airbag off AUDI S6 2012 Owner's Manual

152 Airbag system
same effect . If the front passenger
frontal a irbag is turned on, the
PA SSEN ·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light light will go out.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side a irbags supplement the protect ion of­
fered by the front three-point safety be lts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
ad justab le head restraints to he lp red uce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter .
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System
and the activation of the safety be lt preten­
sioners depend on the dece lerat ion measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control un it . The amount of infla ­
tion of the front airbags can also be adapted
to the front seat position, depend ing on the
d istance between the respective front seat
and the steering wheel or instrument panel as registered by sensors in the seats. Crash se­
verity depends on speed and deceleration as
well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle
or object invo lved in the crash.
On the passenger s ide, regard less of safety
be lt use, the front passenger fro nta l airbag
will be turned off if the electrical capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger detec­
tion system on the front passenger seat is less
than the amount programmed in the electron·
i c control unit . The front passenger frontal air­
bag will also be turned off if the capac itance
measured by the system for the front passen­
ge r sea t equa ls tha t of an infant of abo ut one
yea r of age in one of the child sea ts tha t was
used to certify the Advanced Airbag System
u nder Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 . T he
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF light
comes on and stays on to tell you when the
front Advanced A irbag System on the passen­
ger s ide has been turned off
c> page 155 .
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of injury w hen an a irbag
in flates, always wear safety be lts properly.
- If you are unrestra ined, leaning forward,
sitt ing s ideways or out of pos ition in any
way, your risk of injury is much h igher .
- You will a lso receive se rious injuries and
could even be killed if you a re up aga inst
the airbag o r too close to it when it in­
flates - even w ith an Advanced A irb ag
<=> page 142 .
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fig . 14 6 Inflated fro nt a irbags
Safety belts a re important to he lp keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position
so that a irbags can unfold properly and pro­
v ide s upplementa l pro te cti on in a fron tal col­
li sion .
T he front airbags are des igned to provide ad­
ditional p rotection fo r the chest and face of
the driver a nd the front seat passenger w hen:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have bee n positioned so that the
occupant is properly seated as far as poss i­
b le from the airbag ,
- and the head restraints have been properly
adj usted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, th ings you have on your lap
or have placed on the seat cou ld become dan ­
gerous projecti les, and be p ushed into you if
the a irbag inflates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
This is norma l and is not caused by a f ire in ..,.

the vehicle. This dust is made up most ly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy . It cou ld irritate skin .
It is importan t to remember that while the
supplemental airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries , other
in ju ries, for example swell ing, bruising and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body . Front airbags
supplement the three-poi nt safety belts only
i n some frontal collisions in which the vehicle
decelerat ion is high enough to deploy the air­
bags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash
occurs,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in ro llovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by
the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for airbag deployment as
registered by the electronic control unit.
Th e front pa sseng er airbag al so will not
d e plo y:
-when the front passenger seat is not occu ­
pied,
- when the electrical capacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detect ion system
for the front passenger seat indicates that
the passenger side frontal airbag must be
switched off by the electronic control unit (the
P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
¢ page 155 and how they wo rk comes on
and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes .
- To reduce the r isk o f injury when the air ­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must a lways sit in an upright position,
must not lean against or place any part
A irbag system 153
of their body too close to the area where
the airbags are located.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
¢page 144.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild seat in­
stalled on the front passenger seat will be
se riously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even w ith an Ad­
vanced A irbag System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild seat
or infant carrier with great fo rce and will
smash the child seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, doo r or
roof.
- Always install rear -facing chi ld seats on
the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptional circumstances
and the PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immed i­
ately insta ll the rear-facing child seat in a
rea r seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the r isk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the ai rbag unfolds
or by be ing p ushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Neve r hold things in yo ur hands o r on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transpo rt items on or in the a rea
of the front passenger seat. Objects
co uld move into the area of the front air ­
bags during braking or other sudden ma ­
neuvers and become dangero us projec­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in­
jury if the a irbags inf late.
•
•
-
-

