AUDI S3 SEDAN 2015 Owners Manual

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smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear­
facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle 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 airbags dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air­
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
- Never place or transport objects on the front passenger seat. Objects on the front passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
Airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in electric capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should be off,
or can cause the airbag to work in a way that
is different from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
-Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob­
ject could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
_LD. WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating .
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
159

Airb ag syst em
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
:A Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSEN GER AIR
BAG OF F
light.
The Advanced Airbag System as we ll as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are functioning properly whenever the ignition is
on . Every time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light
fl will come on for a
few seconds (function check) .
The sy stem mu st be inspe cted when t he
indicato r lig ht
II:
- does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ignition, or
- comes on while driving.
If an airbag system ma lf u nction is detected, the
indicator light will first start flashing to catch the
driver's attention and then stay on continuously
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys­
tem inspected immediately .
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PA SSE NGE R
A IR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
.,&. WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop­
erly cannot p rovide supplemental protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light
c::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by yo ur
authorized Aud i dealer .
It is possible t hat
the a irbag will inflate when it is not s up­
posed to, or wi ll not inf late when it should.
160
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
Fig. 131 Center console: passe nge r air bag off warning
light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
r:!;> fig. 131.
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to te ll you when the front Advan ced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic control unit. If the bulb fo r the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light b urns o ut, the
airbag indicator light
rl will come on to s ignal a
malfunction in the Advanced A irbag System. Al­
though the burned-out bulb will not change the
way the front passenger's frontal airbag works, it
will no longer be possible to use the
PASSENGER
A IR BAG OFF
light to make sure that the a irbag
on/off status is correct fo r the occupant on the
front passenger seat . Have the a irbag system in­
spected immed iately by your au thorized A ud i
dealer.
Th e P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 se cond s when :
- the ignition is sw itched on and
- the capacitive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron ­
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG O FF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the a irbag
status (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying
the front passenger seat . Always make sure that
the safety be lt for the front passenger seat is
proper ly fastened . .,..

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The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni·
tion is switched on and the airbag indicator
light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance meas­
ured by the capacitive 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-fac ing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed­
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 wit h
wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle was certified; For a listing of the child re­
stra ints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢page 174.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
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 pas­
senger seat, or
- a rearward-facing chi ld restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been insta l­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the electr ical capacitance regis tered on
the front passenger seat is equa l to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year ­
o ld infant and one of the rearward -facing or
forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward -facing child restraint on the front pas ·
senger seat , the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restra int is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat ¢
page 149, Child re-
Airbag system
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 172 , Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appea r 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 ign ition
off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
aga in;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the chi ld restraint
manufacturer's instru ction s;
- make sure that the convertible locking retractor
on the s,;1fety belt fo r the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the sa fe ty belt has
been pu lled tight.
- make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater fo r child seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the ci garette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit ­
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
seat;
- make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob­
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cush ion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does
not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is sw itched on),
111-
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Airbag syste m
-take the chi ld restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the chi ld is properly restrained in a
child restra int that is appropriate for its si ze
and age .
The PA SSENGER AIR B AG light sh ould NOT
c ome on ...
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat . If the
PAS SENGER AIR B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes fo r about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the ba ckrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or suppo rting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is bei ng p roperly wor n and that
there is not a lot of s lack in the safety be lt web ­
bing,
- the re are no aftermarket seat covers or cush­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca­ pacitive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late electrical capacitance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
.&_ WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PA SS ENGE R AI R BA G OFF light blinks for
about 5 seconds to catch the driver's atten­
t ion. If this happens, always stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri ­
bed above .
162
-If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small is sitting on the front passenger seat
after tak ing the steps described above,
make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions. Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
.&_ WARNING
-
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator light~
page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should .
.&_ WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, or in a rearward -facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint that has not been proper ly installed
will be ser iously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make ce rtain
that a ll children, especially 12 years and
younger, a lways ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and size.
- Always install forward o r rear-facing child
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearwa rd-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN·
G ER AIR BAG OF F
light does not appear and
stay on, immediately install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer .
- If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the

