2010 AUDI S8 warning light

-Airbag system
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--=----------------
When a perso n is detected on the fro nt passenger seat, we ig hi ng
mo re t han t he total we ight of a chi ld t hat i s ab out 1 year old
restra ined in o ne of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant
restraints (listed in Fed eral Moto r Vehicle Safety Sta ndard
208 with
w hich the Advanced A irbag System in you r veh icle was cert ified), the
front airbag on the passenge r side may or may not dep loy.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t co mes on when the ele ct ronic
control un it detects a tota l weight on t he front passenger seat t hat
re qu ires the fron t air bag to be turned of f. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
li ght does not come on, the front a irbag on the passenger
side has not been tu rned of f by the con trol unit and can dep loy i f the
cont rol un it senses an impact that meets the cond itions stored in its
memory.
If the tota l weig ht o n th e fron t passenger seat is more than that of a
typical
1 year-old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the front
a ir bag o n the p assenge r sid e m ay deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht does not come on).
For example , the airbag may deploy if:
• a small ch ild that is heav ie r th an a typ ica l 1 year-o ld child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whethe r the chi ld is in one of the
c hild se ats liste d=>
page 23 3),
• a child who has outgrown chi ld rest rai nts is on t he front passenger
se at.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht in the cen ter of t he ins trume nt panel w ill come on and stay
on.
T he front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not illum inate and s tay lit) if:
• a small a dult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a passenger w ho i s not sit ting up rig ht w ith their back against a
non -reclined bac krest with the ir feet on the ve hicle floor in front of
th e seat is o n the fr ont pas senge r seat.
If the front passenge r a irbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
t he airbag to mee t the "low risk" deployment c rit er ia to help reduce the risk of in
jury t hrough interaction with the a irbag. "Low r isk"
de ploymen t oc cur s in th o se cra shes that take plac e at l owe r de celer ­
ations as defined in the elect ronic contro l unit=>
page 217 .
Always remember: Even t hough your ve hicle is eq uipped with
Adv anced Airbags, the safes t pla ce for child ren is prope rly re st rai ned
on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important in formation in
th e sections t hat foll ow and be su re t o hee d all of the WA RNINGS .
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflate s, always wear
safety belts properly.
• 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 =>
page 206.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat installed on the front
pa ssenger seat will be seriou sly 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
designed 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 situation s that may happen during 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
backrest, center armre st, door , or roof .
• Always install rearward-facing child restraints on the rea r seat .
• If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front
passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and the