154 Airbag sys te m
- Never place or attach accessories or o th­
er objects (such as cup holders, tele­
phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the stee ring wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those a reas and yourself. These
objects co uld cause injury in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objec ts. Items can also
move into the area o f the side airbag or
the front airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver . Objects near the air­
bags can become project iles and cause
injury, part icularly when the seat is re­
cl ined .
- Never place or transport ob jects on the
front passenger seat. Objects on the
front passenger seat could cause the ca­ pacitive senso r in the seat to s ignal to
airbag system that the seat is occupied
by a person whe n it in fa ct is not, o r that
the person on the se at is heavie r than he
or she actually is. The change in electric
capacitance because of such objects can
cause the passenger front airbag to be
t u rned on when it sho uld be
off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
wor ked w ithout ob jects on the seat .
- Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenger seat that will
cause the capacitive passenge r detection
system in the s eat to s ignal to the A irbag
System that the seat is occupied by a
person when it is not, or to signa l th at it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the pe rson actually s itting on the
seat . The prese nce of an object co uld
cause the passenger front a irbag to be
t ur ned on when it sho uld be
off, or co uld
cause the airbag to work in a way t hat is
different from the way it wou ld have
worked w ithout the object on the seat.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
ca n cause breathing p rob lems for people
with a history of asthma or ot her breath­
i ng cond itions .
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems ,
those wi th asthma o r othe r respiratory
conditions s hou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut of th e veh icle or
open ing windows or do ors .
- If you are i n a collision in which airbags
de ploy, was h your h ands and face wi th
mild soap and wate r before eating.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches.
- If the res id ue should get into your eyes,
fl ush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
t~i Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advan ced Airbag Sy stem: the airbag
moni toring indicator light and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF
light.
The Adva nced A irbag Sys tem ( incl uding the
ele ct ron ic cont ro l u nit , sensor circu its and sys­
tem wir ing) is monitored con tinuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignition is on. Eac h time you
switch on the ignition, the airbag monitor ing
indicator light
m will come on for a few sec­
onds (self diagnostics) .
The sy stem mu st be in spected when the
indicator light
rl:
- does not come on when the ignition is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunc tion is detec ted,
the i ndicator lig ht w ill first sta rt flashing to
catch the drive r's attention and then stay on .,..

continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately.
I f a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a irbag on the passenger side
off, t he PA SSEN­
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 functioning properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System.
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or wi ll not in­
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diately by your Aud i dealer .
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 1 47 Sect ion from the inst rumen t pa nel: PASS EN­
GER AIR BAG OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
i n the cen ter of the instrument panel
¢fig. 147 .
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned
off by the e lectronic control unit. If the
bu lb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
bu rns out, the airbag indicator light
fl will
come on to signal a malfunction in the Ad ­
vanced A irbag System. Although the burned­
out bulb will not change the way the front
passenger's frontal airbag works, it w ill no
longer be possible to use the
PASSENGER AIR
A irba g sy stem 155
BAG OFF light to make s ure that the airbag
on/off status is correct for the occ upant on
the front passenger seat . Have the airbag sys ­
tem inspected immediately by your author­
ized Audi dealer.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight will bl ink
for about 5 seconds when:
- t he ignition is switched on and
- the capacit ive passenger detection system,
whi ch swi tches the front seat passenger's
frontal Advanced Airbag on and
off, detects
a change in the status of the front passen­
ger seat.
As soon as the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light stops blink ing, a lways make sure tha t
the airbag stat us (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is proper fo r
the age, size and electrical capacitance of the person occupy ing the front passenger seat.
Always make sure that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat is properly fastened .
Th e PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will
show the status of the fron t se at p assenge r's
frontal Advanced Ai rbag a few seconds after
the ignition i s swit c h ed on and th e airbag in ­
dicator light go es 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
measured by the capacitive passenger de­
tect ion system for the front passenger seat
equa ls the combined capacitance of an in­
fant up to about one year of age and one of
the rearward-facing or forward-facing ch ild
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified; For a listing of the child restraints
that were used to certify your vehicle's com­
pliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
i:::;, page 170 .
-will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the ca­
pacitive passenger detect ion system.

