ignition AUDI S3 SEDAN 2017 Repair Manual

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A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward, sit­
t ing s ideways or out of pos ition in anyway,
your risk of injury is much h igher.
- You will also receive serious injur ies and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced
Airbag¢ page 267.
More important things to know about front
a irbags
F ig. 2 43 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the p roper seated position so
that a irbags can unfold properly and provide sup­
p lemental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest a nd face of the
d river and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag,
- and for adjustable head restraints: the head re-
straints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have placed on the seat could become dangerous pro­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in­
flates .
When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released .
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
veh icle. Th is dust is made up mostly of a powder
Airb ag sys tem
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
It i s important to remember that wh ile the sup­
plementa l airbag system is designed to red uce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injur ies,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra­ s ions, can also happen when airbags inflate. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supplement the three­
point safety belts on ly in some frontal collisions
in which the vehicle deceleration is high e nough
to deploy the airbags .
Fron t airb ags will not depl oy:
- if the ignition is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when t he crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the m in imum thresh­
old needed for airbag dep loyment as registe red
by the electronic control unit.
Th e front passenger airbag also will not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the e lectr ica l ca pacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat indicates that the pas­ senger s ide frontal a irbag must be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light¢ page 279 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
-Sitt ing in the wrong position can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the drive r and passengers must al­
ways sit in an up right posit ion, must not
lea n aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be serio usly
injured by an airbag as it unfolds with great
force in the blink of an
eye¢ page 268. ~
277

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-If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the
E,I light and
the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System as we ll as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with eject io n
mitigation feat ures (incl uding the e lectronic 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 t ime yo u turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light
m will come on for a
few seconds (function check) .
The s yste m must b e in spect ed wh en th e
indicato r light
El:
- does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ign ition, or
- comes on while driving.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
indicator light wi ll come o n to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately .
I f a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OF F
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light
c:> page 29
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by your
authori zed Aud i dealer.
It is possible that
the a irb ag will inf late w hen it is not sup­
posed to, or will not infla te whe n it shou ld .
Airb ag sys tem
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 2 44 Center console: passenger airbag off warning
light
T he PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the cente r of the instrume nt panel
c:> fig . 244.
T he PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light w ill come o n
and stay on to tel l you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the e lectronic control unit. If the b ulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light burns out, the
airbag indicator light
m will come on to signal a
malfunction in the Advanced Airbag System. Al­
though the burned-out bulb w ill not change the
way the front passenger's frontal airbag works, it
will no longer be possible to use the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light to make sure that the a irbag
o n/off status is correct for the occupan t on the
front passenge r seat. Have the airbag system in­
spected imme diately by your au thori zed Audi
dealer.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
- the ignition is sw itched on and
- the capacit ive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron­
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change i n the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the a irbag
status (on or off) as shown by the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light is proper for the age, si ze and
electrical cap acitance of the pe rson occ upying
the front passenger seat. A lways make s ure that
the safety be lt fo r the front passenger seat is
properly fastened.
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279

Airbag system
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-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed­
era l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith
wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle was certified; Fo r a lis ting of the child re­
strain ts that were used to certify you r vehi cle's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢ page 295 .
-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 child restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a fo rwa rd-facing child restra int has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectrica l capac itance registered on
the front passenger seat is eq ua l t o or less than
the combined capacitance of a typica l 1 year­
o ld infant and one of the rearward -facing or
forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith 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-fac ing c hild restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat
¢page 268, Child re-
280
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 292, 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 light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
o n. 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 turn ing the ignit ion
off for more than 4 seconds and then turn ing it
on again;
- remove and re install the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly instal­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senge r seat has been correct ly routed through
the child restraint as described in the child re­
straint manufactu rer's inst ruct ions;
- ma ke sure that the convert ible lock ing retrac­
to r on the safety belt for the front passenge r
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no electric al device (s uch as a
laptop, CD p laye r, e lectronic games device,
power inverte r or seat heater for chi ld safety
seats) is placed or used on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retro­
fitted or otherw ise added to the front passen­
ger 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 ob jects (such
as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion .
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 ign ition is sw itched on),
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-take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the a irbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
-move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age.
Th e PASSENGER AIR BA G light should NOT
come on ...
The PASSEN GER AIR B AG O FF light shou ld 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
P A SSENGER AIR B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while d riving, under these c ir cu mstan­
ces, make s ure that:
-the ad ult on the front passenger seat is prope r­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the back rest and the
backrest is not recl ined,
-the ad ult is not ta king weight off the seat by
holding on to the
passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or s upporting
their weight on the armrest,
-the safety belt is be ing properly wo rn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety be lt web­
bing,
-there are no aftermar ket 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
,8. WARNING
-
-If the status of the Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
about S seconds to catch the driver's atten­
t ion. If th is happens, a lways stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri-
bed above .
Airbag sys tem
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small 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 posi­
tions. Have the a irbag sys tem inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re t rans­
porting anyone on the front passenger seat .
,8. WARNING
=
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a fronta l crash .
-If the ai rbag ind icator light ~ page 29
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
,8. WARNING
If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild witho ut a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be serious ly injured and can be killed.
-Even though you r vehicle is equipped with
a n Advan ced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, espec ially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for the ir age and size.
-Always install forwa rd or re ar-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat -even with an
Advanced Airbag System.
-I f you must install a rearward-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear seat ing
position and have the a irbag system in­
spected by your Audi dealer.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r seat, always move the
281

