2008 AUDI S8 ignition

Airbag system -
--------------=---=--
& WARNING (continued)
• If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front
passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child seat in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible, before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on. •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight -sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func ­
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec­
tronic control unit when the ignition is on. The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected. The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail below . Because the front passenger seat contains important parts
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must
take care to prevent it
from being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acceleration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
Airbag System about the severity of the crash.
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impacts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the information received from the crash
sensors. The control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
steering wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the instrument
panel for the front passenger.
• A weight -sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat.
The information registered is sent continuously to the electronic
control unit to regulate deployment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side .
• An airbag monitoring system and indicator light in the instru­
ment
cluster => page 229.
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
center of the instrument
panel => page 230, fig. 233 and tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off .
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to measure the tension on the safety belt . The tension on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the weight-sensing mat help the
control unit
"decide" whether the front airbag for the front
passenger seat should be turned off or
not=> page 220, "Child
restraints on the front seat
-some important things to know". .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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or the low er parts of the body . Front airbags only supplement th e
th re e po int safe ty b elts in som e front al c ollis ions in which the
vehic le dece lerat ion 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 coll is io ns,
• in r ear- e nd collisi ons ,
• in ro llovers,
• when th e cras h de cele ration meas ured b y th e a irba g sys tem is
less than the mini mum threshold needed for a irbag deployme nt as
r egi stere d by th e ele ctr on ic con trol uni t.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy :
• when th e front p asseng er seat is not occ upi ed ,
• when the weight on the front pas senge r seat a s sensed by the
A dvance d Airb ag Syste m indicates t hat th e fr on t airb ag on the
passenger side has to be t urned off b y the e lectronic control unit
(the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li g ht come s on 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.
• Oc cupants 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 220.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child 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 seat or infant carrier with
great force and will smash the child seat and child against the
backrest , center arm rest , door or roof .
• Always install rear-facing child seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front
passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child seat in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag 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 airbag 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 cup
holders, 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 objects .
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the .,_

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a-' g=- s_ y=- s_t _e _m __ fflll
& WARNING (continued )
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury , part icularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
conditions.
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions 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 :~
Two s epa rate i ndic a tors mon itor the fu nction of the
Adv anc ed A irbag S ystem: the airbag monitor ing indi cator
light and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l igh t.
The Adva nce d A irbag S yst em ( includ ing t he e lec tronic co ntrol un it,
se nsor circuits and system wiring) is monitored continuously to
ma ke sure t hat it is fu nctio nin g properl y whene ver th e ig niti on i s on.
E ach time you t urn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring in dicator
lig ht ~ will co me on f or a few s econ ds (se lf diagnos tics).
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
The system must be inspected when the indicator
light
:l t
• does not come on when the i gnition is switched on,
• do es no t go out a few se conds after you have sw itch ed o n the
ign it ion, or
• comes on while d riv in g.
I f an airbag syst em malfunction is d etected, the indicator light will
fi rs t sta rt fl ash ing to catch the d rive r's a tten tion an d th en s tay on
cont in uousl y to serve as a constant rem inder to have the system
i nspec ted i mm ed ia tely.
If a ma lfunction o ccurs that turns t he fro nt a irbag o n th e passe nger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
w heneve r the ig nit io n 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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PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
I~
I
( f8 : !'°""BA I ~ )
Fig. 233 Sec tio n f rom
th e in strum ent p an el:
PAS SEN GER A IR BAG
O FF lig ht
Th e PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light is locat ed in the center of th e
instrument pane l
=> fig. 233 .
The PASSE NGER AIR BA G OFF light will come on and stay on to tel l
you wh en the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has
bee n turned of f by the electron ic contro l unit . Each time you turn o n
the ign ition, th e
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light wi ll flash for a few
seconds and :
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if there is a sma ll chi ld or chi ld restra int on the front
pass enger s eat ,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
reg ist ered by the weight -s e nsing mat .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght must come on and sta y on if the
ignition is on and
• a car bed has been instal led on the front seat, or
• a rearward -facing child restraint has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• a forward -facing child res traint has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• the weight registered on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined weight of a typica l 1 year-old res trained in one of the rear
-facing or forward-facing infant restraints lis ted in
Federa l Motor Vehic le Safety S tandard 208 with which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
I f the front passenger seat is not occup ied, the front a irbag wil l not
deploy, and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light wi ll stay on. Never
install a rearward -facing ch ild restraint on the front passenger s eat,
the safest p lace for a c hild in any kind of c hild restra int is at one o f
the seating posi tions on the rear
sea t=> page 220, "Child restraints
on t he front seat -so me important th ings to know"
and => page 243,
"Chi ld Safety".
