light AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2016 Repair Manual

Automatic transmission tiptronic
Introduction
The automat ic transmission is controlled e lec­
tron ically. The transmission upshifts or down­
shifts automatically depending on wh ich drive
p rogram is selected.
When a
moderate driving style is used , the
transmission selects the most economical driving
mode.
It will then change up early and delay the
downshifts to give bette r fu el economy .
The transm iss ion switches to a sporty mode after
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty
driving style
character ized by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
changes in speed and traveling at the maximum
speed.
If desired, the dr iver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) ¢page 105.
In the tiptron ic transmission, power is transfer­
red by a torque converte r.
Selector lever positions
Fig. 113 Display in the instrument cluster : selector lever
position
The selector lever position engaged appears next
to the selector lever as well as in the instrument
cluster display .
P -Park
In th is selector lever pos ition the transm iss ion is
mechanically locked . Engage P only when the ve­
hicle is
completely stopped¢.&. in Driving the
automatic transmission on page 103.
Automatic transmission
T o shift in or out of position P, you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the release button in the selector lever handle
while moving the selector lever to or from P . You
can shift out of this position only with the igni­
tion on .
R - Reverse
Select R only when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed¢ & in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 103.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le of the selector lev­
er
and the brake pedal at the same time.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illumi­
nate when the selector lever is moved into R .
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutra l in this position .
Shift to this position for standing with the brakes
applied
¢ & in Driving the automatic transmis­
sion on page 103 .
When the vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds be low
1 mph (2 km/h) , you must always apply the foot­
brake before and whi le moving the lever out of N.
DIS -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S position, the transmission can be op­
erated either in the normal mode Dor in the
sport mode S. To select the sport mode S, pull
the selec tor lever back briefly. Pulling the leve r
back again will select the normal mode D . The in­
strument cluster display shows the selected driv­
ing mode.
In the normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio. It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and drivin g
style.
Select the sport mode S fo r spo rty driving. The
vehicle makes full use of the engine 's powe r.
Shifting may become noticeable when accelerat­
ing.
When the vehicle is stat ionary or at speeds below
1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply the foot ..,.
101

Automatic transmission
brake before and while moving the lever to D/S
out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS r=':> & in Driv­
ing the automatic transmission on
page 103.
(D Note
Coasting downhill with the transmission in N
and the engine not running will result in dam­
age to the automatic transmission and possi­
bly the catalytic converter.
{!) Tips
- Audi drive select: you can adjust the sporty
shift characteristics in the
Dynamic driv ing
mode .Swill appear in the instrument clus­
ter display instead of D .
- If you accidentally select
N while driving,
take your foot off the accelerator pedal im­
mediately and wa it for the engine to slow
down to idle before selecting D/S .
- If there is a power failure, the selector lever
will not move out of the P posit ion . The
emergency release can be used if this hap­
pens
r=':> poge 106.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
.
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you against
occidentally shifting into o forward or the re­
verse gear and causing the vehicle to move unin­
tentionally.
F ig. 114 Shift gate : selecto r lever lock posit io ns and re ­
l ease bu tton high light ed
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
102
.,. Turn the ignition on .
.,. Step on the brake pedal.
At the some t ime
press and hold the release button on the gear
selector knob
c::> fig. 114 with your thumb until
you have moved the selector lever to the de­ sired position .
Automatic selector lever lock
The sel ector lever is locked in the P and N posi­
tions when the ignition is turned on . You must
press the br ake pedal and the release button to
select another position. As a reminder to the driver, the following warn ing appears in the in­
strument cluster display when the selector is in P
and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while select­
ing gear
The Automatic Shift Lock only functions when the
vehicle is sta tionary or at speeds below 1 mph
(2 km/h) .
At speeds above about 1 mph (2 km/h) the Auto ­
matic Shift Lock is automatically deactivated in
the N position.
A t ime delay element prevents the selector lever
from locking when it is moved through the N po­
sition (going from R to D/S). The locking element
will lock the selector lever if the lever is left in N
(Neutral) for more than approximately 2 second,
without the brake pedal being pressed .
Release button
The release button on the selector lever prevents
the lever from being accidentally shifted into cer­
tain positions . Depending on the direction of the
shift, the selector lever locks at different posi­
tions . The positions are highlighted in the illus ­
tration
<=:> fig . 114.

