2008 AUDI S6 ESP

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Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
-Be sure to read the important information and head the
WARNINGS for important details about ch ildren and
Advanced Airbags~
page 234.
Even though your vehic le is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that a ll children, especia lly those 12 years and
younger , always ride in the back seat proper ly restrained for their
age and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat
a potentia lly dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not
the safest place for a chi ld in a forward -facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a child in a rearward ­
facing seat.
The Advanced Ai rbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
comply with the Requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of age
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant res traints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was cert ified has
been insta lled on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 236.
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition , the
PASSEN GER AIR BA G OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied, •
will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight-sensing mat=>
page 223, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a tota l weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typica l 1 year -old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PA SSE NGER
A IR BA G OFF
light does not come on). If the P ASSE NGER AIR B AG
O FF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger s ide
has not been turned off by the electronic control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi ­
tions stored in its memory.
F o r e xample , th e a ir b ag m ay dep loy if:
• a small ch ild that is heavier than a typical 1 year -o ld child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed
=> page 236), or
• a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSEN GER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on.
The fron t airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is no t sitting upright
with their back against a non -reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehic le floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=> page 194, "Proper seating position for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of injury through interact ion with the airbag. "Low risk" d eploy­
ment occu rs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations .,.

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& WARNING (con tinued )
• Improper in stallation of child re straints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from p roviding any protection .
• An improperly installed child re straint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child -
even with a n Advanced Airbag System .
• Always carefully follow the manufa cturer's instruction s
provided with the child safety seat or carrier .
• Never pl ace additional items on the seat that can in crease the
total weight regi stered by the weight -sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash .
u
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The air bag system c an pr ovi de su ppleme ntal pr otecti on
t o prop erl y re stra ined fr ont se at occu pant s.
Fig . 203 Location of
driver airbag: in
s teering wheel
(
Fig . 204 Locat ion of
front pa ssenger' s
airbag : in the in stru ­
ment pa nel
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual -stage front "Advanced Airbag
Sys tem" in com pliance w ith United Sta tes Fede ral Mo tor Vehicle
Safety Standard (F MVSS) 208 as applicab le at the time your v ehicle
was man ufactured. Yo ur vehicle is also equipped w ith side air bags
f o r th e dr iver and fro nt seat passen ger. T he sa fety be lts fo r the seats
have "pretensioners" that help to take slack out of the be lt system.
T he pre tensio ners are a lso activated by the electronic co ntro l un it
for the airbag system.
T he fron t safety be lts als o have load li m ite rs to hel p red uce the
forces applied to the body in a crash.
T he airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel hub=:, fig. 20 3 and
t h e ai rbag for t he front passeng er is in the inst rument pane l
=:, fig. 204. The genera l location of the ai rbags is marked "A IRBAG".
There is a lo t you need to know ab out the airbags in y our vehicle. We
urge you to read the detailed information about airbags, safety belts
and chil d safety in this a nd th e other cha pters t hat make up the
owner's l iterature. Please be sure to heed the WAR NINGS -th ey are
extremely important for your safety and the safety of your passen ­
gers, especia lly infants and sma ll children .
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for prote ction .
• Even when they deploy, airbag s provide only supplemental
protection .

