2009 AUDI S8 service

Safety belts -----------------=------
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how
they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instructions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of your passengers, always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts . Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions: two in the front and
three in the rear . Vehicles with power individual rear seats* have
seating for four: two in the front and two in the rear. Each seating
position has a safety belt.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint. •
Safety belt warning light ~
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver and front
seat passenger to remind you about the importance of
buck/ i ng-u p.
Before driving off, always:
Fig. 221 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster -
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly.
1J,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
Adjusting safety belt height
Use the safety belt height adjustment to change belt posi ­
tion on the shoulder.
Fig . 231 Adjusting
shoulder belt height
The safety belt height adjustors for the front seats can be
used to adjust the height of the shoulder portion of the
safety belt so that it is positioned correctly.
- Push the latch=:, fig. 231 up or down so that the shoulder
portion of the safety belt is positioned nearly midway
over the shoulder =:, & in "Safety belt position" on
page 216.
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important informa­
tion
=> page 214. •
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
ries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly positioned on the body. Improper seating
positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body . Improper seating positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and strikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating
position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi­
tion in the vehicle while traveling=:,& .
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants are correctly
restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation
=> page 214. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensloners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners . The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rea r-end collisions
of great severity . This tightens th e belt and takes up belt slack=>
&
in "Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner" on page 219.
Taking up the slack helps to reduce forward occupan t movement
during a collision. _.,

_______________________________________________ S_a _f _e _t -=-y _ b_ e_lt _s __ ffllll
[ i ] Tip s
The safety be lt pretensioner can on ly be activated once.
• I n minor frontal and side collisions, in rear -end coll isions, 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 in the vehicle.
• T he relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehic le or componen ts of the system are scrapped . A qua lified deal ­
ership is familiar with these regulations and wil l be p leased to pass
on the information to you .
• Be sure to observe all safety, environmental and other regula ­
tions if the veh ic le or individual parts of the system, particu larly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed . We recommend you have
your au thorized Audi dea ler perform this service fo r you .•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety bel t pretensio ners are parts of the safety be lts on your
Audi . Installing, removing, servicing or repairing of belt preten ­
sioners can damage the safe ty be lt system and preve nt it from
working correctly in a collision .
There are some important things you have to know to make su re
that the effectiveness o f the system w ill not be impaired and that
discarded components do not cause inju ry or po llute the environ ­
ment.
& WARNING
Improper car e, s ervicing and repair pro cedures can increa se the
ri sk of personal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
p ret ension er from activating when needed or activating it unex ­
pectedly :
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WAR N ING (continued )
• The belt pretens ioner system can be activated only once. If belt
preten sioner s ha ve bee n acti vated , the sy ste m mu st be replaced .
• Never repair , adjust , or change any part s of the safety belt
s y stem .
• Safety belt systems including safety belt preten sioner s ca nnot
be repai red. Speci al pro ced ures a re required for r emoval , in stalla ­
tion and di sposal of this system .
• For any work on the safety belt system , we str ong ly re com ­
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified te chni ­
ci an who ha s an Audi approved repa ir m anual , train ing and spe cial
equipment nece ssary .
~ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be c lassif ied
as Pe rchlo rate 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, all applicable laws and regu la ­
t ions must be observed . Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dea ler
perfor m this service for you .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessari ly an
indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not.
Since the circumstances will vary considerably between one colli­
sion and another, it is not possible to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possible kind and angle of impact that
will a lways trigger the airbags . Important factors inc lude, for
exa mple, the nature (hard or so ft) of the object which the car h its,
the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags will also
n ot inflate in side or rear collisions, or in roll -overs .
Al way s rem ember : Airbags wi ll deploy only once, and on ly in certain
kinds of coll isions . Your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those situat ions in wh ich airbags are not supposed to deploy,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehic le
strikes or is struck by a nother vehicle a fter the first collision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplementary
restraint and is not a substitute for a sa fety be lt. The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the safety be lts. Therefore ,
always prope rly wea r your safety belt s => page 211 .
& WARNING
Sitting too clo se to the steering wheel or in strument panel will
de crease the effect ivene ss of the airbags and will incr ease the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 in ches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
in strument panel.
• If you c annot sit more than 10 in ches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , inve stiga te whether adaptive equipment may be available
to help you reach the pedal s and in crease your se ating dist ance
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestra ined , leaning forward , sittin g side ways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury i s much higher .
• You will also receive serious injur ies and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airba g or too clo se to it when it infl ates -
ev en with an Advanced Airbag .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WAR N IN G ( continued )
• To reduce the ri sk of injury when an airbag inflate s, alw ays
wear safety belt s prope rly~
page 21 5, "S afet y belt s".
• Always make certain that ch ildren age 12 or younger alway s
ride in the rear seat. If children are not p rope rly re str ained , they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflate s.
• Never let children ride unre str ained or impr operly rest rained in
the vehicl e. Adju st the front seat s pr operly .
• Never ride with the b ackrest r eclined .
• Alway s sit a s far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument p anel
~ pag e 202.
• Alway s sit upright with your back again st the backre st of your
seat .
• Ne ver pla ce 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 seriou s injurie s to the leg s and hips if the airbag inflate s.
• Nev er r ecline th e front passenger 's seat to transpo rt obje cts .
Item s can al so mo ve into the area of the side a irbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden m aneuver . Obje cts near the
a irbags can become pro je ctile s and cau se injury when an airbag
inflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be repla ced.
