belt AUDI TT 2013 Owner´s Manual

118 Airbag sys te m
electronic contro l uni t (the PAS SENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against or place any part
of the ir body too close to the area where
the a irbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi ­
t ion 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 110.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward -facing child sa fety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be ki lled if
the front airbag inflates - even wit h an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-The inflating ai rbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, ce nter
arm rest, door o r roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must 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 come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rea r-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating po sition and
have the airb ag sys tem inspec ted by you r
Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a c rash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into yo u as the a irbag
inf lates. -
Never hold things in you r hands o r on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transpo rt items on or in t he a rea
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuver and become dangerous p rojec­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in­
jury if the a irbags inf late .
- Never p lace or attach accesso ries o r oth ­
er objects (such as cup hold ers, te le­
phone b ra ck ets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r o r ne ar the are a
marked "AIRBAG" on the s teer ing whee l,
instr ument panel, sea t bac krests o r be ­
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could ca use in jury in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects. Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide airbag or
the front a irbag during braki ng or in a
sudden maneuve r. Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
in jur y, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined.
- Never tilt the front passenger seat back­
rest forwar d w hen the vehi cle is moving.
An in flating airbag w il l force the ba ck­
rest backwar d an d can injure rear seat o c­
cupants.
A WARNING
=
The fine dust create d when air bags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
with a history of asthma or other breath­
i ng cond itions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems ,
those with asthma or other respiratory
conditions shou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut o f the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy , wash your hands and face with
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 .

120 Airbag system
- the weight registered on the front passen­
ger seat is equa l to or less than the com­
bined weight of a typical 1 year-old restrain­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac­
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Nev­
er insta ll 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 one
of the seat ing positions on the rear seat
¢ page 110, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 130, Child Safety .
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 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 re install the child restraint.
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
r outed a round the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restrai nt manufacturer's in ­
struct ions;
- make 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 . The belt
must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job
¢ page 140.
-make sure 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 belt tension sen ­
sor is not blocked. 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 weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
t inu ously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immediately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the child is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restraint that is appropriate for
its s ize and age.
The
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 passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds w hile d riving, un­
der these circumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenge r seat is
properly seated on the cente r of the sea t
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
¢ page 91, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing we ight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
abovethefrontpassengerdooG
- t he sa fe ty belt is being properly worn and
t hat there is not a lot o f sla ck in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause 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 safety be lt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat .
I n addition to the
P ASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PA SSENGE R AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AI R BAG ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster display. Th is is to in­
form the driver of the current front passenger
airbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
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 w ill not in­
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diately by your Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restra int, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing chi ld re­
straint that has not been properly insta lled
wi ll be seriously injured and can be ki lled .
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always install forward or rear-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­ ces and the
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme-
A irbag system 12 1
diately install the rear- facing child safety
seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much p ressu re on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than is a ctually on the seat. The heavier
weight regis tered can make the system
wo rk as tho ugh an adult we re on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
m ust be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as fa r away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
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 ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea ler before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(l) Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passe nger side will be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on.
•
•

@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familiar with these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, 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 meas ­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
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-
Airbag system 123
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
A 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 suspension 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
-
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.
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 108 Dr iver's airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
~ fig. 108, the airbag for the passenger is at Ill>

124 Airbag sys te m
about the same height in the instrument pan ­
e l underneath the glove compartment.
The knee a irbag offers add it iona l pro tect ion
to the driver's and passenger 's knees and up­
per and lower thigh areas and supp lements
the protection by the safety be lts .
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags
a lso deploy in frontal co llisions when the de­
p loyment thresho ld stored in the cont rol unit
is met ¢
page 117, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addi tion to their normal safety function,
safety belts he lp keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in position in a frontal collisio n so that
the airbags can prov ide supplemental protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubstitute for yo ur
safety be lt . 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 belt and wear ing it properly . Th is
i s why you shou ld always wear you r safety
be lt, not just because the law requires you to
do so ¢
page 100, General notes.
The safety belt buck le for the dr iver and front
seat passenger have switches that te ll the a ir­
bag control module if the safety belt is being
used or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly highe r
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.
Remembe r too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are
n ot supposed to deploy or when they have a l­
ready deployed, fo r example whe n your veh i­
cle str ikes or is struck by another after the
fi rs t collis io n. This is
just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a s ubstitute for the safety be lt. The airbag
system works most effect ively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear yo ur
safety belts correct ly.
It is important to remember that w hil e the
s u pplementa l knee airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is ing,
minor abrasions and friction bu rns can a lso
occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consi sts
of:
- The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable a irbags (a irbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenge r
- The a irbag ind icator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag sy ste m w ill not depl oy :
- when the ignition is t urned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the contro l unit is too low
- in side co llisions
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollove rs
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn -
ing/ind icator light is on)
¢ page 15.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and th e airbag system can
only provide pro te ction when occupa nts
a re in the proper se ating posi tion
<=:>page 117.
- If the airbag ind icator light come s when
the vehicle is be ing used, have the sys­
tem inspected immediate ly by yo ur au ­
thor ized A udi dealer.
-