Airbag syste m
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
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
,& WARNING
- If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an ad ult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adu lt is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seat ing 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 fronta l airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
P ASSE NGER
A IR BAG OFF light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
d ifferent places on your Aud i. Install ing, remov­
ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an area of the
veh icle can damage a pa rt of 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 w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
,& WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
282
- 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 a irbag un its.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened w ith plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the st iffness 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, inst rument
panel, front seats or e lectr ica l system ( in­
cluding the instal lation of a udio eq uipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
m ust be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strong ly 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 specif ica lly approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module mus t always be repai red immedi ­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The a irbag sys tem can deploy on ly once. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it m ust be
replaced with new replacement parts de ­
signed and approved especia lly for your
Audi model version . Replacement of com­
plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be performed by qua lified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service

Airbag syste m
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll 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
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do
so ¢ page 258, Gener­
al notes.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain k inds of accidents
-your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in wh ich airbags a re not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substi tute for the safety belt. The a irbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, a lways wear your
safety belts correct ly.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental knee a irbag system is des igned to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swe lling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates .
The kn ee airba g system bas ically consi sts of :
-The electronic control module
- T wo inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
t or), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicato r ligh t in the ins trument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-whe n the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control un it is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear -end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system ma lf u nction (wa rning/
indicator light is on)
¢ page 29 .
284
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition
¢ page 2 77 .
- If the a irbag ind icator light ¢
page 29
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when i t is no t sup ­
posed to , or wi ll 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 reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
F ig . 246 Inflated a irbags protec ting in a fro nta l co llis io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all frontal collisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the a irbags f ill with a
compressed propellant gas, and inf late between
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel
and the front
passenger¢ page 2 77, fig. 243 .
Althoug h they are not a soft p illow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
trem ities.
A ll of th is takes p lace in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don 't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
..,.

Airbag syste m
can be used with properly insta lled child re­
straints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a veh icle: Safety
belts ¢ page 258,
Airbag system ¢ page 267, Child safety
¢page 292 .
Th e si de a ir b ag sy stem ba sic ally con sists of:
- the e lectronic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- the a irbag warn ing light in the inst rument cl us-
ter.
The airbag system is monito red elect ronically to
make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide a irba g system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's, front and rear* passenger 's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side co llision . The airbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control unit is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control un it, the side airbags w ill not be
tr iggered , even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It is not pos­
sib le to define an a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible ang le of impact , since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in ­
clude, for example , the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
¢ page 287, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
286
help to protect you i f you are wear ing 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
¢ page 258, General no tes.
It is important to remember that w hile the sup­
plemental s ide airbag system is designed to re ­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other in ju­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, s ide
a irbags w ill dep loy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents
-you r safety belts are a lways
t h ere to offer pro tection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-se nsitive or fa iled a irbag act ivat ion. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
i nfla te. Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
on ly once and only in certain kinds of collisions
-
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side ai rbag system will n ot deploy:
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the a ccele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in fro nt-end coll is io ns
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the prope r seat ing
pos ition ¢ page 287.
-If the airbag ind icator light ¢ page 29
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
author ized A udi dealer. It is possib le th at
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup ­
posed to, or will not inf late when it should .

interior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll­
overs .
The s ide curtain a irbag system supplements the
safety be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in a side co lli­
sion. The side curtain airbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control unit is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control un it, the side curta in a irbag w ill
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. It is
n ot poss ib le to define an airbag triggering r ange
that will cover every possible angle of impa ct,
since the circums tances will vary considerab ly be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im­ pact, vehicle speed, etc .
c::> page 290, How side
curtain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re ­
membe r th at the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wea ring your safety belt
and wear ing it properly. This is another reason
why you should always wea r your safety belts ,
not just because the law requires you to do so
c::> page 258, General notes.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curt ain a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inj uries,
for example, swelling, bruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certa in kinds of acc idents -your safety belts are
~ always there to offer protection .
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Airbag sys tem
The side curtain airbag syst em basically
cons ists of :
-The e lectronic control module and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea ­
tures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectron ica lly to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (se lf d iagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is switched off,
- in side co llisions whe n the ac celeration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear -end co llisions.
_&. WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c::> page 61,
Front seats.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light c::>page 29
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
289

Child safety
-Always make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on
all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­
ly install the forward-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur­
ing a sudden stop or in a collision .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle ¢
page 258, Safety belts,~ page 267,
Airbag system and ~ page 292, Impor­
tant information.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk " require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to 12 months who are restrained on the front pas-
294
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always 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 safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­ pacitive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres­
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis ­
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a child restraint , and a baby blanket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child
restraint system resting on the seat. The meas­
ured capacitance of a child restraint system var­
ies depending on the type of system and specific
make and model.
The electrical capacitance of the various types, makes, and models of child restraints specified
by the U.S.National Highway Traffic Safety Ad­
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys ­
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con­
trol unit .

CXl CXl .... N r--­N .... 0 N > 00
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the child restra int that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in exception­
al c ircumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and
heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child and child restraint are correct­
l y recognized by the capacitive passenger detec­
tion system in the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off, and that the
airbag status is always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporat ing new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
product ion. Child restraints are not standardized.
Ch ild restraints of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and s izes and different "foot­
p rints", the siz e and shape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your veh icle.
For this reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to cert ify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ange l Guard Angel September 2S, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Child safety
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Grace Infant 8457 Decembe r 1, 1999
Grace Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit De luxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos- September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Meda llion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Todd le r Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Grace Plat inum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
..,.
295