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& WA RN ING (co ntinued)
• Airb ag work mo st effectively when u sed with prope rly worn
s afety belts.
• Therefore , alwa ys wear your safety be lt s and make sure that
ev erybod y i n yo ur vehi cle is properly re str ained.
& WARNING
A pe rson on the front pa ssen ger s eat , e spe cially inf ants and small
c hildren , w ill re ceive s eriou s injurie s and can ev en be killed by
being too cl ose to the airbag whe n it infl ates .
• Although the Advan ced Airba g System in your vehicle i s
de signed t o tu rn off the front p assenger airb ag i f a n inf ant or a
s mall child i s on the front pa ssenger seat , nobod y can absolut ely
gu ara nt ee that deployment under these spe cial con ditio ns is
impo ssible in all conc eivable situations that m ay happen during
the useful l ife of your vehic le.
• The Adv anced Airbag Sy stem will deploy in a ccordance with
the "lo w risk" opti on u nder th e U.S. Feder al Stand ard if a child t hat
i s heavier than th e typi cal on e-year old child i s on the front
p asse nger seat and the other conditi ons for airb ag dep loym ent
are met.
• Acc ident stat istics have shown that children are gener ally s afe r
in the rear seat ar ea than in the front seating po sit ion .
• Fo r their o wn safet y, all children , espe cially 12 yea rs and
younger , should always r ide in the back properly restrained for
their age and siz e. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Veh icle Sa fety Stan ­
dard 208 as applicab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation The front Advanced Airbag System supplements the safety belts to
provide additional protection for the driver's and front passenger's
heads and upper bodies in fronta l crashes. The airbags inflate only
in frontal impacts when the vehic le dece leration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety belts. Rather, it is part of the overa ll
occupant restraint system in your vehicle. A lways remember that
the airbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
upright, wear ing your safety belt and wearing it properly . This is why
you and your passengers must a lways be properly restrained, not
just because the law requires you to be .
The Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
meet the " low risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year-o ld children on the
passenger side and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to he lp reduce the risk of injury
through interact ion wi th the front a irbag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standard, to turn off the
front airbag for infants 12 months old and younger who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
listed in the Standard:::::,
page 236, "Child restraints and Advanced
Airbags".
"Suppression" requires the front ai rbag on the passenger side to be
turned off if:
• a child up to about one year of age is restrained on the front
passenger seat in one of the rear-facing or forward -facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certif ied. For
a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your
vehicle's compliance with the US Safety Standard:::::,
page 236,
• weight less than a threshold leve l stored in the control unit is
detec ted on the front passenger sea t. .._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-L~A:::..:,: ir:....: b:!..::: a~g L.:: s:1y :...:s::..: t~ e:.: m:...:...:.. ________________________________________________ _
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags only supp lement the
th ree p oint safe ty belts in som e front al co llis ions in which the
vehic le dece leration is h igh enou gh to deploy the a irba gs.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• i n sid e collis io ns,
• i n rea r- e nd collisi ons ,
• in ro llovers,
• when th e c ras h de celerat io n measur ed by the a irba g system is
less than the minimum threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
r egi stere d by th e ele ctro nic con trol uni t.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy :
• when th e fr ont pass enger seat is no t occupi ed,
• when the weight on the front passenger seat a s sensed by the
A dvanced A irbag Syste m indica tes tha t the fr ont air bag o n the
passenger side has to be turned off by the e lectronic cont rol unit
(t he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li gh t comes o n and s tays o nl.
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the risk of serious injury
in crashes .
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate , the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position , must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Occupants who are unbelted , out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye=> page
214.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• 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, center arm rest, door or 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 circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on, i mmediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will increase the risk of injury
in a crash by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the a irbag inflates .
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec ­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders, telephone brackets , large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors , over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering
wheel , instrument panel , seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself . These objects could cause injury in a crash , espe­
cially when the airbags inflate .
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport object s.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front ..,