• U se only original equipment airbags approved by Audi and
in stalled by a trained technician who ha s the neces sary tool s and
diagnostic equipment to properly r epla ce any airb ag in your
vehicle and as sure sy stem effectivenes s in a crash .
• Never perm it salvag ed or re cy cled airb ag s to be i nstall ed in
your vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Airbag system -----------------=--=--------
as defined in the electronic control unit~ page 232 , "PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF l igh t" .
A lways remember, a ch ild seat or infant carrier installed on the 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 fro nta l co llision . Th e airb ag co uld
g reatly reduce the effectiveness of the chi ld restraint and even seri ­
ousl y injure t he c hild duri ng i nflati on .
F or this reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest place for
ch ildr en -w he n prop erly res trained acc ording t o th eir age an d size
- we stro ngly recomm end that c hild ren a lwa ys sit in th e back seat
~ page 24 5, "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 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.
• 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
& 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 231 , "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 pe rson 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 spe cial 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 ve hicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
c o mp lia nce wi th United States Fede ral Moto r Vehicle Sa fety Stan ­
dard 208 as appl icab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
T
he front Advanced Airbag System supplements the safety bel ts to
p ro v id e ad ditional p rotecti on for t he dr iver's an d fro nt p assenger's
heads and upper bodies in fronta l cras hes . The ai rbags inflate only
in fro ntal im pac ts whe n the vehic le dece le ra tio n is h igh enoug h.
T he fron t Adva nced Airbag System for the fron t seat occ upa nts is
not a substitute for your safety belts . Rather, it is part of the overa ll
occupa nt rest rai nt syste m in you r veh icle. A lways r em emb er that
the ai rbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
u pr igh t, w ear ing yo ur safety b elt and w earin g it p ro perly . This is w hy
you and your passeng ers must a lways be prop erly r estrained, not
ju st beca use the law req uires y ou to be .
The Ad va nced A irbag System in you r ve hicle has been certi fied t o
meet the " low risk" req uirements f or 3 a nd 6 yea r-o ld child ren on the
p asse nger sid e and very s mall adu lts on t he dr iver s ide. The l ow risk
dep loyment crite ria are intended to he lp reduce t he ris k of in jury
th rough interac tion w ith the front a irb ag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the stee ring whee l and instrument
p a nel wh en the a irbag i nflates.
I n add ition, the s yst em has been cert if ied to comply with the
"su ppressio n" re quir emen ts of the Sa fe ty Standa rd, to tu rn off th e
fr ont a irba g for in fa nts 12 months old and youn ger who a re
rest rained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
li ste d i n the Sta ndard:::::,
page 247 , "Child r estrai nts and Adva nced
A irbags".
"S upp ression" req uires the fron t airb ag on th e pas se nger s ide to be
turned off if:
• a child up to a bout one yea r of age is restrained on the front
passen ger seat in on e of the re ar -faci ng or forward -fac in g i nfa nt
restra ints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safe ty Standard 208 with
whi ch the A dvanc ed A irbag Sys tem in your vehic le w as c ertifi ed. For
a listing of the child rest raints that were used to cert ify your
v ehi cle's c om plia nce w ith the US S afet y Standar d:::::,
pag e 24 7,
• weight le ss than a threshold leve l stored in the cont ro l u nit is
d etected on the fr ont passe ng er sea t. .._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ lll
& W ARNING (continued )
• If you must in stall 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 deale r.
& 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
T he front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very i mporta nt
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it . T hese parts inc lude the
we ig ht -sens ing mat, se nso rs, w iring, bra cke ts, and more . The func ­
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the e lec­
tr onic con trol uni t w hen the ig nit io n i s on. T he co ntro l u nit mo nitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the a irbag indicator li ght on
w he n a mal fu ncti on in th e sy ste m com ponen ts is de tec ted . Th e
function of the airba g indicator lig ht is desc ribed in greater detail
below . Because the front passenge r seat contains important parts
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation of the Advanced Airbag System, you must
take care to prevent it
fro m being damaged. Damage to the sea t may prevent t he
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a cra sh.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following: • C rash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehic le
acce lera tion/dece lera tio n to p rovide i nfo rm ati on to the A dva nce d
Airbag System about the severity of the crash .
• An ele ctro nic c ontrol unit , with integ ra te d crash se nsors f or front
and side impacts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
fr ont airbags based on the info rmati on receive d from the cras h
sensors. The control unit also "decides" whethe r th e safety belt
p retens ione rs sh ould be activated .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driv er inside th e
stee ring w hee l hub .
• A n Advanced Airbag with gas gene rator inside the instrument
p a nel for the fr ont pa ssen ger.
• A weight -sens ing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
pa ssenge r sea t cush io n th a t m eas ures the tot al w eig ht on the se at .
T he info rmation registered is sent continuously to the e lect ron ic
c on tro l unit t o reg ulate de plo ym en t of th e fr ont A dva nce d Ai rbag on
th e passenger sid e.
• An airbag monito rin g syst em and indicator lig ht in the instru­
ment cluster => page
231 .
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht co mes o n an d stays on in th e
center of the instrument panel=> page
232 , fig. 235 and tells you
w hen th e front A dv anced Air b ag o n the p asseng er s ide h as been
turned off .
• A se nso r be low t he safety belt l atc h for the fro nt sea t pass enger
to measure the tension on the safety be lt . T he tension on the safety
belt and the w eigh t re giste red by the wei ght-s en sing mat h elp t he
control unit "decide" whether the front airbag for the front
p asse nge r seat shou ld be t urned off or not => pag e
222, "Child
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know". _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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