light AUDI S4 2014 Manual PDF

whenever the ignition is on. Each time yo u
turn on the ignition, the
fl airbag monitoring
indicator light w ill come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The system mu st be in spected wh en the
II indicat or light:
- does not come on w hen the ignit ion is
switched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignition, or
- comes on whi le driving .
I f an a irbag system malf unct ion is de tected,
the ind icator light will firs t start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately .
If a malfunc tion oc curs that turns the fron t
ai rbag on the passenger side off, the
PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght wi ll come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light¢
page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by yo ur authorized Aud i dea le r. It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inf late when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 156 Sect ion fro m the instr umen t pane l: PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF light
-
A irba g sy stem 15 7
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center of the instrument pa ne l
¢ fig. 156 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electron ic contro l unit. Each
time you turn on the ignit ion, the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few
seconds and:
- will stay on i f the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small chi ld or child
restraint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat.
T he
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and sta y on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the fron t
se at, or
- a rearwa rd-facing child restra in t has been
installed o n the front passenger seat, o r
- a forward-fac ing c hild restra int has been in­
s talled on the fron t passenger seat, or
- t he we ight reg istered on the front passen­
ge r seat is equal to or less t han the com­
bi ned weight o f a typic al 1 year-o ld restr ain­
ed in one of the rear -facing or forwa rd-fac­
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle was
certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG O FF
light will stay on. Nev ­
er install a rearward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, the safest p lace for
a child in any k ind of child restrai nt is at one
of the seating posit ions on the rear seat
¢ page 147, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 167, Child Safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on
when one of the cond itions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regu larly to
IJi,,-

158 Airbag sys te m
make certain that the PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght stays on continuous ly whenever the
ignit ion is on. If the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear and not stay on all
the time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- 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 around the child restraint as descr i­
bed in the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety belt for the front passen­
ger seat has been activated and that t he
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose o r have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job
c::> page 177 .
-make su re that th ings that may increase the
weight of the chi ld and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen ­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety be lt tension sen­
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the we ight-sensing mat to measure
more we ight than is actua lly on the seat.
If the PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light still
doe s not come on
and does not stay on con­
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the chi ld restraint off the front passen -
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions . Have the a irbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer
immediately .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat pos it io n and
make sure that the child is properly restrain­
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
i ts size and age. The
PA
SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light sho uld
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
c::> page 129, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the fron t passenger door or support­
ing thei r weig ht on the armrest,
- t he safety belt is being properly wo rn and
t hat there is not a lot o f slack in the safety
be lt webb ing,
- accesso ry seat covers or cushions o r othe r
t hings tha t may c ause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a sa fety belt extender has not bee n left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght in the center o f the instrument panel,
t h e message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear
in the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An a irbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal c rash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
c::> page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your au thorized A udi dealer .
It is
-

possible that the airbag will inflate when
it is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a c hild restra int, in a rearward-facing c hild
safety seat or i n a forward-facing child re­
st raint that has not been properly insta lled
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younge r, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained fo r their
age and size.
- Always instal l forw ard or rea r-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you mus t install a rearward -facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme ­
diately install the rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r au­
tho riz ed Aud i dea le r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
wa rd-fac ing child restra int attached to
the fro nt passenger sea t can put too
much pressure on the weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register mo re weight
than is ac tually on the seat. The heavier
weight registe red can make the system
wor k as though an adu lt were on the seat
and dep loy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed caus ing serious or
even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward-facing child re­
st rain t on the front passenger seat, a l­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sit ion in the seat's fo re and aft adjust­
ment r ange, as far away from the airb ag
as possib le. The backrest m ust be adjus t­
ed to an upr ight position. Make sure that
A irbag system 159
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever 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 tak ing
the steps described above, make su re the
adu lt is prope rly seated and restra ined at
one o f the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front pas senger
seat.
@ Tips
If t he weig ht-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty sea t, the
front airbag on the p assenger side will be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different p laces on your Aud i. Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
a irbag system and p revent that system from
working p rope rly in a coll is ion.
There are some important t hings you have to
k n ow to make sure that the effectiveness of
t h e system w ill not be impaired and that d is­
ca rded components do not cause injury o r pol­
l ute the environment.
A WARNING
Im proper care, serv icing a nd rep air proce­
d ur es can increase the risk of personal in ­
ju ry and death by preventing an a irbag
from deploying when needed or deploying
an a irbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obst ruct, or change the
steer ing whee l horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or mod ify them
in any way. •
•