Airbag system -----------------=~-
& WARNING (continued )
airbag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneuver . Objects ne ar the
airbags can become proje ctile s and cau se injury , particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
p roblems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
c onditions .
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems , those with asthma or
other respir atory cond itions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes , flush them with
water .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light t~
Tw o separate indicators monitor th e funct ion of the
Adva nced A irbag Syst em : the a ir b ag mon itor in g i ndicator
l ig ht an d the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the electronic control unit,
s en sor cir cu its a nd sys tem wiring) is mon itored co ntinuous ly to
make sure that it is functioning properly whenever the ignition is on.
E ac h tim e you turn on th e ig niti on, the ai rbag monito ring ind icator
light
t~ w ill come on for a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
The system must be inspected wh
en the indicator
light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go ou t a few sec ond s a fter you have swi tc hed on the
ignition, or
• comes on while d riv in g.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light will
fi rst sta rt fla sh ing to catch the d rive r's atten tion an d t hen stay on
cont inuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the syst em
inspected i mmedia tely.
If a mal funct ion occurs that tu rns the fro nt a irbag o n th e passe nger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whe neve r the ig nit ion is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System. It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to , or
will not inflate when it should .
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& W ARNING (continued )
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter­
ference :
- 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 or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi ­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag
has inf lated , 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 you r Audi
Maintenance
& Warranty 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 vehi cle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all appli ­
c able safety precautions must be followed . •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
Changing the veh ic le 's suspen sion system can change the way that
the Adva n ced Air bag Syst em perfor ms in a crash . For e xamp le,
u sing tire -r im co mbinations not ap proved by Audi , lowering the
v ehi cle, c hang ing the s tiff ness of the susp ens ion, inclu d in g t he
springs, s uspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the
fo rce s t hat ar e meas ured by t he airbag sens ors and sent t o the e lec­
tronic control unit. Some suspens ion changes can, for example,
i nc rease t he for ce leve ls mea sured by th e sen sors and make th e
airbag system dep loy in crash es in wh ich it wou ld not deploy if the
ch anges had no t been m ade. O th er ki nds of change s may red uce
the force levels measured by t he sensors and prevent t he airba g
fr om d eploying when it shoul d.
T he se nso rs in t he safety b elt b uckle for the driver a nd front
passenger seat te ll the electronic control module if the safety belt is
l a tc h e d or n ot. If t he safet y bel t is bei ng use d, the front ai rbag w ill
dep lo y at a s lightly hig her rate of veh ic le dece leration than
if the
safe ty belt i s not be ing used . The re fo re, in a pa rticu la r colli sion, i t is
poss ible that an airbag will not deploy at a s eating position where
t he safe ty be lt is b ein g us ed b ut will infl ate a t th e po siti on where the
safety belt is not being used. It is important that nothi ng int erfer e
with the safety belt b uckl es so that the sens ors can send the correct
i n formation about safety belt use to the electronic control u nit.
& WARNING
Chang ing the vehicle's suspension includ ing 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. ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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When the system is triggered, the airbag is fi lled with propel lant gas
and brea ks t hroug h a sea m in th e sea t surface a rea marked
"A IRBAG" . It expands between the side trim pane l and the
pas senge r. In orde r to he lp provide this add itional p rotec tio n, the
side airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second at very high
speed and with great force . The supplemental sid e ai rbag cou ld
in ju re you i f you r seat ing posit io n is no t proper or upr ig ht or if items
are located in the a rea where the su pplementa l side airbag expands.
Th is app lies especia lly to children~
page 23 4, "Child Safety".
Supp lemental side airbags inflate between the occupant and the
door panel on t he side of the ve hicle tha t is struck in cer tai n side
collision
~ fig . 208.
Altho ug h they a re no t a soft pi llow, they can "c ushion" t he im pac t
and in this way t hey can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to t he uppe r
par t of t he bo dy.
A fine dust may dev elop when t he airba g deploys. Th is is n ormal
and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle .•
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
A irbags are only sup plemen tal res trai nts . A lwa ys prop­
erly wear safety bel ts and ride in a pro per se ating posi ­
t io n.
There is a lo t that yo u a nd y our p assenge rs must know a nd act
according ly to help the safety belts and airbags do their job to
pr ovide su pple m ental pro tec tion .
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or fatal injury . Improp ­
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is
being used .
& WARNING (continued )
• In order to reduce the risk of injury when the supplemental side
airbag inflate s:
- 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 othe r parts of their body out of the window .
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter ­
ference .
- Never install seat covers or repla cement upholste ry over the
front seat backs that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
whe re the side airbags deploy .
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi ­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• Obje cts between you and the airbag can increase the risk of
injury in an accident by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by be ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach acce ssories or other objects (such as
cupholders , telephone brackets , or even large , bulky objects )
on the doors , over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the
seat backrests .
- Such objects and acces sories can become dangerous projec ­
tiles and cause injury when the supplemental side airbag
deploys.
~

Airbag system -----------------=~-
When the system is triggered, the side curtain airbag is filled with
propellant gas and breaks through a seam above the front and rear
side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order to help
provide this additional protection, the side curtain airbag must
inflate within the blink of an eye at very high speed and with grea t
force. The side curtain airbag could injure you if your seating posi ­
tion is not proper or upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies espe ­
cially to children =>
page 234.
Although they are not a soft pillow , side curtain airbags can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can help to reduce the risk
of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys. This is quite normal and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always prop­
erly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating posi­
tion.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must know and do to
help the safety belts and airbags do their job to provide supple­
mental prot ection.
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions
increase the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
• Never let occupants place any parts of their bodies in the area
from which the side curtain airbags inflate.
• Always make sure that the side curtain airbags can inflate
without interference. Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
expansion range of a SIDEGUARD head airbag can dangerously
interfere with its function. A deploying head airbag develops
enough force to catapult any piece of add-on component out of its
path of inflation and into the passenger compartment. An occu­
pant hit by such a projectile can suffer serious injury or death
=>
page 368 , "Technical Modifications".
• Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if you have any objects
clipped onto them (for example pens!. If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects .
• 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 airbag deployment and can cause personal injury in
an accident.
• Never use hangers to hang clothing from the hooks.
• Only use factory-installed sun shades or, in the case of shades
installed after the vehicle leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be used => page 368, "Additional accessories and
parts replacement".
• Always sit in proper seating position and wear safety belts
while traveling so that the side curtain airbags can help provide
protection .
• The airbag system can only be triggered once. If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Always have work involving the side curtain airbag system,
removal and installation of the airbag components, or other
repairs performed by a qualified dealership. Otherwise the airbag
system may not work correctly.
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in any way.•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data