2009 AUDI S8 weight

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
When a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing
m ore tha n the to tal weigh t of a c hild that is ab out 1 year old
restra ined in one of the rear -fac ing or forward -facing infant
r es traints (listed in Fede ra l M oto r Vehicle Safe ty S ta ndard
208 with
which the Advanced Airba g System in your ve hic le was certified),
the fro nt airbag on the pas se nge r si de may o r may not dep loy .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li gh t com es o n when the elect ro ni c
contro l unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requ ires th e front ai rbag to be tur ned off. If th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
h as not been tu rned off by the c ontrol unit and can depl oy if the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its memo ry .
If t he to tal we ight on the fro nt passen ge r seat is more t han t hat of
a typical
1 year -old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the
fro nt a irba g on t he passen ger side may dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
li ght does not come onl.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small ch ild that is heav ie r th a n a typ ical 1 yea r-old ch ild is o n
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
o f th e c hild seats listed
~ page 24"11,
• a ch ild wh o ha s ou tg rown chi ld re strain ts is on the fron t
passen ger seat.
If the front passenge r airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht in the ce nter of t he inst rument panel wi ll co me on a nd stay
on.
The fron t airb ag o n the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht does not i llu m ina te and s ta y lit) i f:
• a small adu lt or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a passenger who is no t sitt ing up rig ht with the ir back aga inst a
non -reclined bac krest with their feet on the vehicle f loor in front of
t h e seat is on th e fro nt pass enger se at.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federa l Standard requires
t he a irbag to m eet th e "low ri sk" deploy ment criter ia to he lp reduce the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag. "
Low risk"
d eployme nt occ urs in those cras hes that ta ke place a t lower de ce l­
erations as defined in the electronic contro l unit~
page 231 .
Always remember :
Even though your vehicle is equipped with
A dva nced Air bags , th e sa fes t place fo r chi ldren is properly
r estra ined on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important
i nf orm atio n in t he sect ions t hat follow and b e sur e to hee d all of the
WARN INGS.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts properly.
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward , sitting sideways or out
of posit ion 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
=> 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 .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
de signed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward -facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat , nobody
can absolutely guarantee that deployment is impossible in all
conceivable situations that may happen dur ing the useful life of
your vehicle.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or infant carrier with
great force and will smash the child seat and child against the
ba ckrest , center arm rest , door , or roof .
• Always install rearward -facing child restraints on the rear seat . ..,.

__________________________________________________ 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

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _ s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver and for the front
s e at passenge r that s enses whether th at sa fe ty bel t i s la tc h ed or n ot
and transmits this information to t he electronic control unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly .
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from func ­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual ­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it .
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat .
If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the
passenger seat. Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight-sensing mat and send the wrong information to the
airbag control unit .
• Never store items under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag Sy stem under the passenger seat could be
damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front pa ssenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
& WARNING (continued)
• Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel , foam cushion or something el se to properly position
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
i nstalled on the front passenger seat .
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , immediately install child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side airbags supp lement
the protection offered by the front three -point safety be lts with
pretensioners and load limiters and t he adjustab le head restraints
to help reduce the risk of injury in a w ide range of accident and
crash si tuat ions. Be sure to read t he im po rta nt i nformation ab out
safety and heed the WARN INGS in this chapter.
Depl oyment of the Adva nc ed A irbag Syst em and the acti vatio n of
the safety belt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured
b y th e c ra sh sen so rs and regi stered by the elec tro nic c ontrol u nit.
C rash severity depends on speed and dece lerat ion as well as the
m ass a nd st iffness of t he vehicle o r object invo lve d i n the c ra s h .
Wh en t he elec tron ic control u nit registe rs a low sever ity c rash and
the safety belt is be ing used, the airbag wi ll not deploy . If the safety
bel t is no t being used, the first s tage d eploys, fo ll o wed by the
second stage after a much later time in the crash sequence . ..

If the electronic control unit registers a crash of medium severity,
the first stage of the airbag deploys followed by the second stage at a much later time in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety be lt is being used or not . In higher severity crashes as regis ­
tered by the e lectronic control unit , both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of sa fety belt use, the airbag w ill
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amoun t program med in the electronic control unit . The front airbag
on the passenger side will also be turned off if one of the chi ld seats
that has been cer tified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 has been recognized on the seat . The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell you when the front Adva nced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off~
page 222,
"Child restraints on the front seat -some important things to
know ".
,& WARNING
T o reduce the ri sk of injury when an airbag inflate s, always w ear
safety belt s properly.
• If you are unrestra ined , leaning forward , sitting sideway s or out
of position in any way , your ris k of injury is much higher .
• You will also re ce ive se rious injurie s and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflat es -
ev en with an Advan ced Airbag
~ page 2 20. •
Safety first
Airb ag sy ste m
More important things to know about front
airbags
F ig . 23 4 I nfl at ed front
airba gs
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so tha t airbags can unfold proper ly and
provide supplementa l prot ection in a fronta l collision.
The fron t airbags are designed to provide addit ional p rotection for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when :
• safety belts are worn properly ,
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as p ossib le from the a irbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with grea t force , things
you have on your lap or have p laced on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When a n airbag depl oys, fine d ust is released . This is norma l and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubrica te the airbags as they d eploy . It could irri tate
skin .
I t is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likel ihood of serious injuries , othe r
injuries, for example swelling , bruising and minor abrasions, can
a ls o happen when airbags inflate . Airbags do no t pro tect the arms •
•
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