How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area con be re­
duced by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 109 Inflated airbags protecting in a fro ntal coll i­
sio n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill
with a propellant gas, and inflate between the
lower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument
panel and the front passenger~
page 117,
fig . 106.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cush ion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremities.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and it is im­
portant for occupant safety that nothing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the risk of injury.
Airbag system 125
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags to provide supplemental protection.
_& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
justing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following minimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are not wearing your safety belt. The risk in­
creases even more should the airbag de­ ploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter­
fering with the way the airbag deploys or
by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children
or animals ride in the footwell in front

126 Airbag system
of the passenger seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, this can resu lt in serious or fata l
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
p ing bags, for examp le) can interfere
with or p revent proper dep loyment of
the airbag . Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle i f the a ir­
bag deploys and injure you or yo ur pas­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cra ck s, deep
scratches or ot her damage in the area of
the instrument pane l where the knee air­
bags are located .
- If children are incorrect ly sea ted, their
risk of inj ury i ncreases in a collision
c:> page 130, Child Safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants.
F ig. 110 Side a irbag locatio n in the dr iver 's seat
The s ide airbags are lo cated in the sides of the
front seat backrests
c:> fig. 110 facing the
doors. They are identified by the word "A IR­
BAG" .
The sid e airbag sy stem b asically con sist s of :
-the e lectronic control module and external
s ide impact senso rs
- t he two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests -
the airbag warning light in the ins trument
cl uster .
T he airbag system is mo nitored e lec tronically
to make certain tha t it is f unctioning p roperly
at all times. Each time you t urn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
T he 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 and head on the side of the veh icle
that is struck in a side collision. The airbag de­
ploys in side impacts and only when the vehi­
cle acceleration registered by the control unit
i s h igh enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value prog rammed into the control unit,
the side ai rbags will not be triggered, even
t h ough the car may be bad ly damaged as a re­
s ul t of the co llision. It is no t possib le to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover every possib le ang le of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary cons iderably between
one collis ion and another. Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc.
c:> page 128 , Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty be lts wo rk to help keep the driver or front
passenge r in position in t he event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of t he overa ll oc­
c u pant restraint system in you r vehicle. A l­
ways remember that the side ai rbag sys tem
c a n only help to pro tect you if you are wearing
your sa fety be lt and wearing it p roperly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires yo u to do soc:>
page 100, General
notes.
It is important to remembe r that w hile the
supplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bruis ing , ..,.

and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
side airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are always there to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair 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 collisions, both front and side
a irbags may inflate . Remember too, that air ­
bags will deploy only once and only in certain
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protect ion in those acci­
dents in wh ic h airbags are not supposed to
deploy or w hen they have already deployed .
The side airbag system will not depl oy :
- when the ignition is turned off
- in side collisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers.
I n some types o f acc idents the front airbags
and side airbags may be triggered together.
& WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system will
only provide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
c') page 128.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Aud i dealer. The a irbag may
not wo rk p roperly when the vehicle ac­
c ele ra tion in a side co llision is h igh
enough to ac tiva te the airbag.
.
A irba g sy stem 12 7
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig . 1 11 Inflated side airbags on left side of vehicle
8
i
When the system is triggered, t he a irbag 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 order to help provide
th is add itiona l protection, 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 o r if
items are loca ted in the area where the s up­
plementa l side airbag expands. This applies
especially to chi ldren ¢
page 130, Child Safe­
ty .
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
lis ion ¢
fig. 111.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­
ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.

128 Airbag system
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 airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
-Always make sure that safety belts are worn 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 without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer. -
Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates.
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders, tel­
ephone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­ come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other passengers to travel in this position.
-Always use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight clothing. Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against 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 dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident ~
page 130, Child Safety.
-Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­ rectly measure increasing air pressure in-
side the doors when air escapes through ..,.

130 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision.
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~ page 102, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts?.
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­
ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small ch ildren.
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your ch ild's size ~
page 133, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about child safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re- straints are on the front passenger seat
. Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor­
mation, we cannot repeat it all here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manual about airbags and the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­
ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str iking the i nterior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
strained or improperly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal ­
led and used at one of the rear seating positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING ,_
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest or door.
Ill>