o ther resp iratory
condit ions should ge t fresh a ir right
away by getting out of the vehicle o r
opening windows or doo rs .
- If you are in a coll is ion in which a irb ags
deploy, wash yo ur hands and face with
mild soap and water befo re eating.
A irbag system 15 1
-Be ca reful not to get the d ust into your
eyes, or into any c uts o r scratches.
- If the resi due should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two seporate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Ai rbag System (incl uding the
electronic control unit, sensor circu its and sys­
tem wir ing) is mo nitored continuously to
make sure that it is funct io ni ng properly
whenever the ignition is on. Each time you
switch on the ignition, the airbag monitor ing
i ndica to r li ght
fl will come on for a few sec­
onds (self diagnos tics).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
ffl:
- does not come on when the ignition is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have sw itched on the ignit io n, or
- comes on whil e driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator lig ht w ill first sta rt flash ing to
catch the driver's attent io n and then stay on
continuously to serve as a co nstant rem inder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front
airbag on the passenger s ide off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay
o n wheneve r th e ignit io n is on.
A WARNING
An ai rbag system t hat is not functioning
p roperly cannot p rovi de sup plemental pro-
-
tec tion in a frontal c rash . .,..
•
•

152 Airbag system
-If the air bag indicator light ¢ page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your autho rized Aud i dea ler . It is pos­
s ible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 162 Sect ion from t he in st rument pa nel : PASS EN­
GER AIR BAG O FF ligh t
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the cen ter o f the instr ument panel
¢ fig . 162.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on an d stay on to te ll you when the fron t Ad ­
v a nce d Airb ag on t he passenger side h as been
turned off by the e lectronic control unit . If the
b ul b for the
PASSENGER A IR BAG O FF light
burns o ut, the airbag ind icator light
II wi ll
come on to signal a malfunction in the Ad­
vanced A irbag System . Although the burned­
out bulb w ill not change the way the front
passenger's frontal airbag works, it w ill no
longer be possib le to use the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light to make sure that the ai rbag
on/off s tat us is correct for the occupant on
the front passenger seat. Have the airba g sys­
tem i nspected immediate ly by your autho r­
ized A udi dealer.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 se cond s when :
-the ignit ion is switched on and
- the capac itive passenger detect ion system,
wh ich sw itches the front seat passenger 's
fron tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a change in the status of the front passen
­
ger seat.
As soon as the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li gh t stops b linking, a lways make sure tha t
the airbag s tatus (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is proper for
the age, size and e lectrica l capacitance of the
person occupy ing the front passenge r seat.
Always make sure that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat is properly fastened .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will
show the status of the front seat passenger 's
frontal Advanced Airbag a few seconds after
the ignition is sw itched on and the airbag in ­
dicator light go es off . The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light :
-will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occ upied;
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger de­
tect ion system for the front passenger seat
equa ls the combined capacitance of an in­
hnt up to abou t one year of age and one of
the rearw ard-facing o r forward-fac ing ch ild
restrai nts listed i n Fede ral Motor Vehicle
Safety Stan dard 2 08 wi th which the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified; For a listing of the child restraints
that we re used to certify your vehicle's com ­
pliance w ith the U.S. Safety Standard
¢ page 167.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the ca­
pacitive passenger detection system .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on
and ...
- a car bed has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing ch ild restra int has been in ­
stalled on the front passenger seat,
- and if the electrical capacitance registered
on t he front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined capaci tance of a typ-
ical 1 year-o ld i nfant and one of the
1111>

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rearward-facing or forward-facing chi ld re­
straints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safe­
ty Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certif ied.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OF F light w ill stay on. Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at o ne
of the seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 141, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 165, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on when one of the cond itions l isted above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light stays on continuo usly whenever the
ignition is on.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off for more than 4 seconds and then turn­ ing it on again;
- remove and reinstall the chi ld 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 through the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint manufactu rer's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convert ible locking re­
t ractor on t he safety be lt for the front pas­
senger seat has been act ivate d and that the
sa fety belt has been pulled tight .
- make su re that no electr ica l device (such as
a laptop, CD player, elect ro nic games devi ce,
power inverter or seat heater for chi ld seats)
is p laced or used on the front passenge r
seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the c igarette lighter socket;
A irbag system 153
- make sure that no seat heater has been ret­
rofitted o r otherwise added to the front pas ­
senge r seat;
- make sure that nothing can interfere with
the safety belt buck les and that they are not
obstructed;
- make sure t hat there are no wet objects
(s uch as a wet towe l) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still
do es not c ome on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on and does not stay on con­
ti nu ously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen -
ger seat and install it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immed iate ly.
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure that the c hild is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age.
Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG light should
NOT come on .. .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignit io n is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating posit ion on
the front passenge r seat. If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on o r
fla shes for about S seconds wh ile d riving, un ­
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenge r seat is
p rope rly seated on the ce nte r of the sea t
cushion with his or her back u p ag ainst the
backrest and the backrest is not re clined,
- t he adult i s not tak ing we ight off the sea t by
holding on to the passenger assis t handle
above the fron t passenger door or s upport ­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the sa fe ty belt is being proper ly wo rn and
that the re is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- t here are no aftermar ket seat covers o r
cushions or other things (s uch as blankets)
on the front passenger seat that might
cause the capacitive passenger detect ion
•
•