Airbag system Ill
----------------=--=---
& WARNING (co ntinued )
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
imm ediately ins tall the rear-facing child seat in a rear seating
position and have the a irbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you mu st install a forward-facing
c hild restraint on the front passenger 's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and cert ified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
pa ssenger front and side airbag .
• Never put the forward-facing child re straint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Alway s move the passenger seat into it s rearmost po sition in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible , befo re installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright pos ition.
• 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 i n your veh icle has a lot of very important
parts o f th e A dva nced A irbag System in it. These parts include t he
we ight-sens ing mat, sensors, wiring, bracke ts, and more . The func­
ti on of the system in the front p assenger seat is chec ke d by the e lec ­
tr on ic contro l u ni t whe n the ig ni tion is on . T he contro l unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
when a mal function in the system compone nts is detected. The func­
tion of the a irbag indicator light is described in g reater detail be low.
Be ca u se the fron t passenge r seat con tains import ant parts of the
Advanced Ai rbag System, you must take care to prevent it from being
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
damaged
. Damage to the seat may prevent t he Adva nced A irbag for
t he fro nt pa ssenge r se at from d oin g its jo b in a cra sh.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Cras h sensors in the front of the vehicle t hat measure vehicle
acc ele rat ion/d ece le rat ion to prov ide info rma tion t o the Adv anced
Airbag System about t he severity of the crash .
• An e lec tron ic con trol uni t, w ith i ntegr ated cr ash sen sors fo r front
and side impacts. The contro l unit "dec ides" w het her to fire the front
air bag s base d on th e inf ormati on re ceived from t he cr ash sensors.
T he control unit also "decides" whether the saf ety b elt pret ensio ners
sh ould be ac tiva ted.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the dr ive r inside the
stee ring w hee l hub .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the inst rument
p ane l for the fron t passenge r.
• A weig ht-sensing mat under the upholste ry padd ing of the front
passenge r seat cushi on th at m easures the tota l we ig ht on t he seat.
The informat ion registe red is se nt co ntinuo us ly to the electronic
contr ol un it to r egulat e dep lo ym en t of th e fr ont Adv anced A irbag on
the passenger side .
• An a irbag moni to ring system a nd ind icator light in the inst rume nt
cl uster =>
page 217.
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on an d stays o n in the
center o f the instr ument panel =>
page 218, fig. 215 an d tells you
whe n the fr ont Ad van ced Air bag on the p assenge r sid e has bee n
t ur ned off.
• A senso r bel ow th e saf ety b elt la tch fo r the front s eat pa ss e ng er
to meas ure the tension on the safety be lt . Th e tens io n on the safety
bel t an d t he we ight regi stered by the we ig ht- se ns ing mat he lp t he
cont rol un it "dec ide" whether the front airbag fo r th e front
pa ssenger se at sh o uld be tur ned o ff o r no t =>
p age 20 8, "Ch ild
restraints on t he front seat -some important thi ngs to know". ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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• A sensor in the safety belt latch for t he driver and for the front
sea t passenge r that senses w hether t hat s afe ty bel t is la tc h ed or not
and transmits this information to the electron ic cont rol un it .
& 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 Sy stem from func ­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat mu st be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained wo rkshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the uphol stery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disas semble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it.
• Never carry sharp object s in your pockets or place them on th e
seat.
If the weight -sens ing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
s eat. Such items can in crease the weight regi stered 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
Advan ced Airbag Sy stem under the pass enger seat could be
damaged, prevent ing 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 seat s.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child re straints or occupants on the front pas senger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Never u se cushions , pillow s, blankets or s imilar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advan ced
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 else to properly po sition
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stay s on whenever the child re straint 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 posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
Th e front Advanced A irbag System and the side airbags sup plement
the protect ion offered by the fro nt three -po int safety belts with
pretens ioners and load lim iters a nd the adjustable head restra ints to
he lp red uce the risk of i nju ry in a wide range of accident and crash
si tua tions. Be su re to re ad the impo rtan t info rmat ion about safe ty
and heed the WARNINGS in this c hapter.
Deploy ment o f the Advan ced Air bag Sys tem and t he activ ation o f the
safety belt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured by
the crash sensors and registered by the electronic contro l u ni t. Crash
sever ity depe nds on speed and decelerat ion as well as the mass a nd
st iffness of the ve hicle or object invo lve d in the crash.
W hen the elect ronic contro l uni t reg isters a low sever ity cras h and
the safety belt is being used, the airbag will not dep loy . If the safety
be lt i s no t being used , the fi rs t sta ge dep loy s, followed by t he second
stage after a much later time in the crash sequence. ..

If the electronic control unit reg isters a crash of medium severity, the
first stage of the airbag deploys follo wed by the second stage at a
much later t ime in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety belt is being used or not. In higher severity crashes as regis­
tered by the electronic control unit, both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag will
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control unit. The front airbag
on the passenger side w ill also be turned off if one of the child seats
that has been certified 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 Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off~
page 208, "Child
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know".
& 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 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~
page 206. •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 214 Inflated
front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so that airbags can unfold properly and
prov ide supplemental protection in a frontal collision.
Th e front airbags are designed to provide additiona l protection 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 possible from the airbag ,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force, things
you have on your lap o r have placed on the seat could become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy . It could irritate
skin .
It is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is desig ned to reduce the likelihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swell ing, bruising and m inor abrasions, can also
happen when airbags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms or the •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-L___:_A~ i r'....: b~ a ::::: gL:: s~y -=s ::..:t :.:e :..: m..:..:.. ______________________________________________ _
lower parts of the body . Front airbags supplement the th ree-point
sa fety belts o nly in some fron tal co llis io ns in whi ch the vehicl e decel­
eratio n is h igh enough to d eploy the a irbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is sw itched off when a cras h occ urs,
• in s ide collisions,
• in rea r-end collisions,
• in rollovers,
• when the cras h deceler ati on me asured by t he airba g sy st em is le ss
than t he m in imum thres hold needed for airbag dep loyment as regis­
t ere d by the e lectro nic cont rol uni t.
The front passenger airbag also will not deploy:
• when the front pas se ng er s eat is not occupi ed,
• when the we ight on the front passenge r seat as sense d by the
Adv anced Air bag Sy stem indicat es th at t he fron t a irbag on the
passenger s ide has to be turned off by the e lec tron ic cont rol u nit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t com es o n an d st ay s on ).
& 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 208 .
& 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 armrest, 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 ch ild seat in a rear seating
position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer .
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airb ag 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 maneuvers and become dangerous
projectiles that can cause se rious 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 , especially
when the airbags inflate. ..,.