Driving the automatic transmission
Fig. 115 Shif t gate o n the cente r conso le : selecto r lever
wi th release button
Starting the engine
.. The selector lever must be in P or N.
Starting off
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Press and hold the release button in the selec ­
tor lever handle, select the desired selector lev­
er posit ion such as D/S and release the button .
• Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted
(you w ill feel a slight movement) .
.. Remove your foot from the b rake pedal and ac­
celerate.
Stopping temporarily
.. Keep the vehicle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traffic lights.
.. Do not press the accelerator pedal when doing
this .
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake wh en stop ­
ping on steep inclines¢,& .
.. The parking brake will release au tomatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping/ parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
you open the drive r's door, the vehicle could roll.
The message
Transmission: Car may roll! Shift
to park!
appears .
.. Press and hold the brake pedal until the vehicle
has come to a complete stop .
.. Apply the parking brake¢
page 75 , Parking .
.. Select the P selector lever position ¢ ,& .
Automatic transmission
Stopping on an incline
.. Always press the brake pedal to hold the vehi­
cle in pla ce and prevent it from "ro lling back"
¢ ,& . Do
not try to prevent the vehicle from
"rolling back" when a gear is engaged by in ­
creasing the engine speed ¢CI) .
Starting on an incline
.. Activate the parkin g brake .
.. With the driving gear selected, press the accel­
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake will
releas e automatically if your seat belt is fas­
tened.
Under certain circumstances, such as driving in
the mountains, it may be useful to switch tempo­
rarily to the manual shift program in order to ad­
ju st the gears to the driving conditions by hand
¢ page 105 .
On slopes, activate the parking brake first and
then move the selector lever to the P position .
This prevent s too much stress from being placed
on the locking mechanism.
A WARNING
=
- The vehicle can also roll when the eng ine is
stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se­
rious injury .
- Never leave your veh icle w ith the engine
running while in gear . If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running, ac­
tivate the parking brake and move the selec­
tor lever to P.
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", yo u must
keep your foot on the brake when the en­
gine is running and the selector lever is in D/
5 or R or "tiptronic" mode is selected .
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is running .
- Never shift into R or P whi le driving.
103

Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can man­
ually select gears.
)
Fig. 116 Ce nter conso le: sh ifting the gears man ually
Fig. 117 Stee rin g whee l: Shi ft paddles
Gear selection with selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be selected either with
the vehicle stationary or on the move.
.. Push the selector leve r to the right from D/S.
An M appears in the instrument cluste r display
as soon as the transmiss ion has shifted .
.. To upshift , push the selector lever forward to
the p lus position
0 ~ fig. 116.
.. To downshift, push the lever to the minus posi-
tion
0 -
Gear selection with shift paddles
The shift paddles are activated when the selector
lever is in D/S or the tiptronic manual shift pro­
gram .
.. To upshift , touch the shift padd le on the right
G~fig.111 .
.. To downshift, touch the shift paddle on the left
0-
.. If you do not press a shift padd le within a short
time while in the D/S position, the transmission
will return to automatic mode. To keep shifting
Automatic transmission
using the shift paddles, move the selector lever
to the right out of the D/S position.
When accelerating, the transmission does
not
automatica lly shift to the next gear shortly be­
fore the maximum permitted engine RPM is
reached.
If you have selected a lower gear than the current
one, the automatic transmission will shift down
only when the engine wi ll not be over-revved.
With kick-down, the transmission shifts into a
lower gear depending on speed and engine RPM.
@ Tips
Tiptronic is inoperative when the transmission
i s in the fail-safe mode.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the resistance point, the automat ic transmission
downsh ifts into a lower gear, depending on vehi­
cle speed and engine speed. The upsh ift into the
next higher gear takes place once the maximum
specified engine speed is reached.
& WARNING
Please note that the drive wheels can spin if
kick-down is used on a smooth slippery road -
there is a risk of skidding.
Transmission malfunction
DI Transmission: Press brake pedal and select
gear again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired se­
lector lever position again. You can then continue
driv ing.
DI Transmission overheating: Please drive con­
servatively
T he transmission temperature has increased sig­
nificantly due to the sporty driv ing manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
tu rns to the normal range and the indicator light
switches of.
II>-
105