example, increase the force levels measured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if the changes had not been made. Other
kinds of changes may reduce the force levels
measured by the sensors and prevent the air ­
bag from deploying when it should.
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used.
It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit .
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspens ion components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING 1= -
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air ­
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Airbag system 161
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 157 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver 's seat
~ co Q)
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 157 and the rear
backrest facing the doors. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
- the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front backrests and the two airbags* located
in the rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster .
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times . Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up­
per torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys
only in side impacts and only when the vehicle
accelerat ion registered by the control unit is
high enough. If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered,
even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­
sult of the collision . It is not possible to de -
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover
II>

162 Airbag system
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors
include, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. c::>
page 163, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a side
coll is io n 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 oc ­
cupant restraint system in your ve hicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you a re wearing
your safety be lt and wear ing it prope rly . T his
is another reason why you should a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re ­
quires you to do soc::>
page 138, General
notes.
I t is important to remember that while the
supp lemental side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
othe r injuries, for example, swell ing, bruising,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
wi th deployed side airbags. Remember too,
side airbags will deploy on ly once and on ly in
certain k inds of acc idents -your safety belts
are a lways there to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessari ly an indi ­
cation of over-sensit ive or failed airbag activa­
tion . In some co llisions, both front and s ide
a irbags may inflate. Remember too , that air­
bags will deploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acci­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed.
The side airbag syst em will not depl oy:
- when the ign ition is turned off
- i n s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low
- i n front-end co llisions -
in rear -end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
t rigge red togethe r.
_&. WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system wil l
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
c::> page 163.
-If the airbag indicator light r:!:> page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by y our authorized A udi dealer . It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will 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 .
Fig. 158 In flated side a irbags o n left s ide of ve hicle
When the system is trigge red, the a irbag is
filled wi th propellan t gas an d breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG". It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In order to help provide
t h is addit ional protec tion, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very h igh speed and with great force . The sup ­
plementa l side airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or up right or if
items are located in the area where the s up­
pleme ntal side airbag expands. This applies
especially to ch ild ren
c::> page 16 7, 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 s ide
collis ion¢
fig. 158 .
Although they a re not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ p loys. This is norma l and does not mean there
is a fire in the veh icle .
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and a irbags do the ir job to pro­
vide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause ser ious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In orde r to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates :
- Always sit in an upright pos ition and
never lean against the area where the
supp lemental s ide a irbag is located.
- Never let a chi ld or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supp lemental
side ai rbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
wo rn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate witho ut interference.
A irbag system 163
-Never install seat covers or rep lace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags
deploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to the seam in the area of the side a ir­
bag module must always be repaired
i mmediately by an author ized Audi
dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag ca n
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by inter fer ing with the way the airbag
unfo lds o r by being pushe d in to yo u as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessor ies or
othe r objects (such as cupho lders, tele­
phone brackets, or even large, bu lky
objects) on the doo rs, over or near the
area marked "A IRBAG" on the seat
bac krests.
-Such objects a nd accessories can be­
come dangerous project iles and cau se
i njury when the s upplementa l side air­
bag deploys .
- Never carry any ob je cts o r pe ts in the
deployment space be twee n them and
the airbags or allow ch ild ren or other
passengers to trave l in t his position.
- Always use the b uilt-in coat hooks on ly
for lightweight clo thing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere w ith side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an acc ident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­ ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
aga inst or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealersh ip.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the o rig inal seat cove rs or to the seam i n
the area of the side airbag module must .,,. •
•