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light come s on when one of the
cond it ions l isted above is m et, be sure to check the lig ht regularly
to make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight stays on
cont inuously whenever the ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light do es not appear and 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 and then turning
it on aga in;
• remove and reinstal l the child restraint. Make sure that the child
r estra in t is prope rly instal led and that the safety belt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed around the child restraint
as described in the ch ild res traint manufactu rer's inst ructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
f or the front passenger seat has been activated and t hat the safety
belt has been pulled tight . The bel t must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the sensor below the safe ty belt latch on the sea t can
do its job
=> page 253.
• make sure that things that may inc rease the we ight of the child
and child seat are no t being transported on the front passenger
seat;
• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked .
Shake the safety belt latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
• I f a s trap or tether is be ing used to tie the child 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 continuously (when the ign ition is switched on) ,
• t ake the chil d re stra int off th e front passeng er seat and i nstall it
proper ly at one of the rear seat pos it ions . Have the a irbag system
i nspec ted by y our Audi d ealer im mediately.
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
c h ild is pro perl y restrai ned i n a c hild rest ra in t t ha t is ap prop ria te fo r
its s ize and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light s hou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sittin g in a proper seating position on
the fro nt passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
co me s on a nd stays o n or flas hes fo r abou t 5 s econds whi le d rivin g,
under these ci rcumstances , ma ke su re that :
• th e adult on the front passeng er sea t is pro pe rly s eate d on the
cent er of the seat cushion with his or her back up again st th e back ­
res t and the bac kres t is no t recl ined => page 20 0, "Pr oper o ccupa nt
seating positions",
• the adult i s not ta king w eight off the se at b y ho ld in g on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
su ppo rtin g th eir we ig ht on t he ar mrest,
• the safety belt is being p roper ly worn and that there is not a lot
o f slac k in th e safety bel t webb ing,
• accessory seat covers or c ushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect r ead ing o r impre ss io n on th e w eight-s en sin g m at
unde r the upho lste ry of the seat have been removed from the front
p ass enger sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in t he safety be lt latc h for
the fr ont pass enge r se at.
I n addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of th e
in stru men t p ane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF o r
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appe ar in the instrum ent c luster
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Airbag system
d
isplay . This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a irb ag stat us.•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& 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.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflates , a child without a child restraint , in a
rearward-facing child seat or in a forward-facing child restraint
that has not been properly installed will be seriously injured and can be killed.
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System , make certain that all children , especially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size .
• Always install forward or rear -facing child seats on the rear
seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• If you must install a rearward-facing child seat on the front
passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on , imme ­
diately install the rear-facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer .
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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&, W ARNING (continued )
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pres sure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adult were on the seat and
deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward ­
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat , always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range , as far away from the a irbag as possible. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position. Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
& WARNING
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after tak ing the steps
described above, make sure the adult i s 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 .
[ i] Tips
If the we ight -sens ing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
e mp ty s eat, th e front air bag o n the pass enge r sid e wil l be tur ned
off, and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are insta lled at many different places o n
yo ur Au di. In stal li n g, r emo vin g, s ervic ing or rep airi ng a part i n an area of the vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and
p re vent that sys tem from wor king pr operly in a c ollis ion.
Th ere are some important th ings you hav e to know to ma ke sure
that t he effectivenes s of the system will not be impai red and that
discar ded co mponents do not ca use injury o r po llut e the enviro n­
ment .
& 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 any way .
• Never atta ch any objects su ch as cup holders 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 prop­
erly .