Parking systems
General information
Applies to: vehicl es with parking system plus/rear view cam­
era/peripheral cameras
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, various
parking aids will help you when parking and ma­
neuvering.
The
parking system plus assists you when park­
ing by audibly and visually indicating objects de­
tected
in front of and behind the vehicle
¢page 108.
The rear view camera shows the area behind the
vehicle in the Infotainment display. This display
assists you when you are cross or parallel parking
¢ page 109. In addition, you are assisted by the
functions from the parking system plus
¢ page 108.
The peripheral cameras assist you with parking
and maneuvering. You are aided by various cam­
e ras depending on the vehicle equipment leve l
¢page 112. In addition, you are assisted by the
functions from the parking system plus
¢page 108.
A WARNING
-Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it directly
as well. The parking system cannot replace
the driver's attention. The driver is always
responsible for safety during parking and
for all other maneuvers.
-
-Please note that some surfaces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system.
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
which people and objects cannot be detect­ ed. Be especially cautious of children and
animals.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The park­
ing systems may become impaired as a re­
sult. Have your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop check their function.
- Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstructions
Parking systems
as it may impair the sensor function. For in­
formation on cleaning, refer to
¢page 193.
(D Note
-Some objects are not detected by the sys­
tem under certain circumstances:
- Objects such as barrier chains, trailer draw
bars, vertical poles or fences
- Objects above the sensors such as wall ex­ tensions
- Objects with specific surfaces or struc­
tures such as chain link fences or powder
snow.
- If you continue driving closer to a low-lying
object, it may disappear from the sensor
range . Note that you will no longer be
warned about this obstacle.
(D Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cover­ age area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or for long grass.
- external ultrasonic sources e.g. from cleaning vehicles.
- heavy rain, snow or thick vehicle exhaust.
- We recommend that you practice parking in
a traffic-free location or parking lot to be­
come familiar with the system. When doing
this, there should be good light and weath­
er conditions.
- You can change the volume and pitch of the
signals as well as the display
¢page 116.
- What appears in the infotainment display is
somewhat time-delayed.
107

Driving sa fe ty
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instruct ions and warn ings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others. We have summar­ ized here what you need to know about safety
be lts, a irbags, child restra ints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1 . Al­
ways observe the i nfo rmation and wa rn ings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information i n this section applies to all
model versions of yo ur vehicle . Some of the fea­
tures descr ibed in t his sections may be s tanda rd
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others . If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in th is
Manual.
It is in your interest and in the in­
te rest of your passengers.
- Always keep the comp lete Owner's Litera­
ture in your A udi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the d river and
passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner 's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
t ions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re­
straint system and work together to help reduce
the risk of injury in a wide variety of occident si t­
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advan ces i n tech­
nology have made a var iety of features avai lab le
to help reduce t he risk of injury in an accident .
118
The following is a list of just a few of the sa fety
features in your Audi :
- sophis tica ted safety be lts fo r dr ive r and all pas-
senge r seat ing pos itions,
- safety belt p retensioners,
- safety belt force lim ite rs fo r th e front seats,
- safety belt he ight adjustment systems for the
front seats,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats*
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags with ejection mitigation
features,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- head rest raints fo r ea ch seating position,
- adj ustab le steering col umn.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to ­
ge ther as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide range of acc idents. These
features canno t wo rk as a sys tem if they are not
alw ays cor rec tly adj usted and cor rect ly used.
Safety is everybody' s re sponsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care­
ful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving alway s:
.. Make sure that a ll lights and signals are operat­
ing correctly.
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outs ide .
.. Sec ure all luggage and othe r items carefully
~page 62, ~ page 60.
.. Ma ke sure that noth ing ca n interfere wi th the
peda ls .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for yo ur height .
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their he ight.

.. Make sure to use the right chi ld restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
~ page 159, Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 52, Gen­
eral information.
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly . Al­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty belts p roperly
¢ page 127.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili­
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve­
h icle and all of its occupants. If you r ability to
d rive is impaired, safety risks for eve rybody in the
vehicle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢A -Therefore :
.. Do not let you rself be dist racted by passengers
or by us ing a cellular te lephone .
.. NEVER dr ive when your dr iv ing ability is im ­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traff ic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense.
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather cond itions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two ho urs at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
s ur e o r when you are st ressed.
_& WARNING
Impaired dr iv ing safety inc reases the risk of
ser ious personal inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
.
Dr iving safety
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
F ig. 141 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the dr iver 's seat to the fo llowing
pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keep ing your knee(s) slightly bent¢&_ .
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contac t wi th it when you dr ive .
.. Adj ust the steer ing wheel so that there is a d is­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering whee l and your breast bone¢
fig. 141.
If not poss ible, see your author ized A udi deal­
ership about adapt ive equipment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. For adjustab le head rest raints: Adjust the head
rest raint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
b le with the top of your head. If that is not pos ­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this posit ion as possible. Move the
head restraint so that it is as close to the back
of t he head as possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
Qpage 130. ..,.
119