-L~A:::..:,: ir:....: b:!..::: a~g L.:: s:1y :...:s::..: t~ e:.: m:...:...:.. ________________________________________________ _
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags supp leme nt th e thr ee­
poi nt s afet y be lts only in so me front al colli sion s in which th e vehi cle
dece lerat ion is hi gh enou gh to d ep loy 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 also will 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 indicates 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 222.
& 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 c ircumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
i mmed iately 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
be ing 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 maneuvers and become dangerous
projectiles 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 object s.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front ..,

-Airbag system PW,._____ -=--=-----------------
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
1~ J,
i
( ~ I :."!l.t.~ A I ~ )
Fig. 235 Sectio n fr om
th e i nstrument panel:
PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center of the
instrument pane l => fig.
235 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on to tel l
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has
been turned off by the electronic contro l unit . Each time you turn on
the ignition, the
PAS SENGER 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 small chi ld or chi ld restraint on the front
passenger seat ,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight -sensing mat .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on if the
ignition is on and
• a car bed has been installed on the front seat, or
• a rearward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• a forward-facing child restraint has been insta lled 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 typical 1 year-old restrained in one of the rear
-facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed in
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag wil l not
deploy, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght wi ll stay on. Never
install a rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest place for a child in any kind of child restraint is at one o f
the seating posi tions on the rear seat=>
page 222, "Child restraints
o n the front seat -some important things to know" and=>
page 245,
"Chi ld Safety".
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
conditions listed above is met , be sure to check the light regularly
to make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light stays on
continuously whenever the ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not appear on and does 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 again;
• remove and reinstal l the child restraint. Make sure that the child
restraint is properly insta lled and that the safety belt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed through the child restraint
as described in the child restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenger seat has been activated and that the safety
belt has been pulled tight . The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job =>
page 255.
• make sure that things that may increase the weight of the child
and child seat are not 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;
• If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child seat to the front
passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes the .,_

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the
seat .
If th e PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still d oes not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child r estraint off the front passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immediately.
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is proper ly restrained in a child restraint that is appropria te for
its size and age .
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating posi tion on
the front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds whi le driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that :
• the adu lt on the front passenger sea t is properly seated on the
center of the seat cushion w ith his or her back up against the back­
res t and the backrest is not reclined => page 202, "Proper occupant
sea ting positions" ,
• the adult is not taking weight of f the sea t by holding on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
supporting their we ight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
of slack in the safety belt webbing,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect reading or impression on the weight -sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for
t he front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of the
instrument pane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF o r
PAS SEN GER AIR BA G ON will briefly appear in the instrument c luster
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a
irbag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag sy stem that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al cra sh .
• If the airbag ind icator li ght come s on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag S ystem . It is
po ssible that the airbag will inflate when it is not suppo sed to , or
w ill not infl ate when it should .
• Have the airb ag system inspe cted immediatel y by you r Audi
dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airba g inflates , a child with out a child re straint , or in a
re arw ard -fa cing chi ld safety seat , or
in a forward-fa cing child
r e str aint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
inj ured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle i s equipped with an Adv anced Airbag
Sy stem , m ake cert ain that all children , e speci ally 12 year s and
younger , always ride on the bac k seat prope rly re strain ed for their
a ge and siz e .
• Alway s install forw ard or rear -facing child seat s on the rear
se at - ev en with an Ad vanced Airbag Sy stem .
• If you mu st install a rearward -fa cing child se at o n th e front
p ass enger sea t be cau se of e xceptional circumstan ce s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not appear and stay on , imme ­
diately in stall the rear -fac ing child seat in a r ear sea ting pos itio n
and have the airbag system inspect ed b y your Audi dealer . .,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

llffll,___A_ ir_ b_ a.::g <-- s-- & WARN ING (continued )
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat c an put too much p res su re
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 mu st be suppre ssed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward ­
f ac ing 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 airbag as possible . The ba ckrest
must be adju sted 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 seat ing 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 m pty s eat, th e front airbag on the passenge r side wil l be tur ned
off , and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght wil l stay on .•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are insta lled at many different places on
yo ur Audi. Ins tal li n g, r em oving, s ervicing o r rep airi ng a part in an area of the vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and
p revent that sys tem from wo rking pr operly in a c ollisi on.
Th ere are some important th ings you have to know to ma ke sure
that the effectiveness of the system will not be impai red and that
discarded co mponents do no t cause i njury or po llute 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 train ing and special equipment
necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend
that you see your author ized 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 :
~