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seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible . The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position .
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will stay on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi . Installing, remov­
ing , servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
Airbag system
-Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water . Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- 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 replacement upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approved especially for your Audi model version. Replacement of complete
airbag systems or airbag components must be performed by qualified workshops only.
Make sure that any airbag service action is
163

Airb ag syst em
entered in your Audi Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic circ uit inter rupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians w ho have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to perform the work safely.
- If the veh icle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, a ll applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materia l
- specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate. W hen the veh icle or parts of the re­
straint system including a irbag modules and
safety belts with prete nsioners are scrapped ,
all applicable laws and regulat ions must be
observed. Your authorized A udi dealer is fa­
m iliar with the se requirements a nd we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for yo u.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system ca n
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using t ire- rim
combinat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
ve hicl e, chang ing the stiffness of the suspension,
includ ing the spr ings, suspension s truts, shoc k
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the a irbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas ­
ured by the sensors and make the a irbag system
deploy in c rashes in which it wou ld not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
164
the sensors and p revent the airbag from dep loy ­
ing when it shou ld .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly instal­
led on you r vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbag s
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 132 Driver 's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is i n the instrument panel
u nderneath the steer ing wheel ~
fig. 132 , the
airbag fo r the passenger is at abou t the same
height in the i nstr ument panel underneath the
glove comp artment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the d river's and passenge r's kn ees and uppe r and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front a irbags deploy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
th reshold stored in the con trol un it is met
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¢ page 158, More impor tant things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in position in a fronta l 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. 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 wearing it properly. This is why you should al­
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the law requires you to do so~
page 140, General
notes.
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 , o ther inj u­
ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising and m inor
abrasions and friction b urns can a lso occur when
an airbag inf lates.
The kne e 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 drive 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 it ion is swi tched off
- in frontal collis ions when the dece lerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
Ai rb ag system
- in side co llisions
- in rear-end col lisions
- in rollove rs
- in the event of a system malfunction (war ning/
ind icator light is on) ¢
page 20.
,&. WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
prov ide protection when oc cupan ts are in
the proper seating position~
page 158 .
- If th e ai rbag ind icator light 9 page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized 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 knee airbags work
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig . 1 33 Inflated a irbags p rotect ing in a fro nta l co llision
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certai n but not all fronta l collisions.
If the front ai rbags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in frontal co llisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control un it is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a compressed propellant gas, and inflate between
the lowe r part of the i nstr ument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument pane l
and the front passenger ¢
page 158, fig. 130.
Although they are not a soft pillow , they can
" cushion " the impact and in th is way they can
165

Airb ag syst em
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
trem ities.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don' t even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also in flate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occ upant safety that noth ing shou ld be in their
way when they deploy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and he lp to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Applies to veh icles: w ith kn ee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemen tal res traints. Always
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 airbags
to prov ide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in­
jury . Wearing safety belts incor rectly and im­
prope r seating positions inc rease the risk of
ser ious persona l injury and death w henever a
vehicle is being used.
- T he knee airbag system ca nnot pro tect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locat ions. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the dr iver and the front passenger keep the ir
upper bodies and knees at the following
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches ( 25 cm) between the
chest and the s teer ing whee l/i nstr ument
panel.
- at least 4 i nches ( 10 cm) betwee n the
knees and the lower part of the inst ru ­
ment panel.
- The r is k of persona l injury in creases i f you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear-
166
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the a irbag deploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate w ithout interference . Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the r isk of injury in an accide nt by interfering
w ith the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into yo u as the a irbag deploys .
- Neve r let anybody, especia lly children or
anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can resu lt in serious or fatal injur ies .
- Neve r carry ob jects of any kind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas ­
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping bags, for examp le) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the airbag .
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure yo u
or your passe ngers .
- Make sure the re are no cracks, deep scratch­
es o r othe r damage in the area of the instr u­
men t panel where the knee a irbags are lo­
ca ted .
- I f ch ildren are incorrec tly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a coll is io n
¢ page 172, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemen tal
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 134 Sid e a irbag locat io n in t he dri ver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
fron t seat backrests ¢
fig. 134 and the rear back­
res t faci ng the doors.

