Audi Q5: Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many different places on your Audi. Installing, removing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and prevent that system from working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the system will not be impaired and that discarded components do not cause injury or pollute the environment.
WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair procedures can increase the risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the instrument panel or modify them in anyway.
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders or telephone mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one moistened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners could damage the airbag cover or change the stiffness or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel, front seats or electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.) must be performed by a qualified technician who has the training and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified technician who has the technical information, training and special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only once. After an airbag has been deployed, it must be replaced with new replacement parts designed and approved especially for your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag components must be performed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi Warranty & Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the vehicle electrical system
for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be performed by a qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all applicable safety precautions must be followed.
For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
When the vehicle or parts of the restraint system including airbag modules safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regulations must be observed.
Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar 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 System 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, suspension 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 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 airbag from deploying when it should.
WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance 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 originally 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 control module and prevent the Advanced Airbag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety belt buckles and that they are not obstructed.
