2008 AUDI S8 technical data

Safety b elts -
----------------=--
[ i ] Tip s
The sa fet y belt pretens ioner can on ly be activated once.
• I n minor frontal and side col lisions, in rear -end collisions, in a
rollover and in accidents involving very litt le impact force, the safety
belt pretensioner are not activated .
• When the safety be lt pretensioner is activated, a fine dust is
released . This is normal and is not caused by a fire i n the vehicle.
• T he relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehic le or c om po n en ts of the system are scrapped . A qua lifi ed deal ­
ership is fami liar with these regulations and wil l be p leased to pass
on the info rmation to you .
• Be sure to observe al l safety, environmenta l and other regula ­
t ions if the veh ic le or indiv idual parts of the sys tem, particu larly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We recommend you have
your au thorized A udi dea ler perform this service for you .•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretension er
The safety belt pretens io ners are parts of the sa fety be lts on your
Audi. Installing, removing, servicing or repairing of belt preten­
s ioners can damage the sa fe ty be lt system and prevent it from
working correctly in a collision.
There a re some important things yo u have to know to make su re
t hat t he effec tive ness o f the system w ill not be impaired and that
discarded compone nts do not cause injury or po llute the environ ­
ment.
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair pro cedures can increase the
ri sk of personal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretension er from activating when needed or activating it unex­
pectedly:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
&, WARNING (continued )
• The belt pretensioner system can be a ctivated only once. If belt
preten sioner s ha ve been activated, the system mu st be repla ced .
• Never repair , adju st, or change any part s of the safety belt
s ystem .
• Safety belt sy stems including safety belt pretensioners cannot
be repaired. Speci al pro cedures are required for removal , in stalla ­
tion and di sposal of this system .
• For any work on the safety belt system , we strongly re com ­
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified techni ­
c ian who ha s an Audi approved repair m anual , training and spe cial
equipment nece ssary .
~ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be c lassif ied
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 be lts
with pretensioners are scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regu la ­
tions must be observed . Your authorized Au di dealer is fa mi liar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dea ler
perfor m this service for y ou.•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a-' g=- s_ y=- s_t _e _m __ lfflll
r ep air costs or ev e n the lac k of veh icle dama ge is not necessari ly an
indicati on of w heth e r an air b ag s houl d infla te or not .
I t is not poss ib le to def in e a ran ge of v ehicle sp ee ds t hat w il l cover
eve ry po ssible kind and ang le of impact that wil l a lway s trigger the
a ir b ags , s in ce t he cir cum stanc es w ill vary c onsid era bly be tw een
one co llision and another . Important factors inc lude , for example,
th e nat ure ( hard or soft) of the o bject w hic h the car h its, the a ng le
of impact, ve hicle speed, etc. The front airbags wi ll also not inflate
in side or rea r co lli s io ns, or i n ro ll-ov ers .
Always remember : Airbags w ill d eploy only onc e, an d on ly in c ertain
k inds of coll isi ons. Your s afe ty b elt s a re a lway s the re to o ffer prot ec­
t ion in th ose s ituat io ns in whi ch airba gs are not su pposed to deplo y,
or whe n th ey hav e a lready dep lo yed; for ex am ple, wh en your v ehi cle
s tr ik es or i s struc k by another a ft e r th e fir st c ollis ion .
T his is just one of the reasons why a n airbag is a su pple mentary
r es traint and is not a sub stitut e for a sa fe ty b elt. T he ai rbag s ystem
w ork s most eff ect ively wh en us ed w ith the saf ety be lts . T herefore,
alw ay s pr operly w ea r y ou r safe ty b e lts ~ page 2 09.
& WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
decrease the effectiveness of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
instrument panel.
• If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , investigate whether adaptive equipment may be available
to held you reach the pedals and increase your seating distance
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestrained , leaning forward, sitting sideways or out
of position in any way, your risk of injury is much higher .
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
&, WARNING (continued )
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always
wear safety belts
properly ~ page 213, "Safety belts ".
• Always make certain that children age 12 or younger always
ride in the rear seat . If children are not properly restrained , they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflates.
• Never let children ride unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehicle . Adjust the front seats properly .
• Never ride with the backrest reclined .
• Always sit as far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel
~ page 200.
• Always sit upright with your back against the backrest of your
seat.
• Never place your feet on the instrument panel or on the seat .
Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help prevent serious injuries to the legs and hips if the airbag inflates .
• 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
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury when an airbag
inflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be replaced.
• Use only original equipment airbags approved by Audi and
installed by a trained technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly repla ce any airbag in your
vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash .
• Never permit salvaged or recy cled airbags to be installed in
your vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