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g '--- s.:.y _s _t_ e _ m ___ lffll
& WARNING (co nti nued )
• Never recline the front p assenger 's seat to transport objects.
It em s can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbag s can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined.
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbag s deploy can cause breathing
problem s for people with a hi story of asthma or other breathing
conditions .
• To reduce the risk of br eathing problems, those with asthma or
other re spiratory conditions should get fre sh air right away b y
getting out of the vehicle
or opening windows or doors .
• If you are
in a collision in which airbags deploy , wa sh 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 sep arate indic ato rs m onito r the fu nctio n of the
Adva nce d A irbag Syst em: the ai rbag monito ring in di cator
light and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced A irbag System ( including the elect ronic contro l unit,
senso r cir cuits and syst em wi ring) is monitored co ntinu ously to make
sure that it is f unction ing p roperly w henever the ignition is on. Eac h
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
time you t
urn on the ign ition , the airbag mo nitoring ind icator lig ht ti
w ill come on fo r a few seconds (se lf di agnos tics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light ~:
• does not come on when t he ignit ion is switched on,
• does not go out a few seconds after you hav e switched on the igni­
tion, or
• comes o n wh ile d riving.
If an a irbag system malfunction is detected, the ind icator light will
fir st s tar t flashing to ca tch t he dr ive r's a tten tion and then st ay on
cont inuous ly to serve as a constant rem inder to have the system
inspec ted immed ia tely .
If a ma lfunct io n occ urs t hat t urns the front a irbag on the passenger
side o ff, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght will come on and stay on
w henever the igni tion is on .
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag ind icator 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

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g '--- s.:.y _s _t_ e _ m ___ _
weight-sens ing mat to measure mo re weig ht than is actually on t he
se at.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and
does not stay on cont in uou sly (when the ignition is sw itched on),
• t ake the child re st raint o ff the fr ont pa ssenge r seat and in stall i t
prope rly at one of t he rear seat pos itions. Have t he a irbag system
i n sp ec ted by you r A udi d eal er i mmedi ately.
• move the child to a rear seat posit io n and make sure that the child
is prop erly restra ined in a chi ld restr aint t hat is a ppropr iate f or its
size and age .
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light sho uld NOT come on when t he
ign ition is on and an adult is sitt ing in a proper seating pos it io n on the
front passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on or flashes for abou t 5 seco nds w hile driving, under these
circumstances, make sure that:
• t he adult on t he fr on t p asse nger sea t is prope rly se ate d on the
center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the backrest
and the bac krest is not recline d=> page 188, "Proper occ upant
seating posit ions",
• t he adult is n ot tak ing weig ht off t he se at by h olding on to t he
passenger assist handle above the fro nt passenger doo r or
s u pp orting their weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is be ing properly worn and t hat there is not a lot of
s la ck in t he safe ty be lt webb ing ,
• accessory seat cove rs or cushions o r othe r th ings that may cause
an in cor rect re adin g or impress io n o n the weight -sen sing m at under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed from the front
pas senge r sea t,
• a safety be lt extender has not been left in the safety belt latch fo r
t he fr ont p asse n ge r se at.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in t he center of the
instrument pa nel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill b riefly appear in th e inst rume nt clus ter
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
display. This
is to inform the dr iver of the current front passenger
a ir bag s tatus. •
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, or in
a rearward-facing child safety 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 i s 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,
immediately install the rear-facing child seat in a rear seating
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deal er.
• A tight tether or othe r strap on a rearward-facing child
restraint attached to the front passenger seat can put too much
pressure on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and register more
weight than i s actually on the seat. The heav ier 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 ex ceptional circumstances, you must install a forward·
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat, always move
the seat into i ts rearmo st po sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust ·
ment range, as far away from the airbag 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 do es not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps
de scribed 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
empty seat, the front a irbag on the passenger side w ill be t urne d off,
and the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light w ill stay on .•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts o f the a irbag system are installed at many different p laces on
your Audi. Install ing, remov ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an
area of the ve hicle can damage a part of an airbag system and preve nt
t ha t system from working pro perl y in a coll is ion.
T here are some important thi ngs you have to know to make sure that
the effectiveness of the system will not be impa ired and that
discarded components do no t cause injury or poll ute 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 attach any objects such as cup holders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag unit s.
• For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft,
dry cloth or one moistened with plain water. Solvent s 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 part s of the airbag system .
• All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel , front seats
or electrical sy stem (including the installation of audio equip·
ment , cellular telephones and CB radios, etc .) must be performed
by a qualified technician who ha s the training and special equip ·
ment necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system, we strongly re commend
that you see your autho rized Audi dealer o r qualified workshop.
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body.
liJ,,