• 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 .I 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 inter-
ference :
~

Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protecti on
to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 23 6 Sid e a ir b ag
lo ca tio n in the d riv er' s
sea t
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
=> fig. 236 and the rear backrest facing the doors . They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system b asic ally con sist s of :
• the electronic control module and external side impact sensors
• the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
• two rear side airbags
• the a irbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni ­
tion, the airbag system indicator light wi ll come o n for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to the driver's, front and rear passenger's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side colli ­
s ion. The airbag deploys only in s ide impacts and on ly when the
vehicle acceleration registered by the control unit is high enough . If
Airb ag syst em
this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control
un it, the side airbags w ill not be triggered, even though the car may
be badly damaged as a result of the col lision. It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that wi ll cover every possible
ang le of impact, since the circumstances will vary considerably
between one collision and another. Important factors include, for
examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the angle
of impact, vehic le speed, etc. =>
page 238, "Important safety instruc ­
tions on the side airbag system".
Aside from their norma l safety function, safety belts work to he lp
keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your safety belt . Rathe r, it
is part of the overa ll occupant restraint system in your vehicle.
Always remember that the side airbag system can only he lp to
pro tect you if you are wearing your safety belt and wear ing it prop­
erly. This is another reason why you should a lways wear your safety
b elts, n ot just because the law requires you to do so =>
page 209,
"General notes".
I t is important to remember tha t while the supplementa l side airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions can
a lso be associated with deployed side airbags . Remember too, side
airbags will deploy only once and on ly in certain kinds of accidents
-your safety belts are always there to offer pro tec tion .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication of over -sensi tive or failed airbag acti ­
vation . In some collisions, both front and side airbags may inflate.
Remember too , that airbags will deploy on ly once and only in
certain kinds of collisions -your safety belts are always there to
offer protection in those acc idents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already dep loyed.
The sid e airbag system will not deploy :
• when the ignition is turned of f
Vehicle care I I Technical data

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& WARN ING (c ontinued)
- Alwa ys hav e w ork on the do ors done by an auth ori zed Audi
de ale r or qualified work shop . •
Side curtain airbags (SIDEGUARD™)
Description of SIDEGUARD™ airbags
The SIDEGUARD™ airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection t o properly restrained occupants.
Fig . 23 8 SIDEG UARD ™
s y st em , dri ve r's si de:
s id e c urt a in airb ag
l oca tio n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides of the interior
above the front and rear side
windows=> fig. 238 . They are identi ­
fied by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the center
roof pillar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupan ts' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a s ide collision. The
side curtain airbag inflates only in side impacts and on ly when the
vehic le acceleration registered by the control unit is high enough . If
this rate is below the reference value programmed into the con trol
unit, the side airbags wi ll not be triggered , even though the car may
be badly damaged as a result of the collision . It is not possib le to
define an airbag triggering range that will cover every possible angle of impact, since the circumstances will vary considerab
ly
be tween one collision and another . Important factors include, for
example, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object, the ang le
of impact, vehicle speed,
etc .=> page 241 , "How side curtain airbags
work" .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety belts work to help keep the dr iver or front passenger in position in the event of a colli ­
sion so tha t the side curtain airbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for you r safety belt. Rathe r, it
is part of the overa ll occupant restrain t system in your vehicle .
A lways remember that the airbag system can only help to protect
you if you are wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear your safety belts, not
just because the law requires you to do
so => page 209, "General
notes".
I t is important to remember that while the side curtain airbag
system is designed to he lp reduce the like lihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for examp le, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions
can a lso be associated with these airbags. Remember too, these
airbags will deploy only once and only in certain kinds of accidents
-your safety belts are a lways there to offer protection.
The side curta in airbag system ba sically con sist s of:
• The electronic control module and externa l side impact sensors
• The side curtain airbags above the front and rear side windows
• T he airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
The airbag system is mo nitored elec tronica lly to make certain it is
functioning proper ly at all times . Each time you turn on the ignition,
the airbag system indicator light wi ll come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics).
T he sid e curtain airbag i s not act ivated:
• if the ignition is turned off,
• in side collisions when the acce leration measured by the sensor
is too low ,
.,_