156 Airbag system
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on
and .. .
- a car bed has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
- a rearward-facing chi ld restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectr ica l capacitance registered
on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined capacitance of a typ­
ica l 1 year -old infant and one of the rear­
ward-f acing or forward -facing child re ­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safe­
ty Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airb ag will no t deploy, and the
PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Nev­
er install a rearward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at o ne
of the seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 144, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
~ page 168, 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 certa in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on cont inuous ly whenever the
ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off for more than 4 seconds and then turn­
i ng it on again;
- remove and reinstall the ch ild restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety be lt fo r the
fron t passenger seat has been correctly
routed through the child restraint as descri-bed in
the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions;
- ma ke sure that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety belt for the front passen­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no electrical device (such as
a laptop, CD player, electronic games device
or power inverter) is placed or used on the
front passenger seat if the device is connect­
ed to the 12-volt socket or the cigarette
lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been ret­
rofitted or otherwise added to the front pas ­
senger seat;
- make sure that nothing can interfere with
the safety belt buckles and that they are not
obstructed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects
(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 con­
t inu ous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen-
ge r seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions . Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immed iately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure that the c hild is prope rly restrain­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its si ze and age.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should
NOT come on ...
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
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
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about S seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these circumstances, 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 against the
backrest 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 support­
ing their we ight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is being properly worn and
that there is not a lot of slack in the safety
belt webbing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or
cushions or other things (such as blankets)
on the front passenger seat that m ight
cause the capacitive passenger detection
system to miscalculate electrical capac i­
tance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adva need A irbag Sys­
tem has changed wh ile the vehicle is
moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light b links for about 5 seconds to catch
the driver's attent ion. If this happens, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the steps described above.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go off when an adu lt who is not
very small is sitting on the front passen ­
ger seat after taking the steps described
above, make sure the adult is properly
seated and restrained at one of the rear
seating pos it ions . Have the a irbag sys­
tem inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transpo rting anyone on the
front passenger seat .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
prope rly cannot provide supplemental p ro­
t e ction in a fron tal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light comes on, it
means that the re may be somet hing
wrong with the Advance d Ai rb ag Sy stem .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
A irbag system 157
when it is not supposed to, or will not in­
flate when it sho uld.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diate ly by you r Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-If the front airbag inflates, a child without
a child restraint, or in a rearward-facing
chi ld safety seat, or in a forward-facing
chi ld restraint that has not been properly
installed w ill be seriously injured and can
be killed.
- Even tho ugh your vehicle is equipped
wit h an Advanced A irbag System, make
certain that all children, espe cially 12
yea rs and younger, alw ays ride on the
back seat properly rest rained for their
age an d size .
- Always install forward o r rear-facing
child seats on the rear sea t - even with
an Advanced Ai rbag System.
- If you m ust install a rearw ard-fa cing
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptional circ umstances
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and stay on, immediate­ ly install the rear-facing child seat in a
rea r seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer .
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
must install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the sea t into its rearmost po­
s ition in the seat 's fore and aft adjust­
men t range, as far away from the airbag
as poss ible . The backrest must be ad just ­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make su re that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER 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 su re the ...,
•
•

158 Airb ag sys te m
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 sys ­
tem determines that the front passenger
seat is empty, the frontal airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PA SSEN GER AIR B AG OFF light will stay
on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
a rea of the vehicle can damage a part 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 effect iveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or po l­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploy ing when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steering wheel ho rn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument pane l or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
pane l, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened w ith plain water. Solvents or
cleaners cou ld damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electr ica l sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equ ipment, cellu lar telephones and CB
radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technic ian who has the training
and specia l equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend that yo u see your
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied work­
shop.
- Never modify the front b umper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the s ide airbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence:
- 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 airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side a ir­
bag module must a lways be repaired
immediately by an author ized Audi
dealer .
- The airbag system can deploy on ly once.
After an a irbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced w ith new replacement
pa rts des igned and app roved especially
for your Aud i model version. Replace­
men t of comple te airbag systems or air­
bag components must be performed by
qua lified wor kshops only . Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Aud i Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE­
CORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter a re separated
from the veh icle battery with a pyrotech-
n ic circuit inte rrupter . ..,.