154 Airbag sys te m
system to miscalcu late electrical capac i­
tance .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
.8_ WARNING
-If the s tatus of the Adv a need A irbag Sys­
tem has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGE R AI R BAG OFF
light blinks for about 5 seconds to catch
the driver's attent ion. If this happens, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the steps described above.
- If the
PASSEN GER AI R BAG OFF light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is sitting on the front passen­ ger seat after taking the steps descr ibed
above, make sure the adult is properly
sea ted and rest rained at one of the rear
sea ting pos it ions. Have the a irbag sys­
tem inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on the
front passenger seat.
.8_ WARNING
An air bag system that is not funct io ning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢
page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your authorized Aud i dea ler. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not i nflate
w hen it should.
.8_ WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a c hild witho ut
a child restra int, or in a rearw ard-fa cing
child sa fe ty seat, or in a forward- facing
child restrain t that has not been properly
installed will be serious ly inj ured and can
be killed.
- Even though your vehi cle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12 years and younger, always
ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always install forward or rear-facing
child seats on the rear seat -even with
an Advanced A irbag System .
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptional circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and stay on, immediate­ ly install the rear-facing child seat in a
rea r seat ing pos ition and h ave the airb ag
sys tem inspec ted by yo ur Audi dealer.
- If , in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust ins tall a forwar d-fac ing ch ild re­
s t raint on the front passenger seat, al ­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
eve r the ignit ion is switched on .
.8_ WARNING
-
- I f the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an ad ult is sit ting
on the front passenger se at aft er taking
the steps described above, make sure the
a dul t is prope rly seate d and restrained at
one of the rea r seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dea le r before t ransporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capac itive passenger detec tion sys­
tem determines that the front passenger
seat is empty, the fronta l airbag on the
passenger side will be t urned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay
on.

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Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag sys tem are installed at
many different pla ces on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part o f 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 will not be impaired and that dis ­
carded components do not cause injury or po l­
lute the env ironment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploy ing when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpected ly:
- Never cover, obstr uct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
o r the instr ument pane l or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
su rfaces covering the airbag uni ts .
- For cleaning the ho rn pad or ins trumen t
pane l, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened w ith plain water . Solvents or
cleaners co uld 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 stee ring wheel, instru­
ment pane l, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of aud io
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessa ry.
- For any wor k on the ai rbag system, we
st rongly recommend that you see you r
au thori zed Aud i dealer o r qualified wo rk­
s hop.
A irbag system 15 5
-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 upholste ry over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags
i nfla te.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to the seam in the area of the si de a ir­
bag module mus t always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy on ly once.
After an ai rbag has been deployed, it
m ust be replaced with new replacement
parts des igned and app roved espec ially
for your Aud i model version. Replace­
ment of complete airbag systems or air­
bag components must be performed by
qua lified workshops only . Make sure that
any airbag servi ce action is ente red in
your Aud i Warran ty
& M aintenance book­
le t under
AIRBAG REP LAC EMENT RE­
CORD .
-For safety re aso ns in severe a cci den ts,
the alte rnator and starter a re sepa rated
from the veh icle battery with a pyrotech­
nic circuit inte rrupte r.
- Work on the pyrotechnic ci rcuit inte r­
r upter m ust only be pe rformed by a
qualified te chnicians who have t he ex­
per ien ce, info rmation an d speci al tool s
ne cessary to perform the work sa fely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upter
i s scr apped, all applicable saf ety pre­
cautions must be fo llowe d.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and p reten­
sione rs might be classified as Per chlorate
Ma teri al - specia l h and ling may apply, see
•
•

156 Airbag system
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familiar with these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you.
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 exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­ ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should.
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.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 163 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig. 163, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees 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 149, More important things to
know about 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
¢ page 130 , General notes. ..,.

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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 wo rks 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 in flates.
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 switc hed 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 18.
& 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 149.
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
A irba g sy stem 15 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: with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re ­
duced by fully inflated knee airbags.
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Fi g. 164 In flated a irbags protect ing in a fronta l coll i·
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 fronta l collisions when the de­
ployment th resho ld 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 149,
fig . 161 .
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in t his way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremit ies .
A ll of th is takes place in the blink o f 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 i t is im­
po rtant for occupant safety t hat nothing
sho uld be in their way whe n they deploy. ..,.

158 Airbag system
Fully inflated airbags in combination w ith
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's fo rward 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 supplemen tal res traints. 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 irbags 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 165, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 165 Sid e air bag locat io n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢ fig . 165 and the rear
backrest facing the doors. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the fron t seating
positions have been designed and certified to
help reduce the risk of injury that can be .,_