Knee Airbags - Audi TT 2012 Owner's Manual

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126 Airbag system
~
For the sake of the environ ment
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 ofthe
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap-
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is fami liar with these requirements
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 ofvehicle 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 bei ng 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 suspension components
that do not have the sa me performance
characteristics as the components origi-
nally instalLed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
.&
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 airbags •
The knee airbag syste con provide supple-
mental protection to prope(fY restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 116 Driver's airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
paneL underneath the steering wheel
q fig. 116, the airbag for the passenger is at ~
--
about the same height in the instrument pan-
el underneath the gLove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
ta the driver's and passenger's knees and up-
per and Lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection by the safety belts.
If the front airbags depLoy, the knee airbags
also depLoy in frontal coLlisions when the
de~
loyment threshold stored in the control unit
i s
met
q page 120, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety beLts heLp keep the driver or front pas-
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide suppLemental protec-
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overalL oc-
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al-
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is why you should aLways wear your safety
beLt, notjust because the Law requires you to
do
50
q page 103, General notes.
The safety beLt buckLe for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that telL the air-
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 higher
rate of deceleration than if the beLt is not be-
ing used. Therefore, in a particuLar 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.
Remember too, airbags will depLoy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents - your
safety belts are always there to offer protec-
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have aL-
ready deployed, for example when your vehi-
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
first collision.
Airbag system
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, aLways wear your
safety belts correctly.
It is important to remember that while the
supplementaL knee airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
minor abrasions and friction burns can also
occur when an airbag infLates.
The knee airbag system basicaLLy consists
of:
- The electronic control module
- Two infLatabLe airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system wiLL not deploy:
- when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too Low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/indicator light is on)
qpage 16.
&.
WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
qpage 120.
- Ifthe airbag indicator light comes when
the vehicle is being used, have the sys-
tem inspected immediately by your au-
thorized Audi dealer.