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The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
he lp reduce the risk of in jury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, part icu larly when
the occupant sitt ing next to it is not seated prop­
erly . The side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly i nstalled child re­
straints . Pl ease be sure to read the important in­
fo rmation and wa rnings whenever using a child
r estra int in a vehicle: Safety belts
q page 140,
Airbag system qpage 148, Child safety
qpage 172.
The s ide airba g syste m ba sicall y co nsis ts of :
-the e lectronic control module and external side
i mpact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two a irbags* located in the
rear backrest
- the a irbag warning light in the inst rument clus-
te r.
The airbag system is monitored electron ica lly to
make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the
ai rbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self d iagnost ics) .
The s ide airbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the r isk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper to r­
so on the side of the veh icle that is struc k in a
side col lision. The airbag deploys only in s ide im­
pacts and o nly when the vehi cle acceleration reg­
is tered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below t he reference value programmed in­
to the contro l unit, the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision. It is not pos­
sible to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every poss ible angle of impact, since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (ha rd or soft) of
the impa cting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
q page 168, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir normal safety func tion, safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas -
Airbag syste m
senger in posi tion in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags ca n provide protection.
T he airbag system is
not a substi tute for you r
sa fety belt . Rather, it is part o f the overa ll occu ­
pant restrain t system in yo ur vehicle. A lways re ­
member that the side airbag system ca n only
help to protect yo u if you are wearing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
q page 140, General notes .
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup ­
plemental side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, othe r inju­
ries, fo r example, swell ing, bruising, frict ion
burns and m inor abrasions can a lso be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in cer tain
ki nds of accidents - yo ur safe ty belts are always
t h ere to offer protection.
Vehicle damage , repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle dam age are no t necessari ly an indica tion
of over-sensitive o r failed airbag activation. In
some collisions, bo th front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that ai rbags wi ll dep loy
on ly once and on ly in certa in kinds of co llisions -
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas -
ured by the senso r is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in re ar-en d co llisions
- in rollove rs.
In some types of accidents t he front airbags, side
cu rtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be tr iggered
togethe r.
&_ WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
p rovide p rotec tion when o ccupants are i n
the proper seating position
q page 1 68 .
167

Airb ag syst em
-If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Aud i dealer. It is possible that
the a irbag will inflate when it is not sup·
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re·
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig. 135 S ide impact protection: inflated s ide airbags
When the system is triggered, the airbag is fi lled
with prope llant gas and breaks thro ugh a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex­
pands between the side trim pane l and the pas­
senger . In order to help prov ide th is additional
protection, the side airbag must i nflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with great force. The supplemental side airbag cou ld
inju re you if your seating pos ition is not prope r or
upright o r if item s are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands . This ap ­
plies especially to children
c::> page 172, Child
safety .
Supplemental side airbags inflate be ­
tween the occupant and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collis ion¢
fig. 135 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
168
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety bel ts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
k now and act accordingly to help the safety bel ts
and airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
protection.
_& WARNING
-
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fata l injury. Improperly wear ing safety be lts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
l ean again st the area where the supple­
mental s ide airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyone else res t the ir
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the supplemen tal side airbag
inflates .
- Always make sure tha t safety be lts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the fron t seat
p ut their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always m ake sure that the s ide airb ag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or rep lacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where the side a irbags de­
ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module mu st a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an autho rized Aud i dealer .
- Objects between you and the a irbag can in­
crease the risk of inj ury in an a cciden t by i n­
t erfer ing wi th the way the airbag unfolds or .,._