....
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im­
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. Each seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt.
It is espe­
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
N child sitting on your lap. er:
~ -Never let more people ride in the vehicle
~ than there are safety belts available. Lil
N v:, ......
Safety belts
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
, ff. Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger (on USA models only)
to remind you about the importance of buckling­
up .
Fig. 143 Safety belt warn ing light in the instrument clus ­
te r -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
.,, N
"' 0 ..:, ., m
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts .
~ Protect children w ith a ch ild restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts. In addition, you wil l hear
a warning tone for a certain period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, a lways correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.
127

Automatic safety belt r etractors
Every safety be lt is equ ipped wi th an automatic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. Th is feature
l ocks the belt when the belt is p ulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv­
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety be lt pret en sioner s
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten­
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
c:;, page 133 . The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light
c:;, page 17.
Con vertible loc king retractor
Every safety belt exc ept the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac­
tor that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this featu re
c;, page 169.
& WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c:;, page 131,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upr ight and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the body.
- If the rear seat ba ckrest is not securely
latched, the passenger wi ll move fo rward
with the ba ckrest during sudden b raking, in
a sudden mane uver and especially in a
c rash.
- Never a ttach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will red uce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious personal in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not proper ly restrained
can be seriously in jured by the safety be lt it­
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into cr itical areas like-the abdo ­
men .
Safet y bel ts
-Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when yo u are securing a child seat in the ve­
hicle
c;, page 171.
(0 Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
r efer to
c:;, page 133 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi ­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fi g. 1 50 Safety belt pos it ion
U se the height adjustme nt to change the posit ion
of the shoulder belt of the fro nt safety belts .
& WARNING
Imp roperly positioned safety belts can ca use
se rio us pe rson al injury in an a cciden t.
- The s hou lde r belt should lie as close to the
center of t he collar bone as possib le and
should fi t well on the bo d y. Ho ld the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos­
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should a lways fit
snug ly
¢fig. 150. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary .
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
i nj uries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious inj ury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
c:;, page 129 .
131

about children and Advanced Airbags
c::>page 159.
Even though yo ur vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System, make certain that all chil­
dren, especially those 12 years and younger, al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size. The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the
safest place for a child in a forward-facing child
seat .
It can be a very dangerous place for an in­
fant or a child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been certified to comply with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Veh icle Safety Standa rd (CMVSS) 208 as applica­
b le a t the time your veh icle was m an ufact ured.
Accord ing to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger side has been
certifi ed for "suppression" for infants of about
12 month old and younger and for "low risk de­
ployment" for children aged 3 to 6 years old (as
defined in the standard) .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light in the instru­
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned
off
by the electronic control unit.
Each time yo u switch on the ignition, the
PAS ·
S ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance meas ­
ured by the capac itive passenger detection sys­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed ­
era l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 with which the Advanced Airbag System i n
yo ur vehicle was ce rtified. For a l isting of the
child rest raints t hat were used to ce rtify your
vehicle's compliance with the Safety Standa rd
c::> page 161.
Airb ag sys tem
-wi ll stay on if there is a small child or c hild re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go
off if the front passenge r seat is occu ­
pied by an adult as registered by the capac itive
passenger detection system
c::, page 146, Mon­
itoring the Advanced Airbag System.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes on
when e lectrica l capacitance registered on the
front passenger seat is equal to or less t han the
combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-old in­
fant and one of the rearward-facing or forward­
facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor Ve­
hicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle was
ce rtified.
If the total e lec trical capacitance reg istered on
t h e front passenger seat is more than that of a
typ ical 1 year-old ch ild but less than the weight
of a sma ll adult, the front airbag on the passen­
ger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on).
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the electron ic con trol
u nit and can dep loy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the cond itions s tored in its
memory .
For example , th e airbag may deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whethe r the child is in one of the
child seats lis ted
c::> page 161), or
- a child who has outgrown c hild rest raints is on
the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
inst rument cluste r and stays on .
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the " low
risk" deployment cr iteria to reduce the r isk of in­
jury through interact ion w ith the airbag . "Low
r isk " dep loymen t occurs in those crashes that
t ak e place at lowe r decelerations as defined in
the e lectronic cont rol unit
c::, page 147, PASSEN -
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
Ill>
137