as defined in the elec tronic control unit~ page 230 , "PA SSENGER
AI R BAG OFF ligh t".
A lways r em ember, a ch ild seat or infant carrier install ed on th e front
seat may be st ruck and knocked out of position by the rap idly
i n fl ating pass enger's airbag in a fr ontal co llisio n. T he airb ag co uld
greatly reduce the effectivenes s of the chi ld restraint and even seri ­
ously inju re t he c hild duri ng i nflatio n .
F or this reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest place for
chi ldr en -w hen pro perly res traine d acc ording to th eir age an d size
- w e stron gly recomm end that c hildren a lways sit in th e bac k seat
~ page 243, "C hil d Safe ty" .
& 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 car rier 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.
• Forward -facing child seats installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag and cause
serious personal injury to the child .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Airbag system
&, WARNING (continued )
• 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.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on , perform
the checks described
~ page 229 , "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer immedi ­
ately .
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu­
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward or
rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Airbag system -
--------------=---=--
& WARNING (continued)
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts.
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained.
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, especially infants and small
children, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with
the
"low risk" option under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that
is heavier than the typical one-year old child is on the front
passenger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position.
• For their own safety, all children, especially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan ­
dard 208 as applicable 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 frontal crashes . The airbags inflate only
in frontal impacts when the vehicle deceleration 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 overall
occupant restraint system in your vehicle. Always remember that
the airbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
upright, wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is why
you and your passengers must always be properly restrained, not
just because the law requires you to be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
meet the "low risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year -old children on the
passenger side and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to help reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for
example, by being too close to the steering wheel 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 245, "Child restraints and Advanced
Airbags".
"Suppression" requires the front airbag 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
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified. For
a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your
vehicle's compliance with the US Safety
Standard => page 245,
• weight less than a threshold level stored in the control unit is
detected on the front passenger seat.
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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

__________________________________________________ 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

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

Airbag system -
--------------=---=--
& WARNING (continued )
-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 immedi ­
ately 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 .
• For safety reasons in severe accidents , the alternator and
starter are separated from the vehicle battery 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 ­
cable safety precautions must be followed .
For the sake of the environment
Undeployed ai rbag mod ule s and pr etensione rs mi ght b e cla ssi fied
as Perchlorate Material -sp ecial handling may ap ply, s ee
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
parts of th
e restraint syst em incl uding airbag modules saf ety be lts
w ith preten sio ne rs a re sc rapped, a ll a pp lic ab le laws a nd re g ul a­
tions must be observ ed. Your authorized Audi deale r is fam iliar with
t hese req uir e m ents a nd we rec ommend tha t yo u have yo ur dea ler
perfor m this service for you .•
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
C han ging the vehic le 's suspens ion system can change the way that
t h e Ad va n ce d Ai rbag Sys tem perfo rm s in a crash. F or e xam ple,
using ti re -r im comb inations not app rov ed by Audi, lower ing the
ve hic le , ch angi ng th e st iff ne ss of the su sp en sion , in cludin g the
springs, suspension struts, shock absorbers etc . can cha nge the
forc es that are measu re d b y th e a irbag sens ors a nd sen t to the e lec ­
t ronic con trol un it. Some suspens ion chan ges can, for exa mple,
i nc rea se the force le v e ls mea sured by the sen so rs and make the
a irb ag sys tem de plo y i n cras hes in whi ch it wo uld not de plo y if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of changes may reduce
t h e force leve ls m easured by t he se nso rs a nd p reve nt t he a irba g
from deploy ing when it should .
T he se nsor s in th e safe ty bel t buc kle for th e dr ive r a nd fr ont
passen ger seat te ll th e electron ic control module if t he safety belt is
l a tc h e d or n ot. If t he safety belt is b ein g use d, th e fr ont ai rbag will
dep loy at a s lig htly h igher rate of veh ic le dece lerat ion t han if t he
safety belt is not being use d. Therefore, in a partic ular collision, it is
poss ible t hat an airba g w ill not deplo y at a s eat ing pos itio n where
the safety be lt is being used but wi ll inflate at the position where t he
sa fe ty be lt is no t bein g used. It i s im por ta nt th at n othi ng i nterfe re
with t he safety belt buc kles so that the sensors can send the correct
info rm ati on abou t sa fet y bel t use to th e ele ctr on ic co ntrol unit.
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data