160 Airbag sys te m
The knee airbag offers additiona l protect ion
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up­ per and lower thigh areas and supp lements
the protect ion provided by the safety belts.
I f the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
a lso deploy in frontal co llisions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the contro l unit
is met
c:> page 152, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in a frontal collis ion so that
the airbags can prov ide supplemental protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your veh icle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wear ing it properly . Th is
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
be lt, not just because the law requires yo u to
do so
<:> page 133, General notes.
The safety belt buck le for the dr iver and front
seat passenge r have switches that te ll t he a ir­
bag control mod ule if the safe ty belt is being
used or no t. If the safety be lt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher rate of deceleration than if the belt is not be­
ing used. Therefore, in a partic ular 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 be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety be lts are always there to offer protec ­
tion in those acc idents in which a irbags a re
not supposed to deploy or when they have a l­
r eady deployed, fo r example whe n your veh i­
cle strikes or is str uck by another after the
first coll is ion .
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
n ot a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
sys tem works mos t effective ly when used wi th the safety be
lts. Therefore, always wear yo ur
safety be lts correct ly .
It is important to remembe r that w hile the
s u pplement al knee airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious inju ries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
minor ab rasions and friction b urns can a lso
occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag sy stem basically consist s
of:
-The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable ai rbags (airbag and gas gen -
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator lig ht in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit ion is swit ched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by t he control un it is too low
- in side co llisions
- in rear-end col lisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/ind icator light is on)
<:> page 18.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupa nts
are in the proper seating position
<:>pag e 152 .
- If the airbag ind icator light comes when
the vehicle is be ing used, have the sys­
tem inspected immediate ly by you r au­
thori zed A udi dealer. The airbag may not
wo rk p roperly when the vehicle a ccele ra­
tion in a side col lision is high enough to
deploy the airbag . See also
<=:>page 18.
-

Always remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
qu ires you to do soc>
page 133, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental s ide airbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other i njuries, for example, swel ling, b ruising,
frict ion bu rns and minor ab rasions can also be
assoc ia ted with deployed side airbags. Re­
member too, side airbags will deploy only
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -
your safety belts are always there to offer pro­
tection.
Vehicle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessar ily an indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa ­
tion. In some co llisions, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­
bags will dep loy only once and only in certain
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acci­
dents in wh ic h airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed.
The side airbag sy stem will not deploy :
-when the ign ition is switched off
- in s ide collisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear -end collisions
- in ro llovers.
In some types of acc idents the front airbags,
side curta in a irbags and side airbags may b e
tr iggered toge ther.
_& WARNING
- Saf ety belts and the a irbag system will
only prov ide protection when occ upan ts
are in the proper seating posit ion
c>page 164.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
-
A irba g sy stem 163
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the ve hicle ac­
celeration in a side col lision is high
enough to activate the a irbag.
How supplemental s ide airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
y)
Fig. lS l In flated side airbags on left side of vehicle,
rear side airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area ma rked "AIR­
BAG". It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In orde r to help provide
th is add it io na l prote ction, the side airbag
mus t inflate within a fraction of a second a t
very h igh speed and with great force. The sup­
plementa l side air bag could injure you if your
seating pos ition is not proper or up right o r if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side airbag expands. This applies
especially to children
c> page 168, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the v eh icl e that is str uck in certa in side col­
li sion
c> fig. 151.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
h elp to reduc e the risk of injury to the upper
part o f the body.
A f ine dust may develop w hen the airbag de­
ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in th e vehicle.

larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never d rive w ith int erio r door tr im pan­
els removed.
- Never d rive when parts have been re­
moved from t he ins ide door panel and
the openings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never d rive w hen loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
spea ker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make cer tai n t hat openings are
covered or filled if additional speake rs
or other equi pment is installed in the
inside door panels.
- A lways have work on t he doors done by
a n authorized Audi dealer or qualified
wo rkshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants.
Fi g. 152 Side curtai n airbags, dri ver 's s ide: side cu rtai n
ai rbag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 152 . They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof pillar.
The s ide curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the
risk of injury for occupa nts' heads and upper
torso on the side of the veh icle tha t is struc k
Airba g system 165
in a side collision. The side cu rtain airbag in­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­
cle acceleration registered by the control un it
is h igh eno ugh. 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 co llision . It is not possib le to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover every possib le ang le of impa ct, sin ce the cir­
c u mstances will vary cons iderably be tween
one collision and anothe r. Important factors
incl ude , for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 166, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
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 colli­
s ion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection .
The airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
o nly help to protect you if you are wear ing
you r safety be lt and wearing it proper ly. This
i s a nothe r reason why you should a lways wear
your sa fe ty be lts, no t ju st because the law re­
quires you to do so ¢
page 133, General
notes .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
s ide cu rtain air bag system is desig ned to help
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for examp le, swelling, bruising, fric­
tion burns and minor abrasions can also be as­
sociated w ith these airbags upon dep loyment.
Remember too, these airbags will deploy only
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -
your safety belts a re always there to offer pro­
tection .
The side curtain airbag sy stem basic ally
consists of :
- The electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
ll>-