of accidents - your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consi sts of :
- The electronic control mod ule and externa l
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- T he airbag ind icator light in the ins trument
panel
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ica lly
to make certa in it is f unct ion ing properly at a ll
times. Eac h time you t urn on the ign ition, the
ai rbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the igni tion is turned off,
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear -end collisions,
- in ro llovers.
_&. WARNING
- Safety belts and the a irbag system will
only p rov ide p rotection whe n occ upants
are in the p roper seating posit ion
~ page 58, Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicato r light~ page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the sys tem inspected immediately
by your aut ho rized Aud i dea le r.
It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or wi ll not inflate
when it sho uld .
A irba g sy stem 165
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig. 1 60 Illus trati on of pr in cip le: Inflat ed s ide curtain
airbags o n the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
vehicle that is struck in a side coll is ion
~ fig . 160.
When the system is trigge red, the side curta in
airbag is filled with prope llant gas and breaks
t hr ough a seam above the front and rear side
windows iden tified by the AIRBAG labe l. In or­
der to he lp prov ide this additional protection,
the side curtain ai rbag m ust inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain a irbag co uld in­
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curta in a irbag
inflates . This applies especially to ch ild ren
~ page 167.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain a irbags can "cushion " the impact and i n
th is way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head and the uppe r part of the
body .
A f ine dust may deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys . T his is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle.

166 Airbag sys te m
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
a irbags do the ir job to prov ide s upplement al
protection.
_&. WARNING
-
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used.
- Never let occ upants p lace any parts of
their bodies in the area from wh ich the
side curtain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate w ithout interference.
Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a head a irbag can
dangerously interfere w ith its function . A
deploying head a irbag develops enough
force to catapult any piece of add-on
component out of its pa th of inflation
and into the passenger compartment. An
occupant hit by such a projectile can suf­
fer serio us injury or death
¢ page 2 78,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
yo u have any objects clipped onto them
(for example pens).
If the a irbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight cloth ing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause pe rsonal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hange rs to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
vehicle leaves the fac to ry, only Audi roll­
up sunsc reens m ay be used~
page 277,
Additional accessories and parts re­
placement.
-Always sit in p roper seating position and
wear safety belts wh ile traveling so that
the side curtain airbags can help prov ide
protection.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
-Always have work involving the side cur­ tain airbag system, removal and installa­
tion of the airbag components, or other repairs performed by an authorized Audi
deale r o r qualified workshop. O therwise
the air bag system may not work co rrec t­
ly.
- Never attempt to mod ify any compo­
nents o f the ai rbag system in any way.

168 Child Safety
-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rearward-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
.&, WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age 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 "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 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" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger 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 "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas ­
senger 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 for­
ward-facing child safety seat.
It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of child re -
straints and for the different models of the .,.

same kind of child restraint offered by child
restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the ind iv idual types,
makes and models o f ch ild restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir ­
bag System. When a child res traint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi­
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem compares the we ight measured by the
weight sens ing mat with the informat ion s to r­
ed i n the electron ic cont rol unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenger safety be lt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe rent fo r an ad ult
who is properly using the safety belt as com­
pared to the tension on the be lt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat.
T he sensor below the latch for the safety belt
for the front seat passenger measures the
t ension on the be lt. The input from this sen­
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restrai nt with a typ ical
1 year-old child on the front passenger seat
and whether or not the airbag must be turned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regard less o f the child res traint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
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 seat ing pos itions .
If in excep­
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger seat, caref ully read all of the
information on ch ild safety and Adv anced A ir­
bags and heed a ll of the applicable WARN­
I NGS . Make certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off and that
Child Sa fet y 169
the ai rbag status is always cor rect ly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restraints
have been available over the years, new mod­
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r models are
taken o ut of product ion . Ch ild restraints are
not standa rd iz ed. Child restraints of the same
type typically have d ifferent weights and si zes
and different 'footpr ints, ' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they a re insta lled on a vehi­
cl e sea t. T hese diffe rences make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify compl iance wi th the re­
quirements for advanced airbags with each
and every ch ild restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For th is reason, the United S tates National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
Sys tem in your vehicle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208. These child restraints are :
Subpart A - Car bed child restra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard A ngel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century Smart Fit Decembe r 1, 1999
4543
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
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
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