2010 AUDI S8 technical data

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Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four tie­
downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the t ie-downs to secure yo ur cargo properly ~ page 193,
"Loading the luggage compartment".
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even sma ller items that
are loose in the vehicle will become heavy missiles t hat can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess energy wh ich vary w ith
vehicle speed and the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For examp le, in a frontal coll is ion at a speed of 30 mph (48 km/h),
the forces acting on a 10-lb (4 .5 kg) object a re ab out 20 times the
normal weig ht of the item. This means that the weight of the item
wou ld s uddenly be abo ut 20 0 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the inju­
r ies that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely throug h the passenger
compartment could cause in a collision like this .
& WARNING
Weak, damag ed or improper straps us ed to secure item s to tie ­
downs can fail dur ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
s eriou s personal injury.
• Always u se suitable mounting straps and prope rly se cure items
to the tie -downs in the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dangerous missiles. •
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or coul d cause injury
or death, you should immedi ate ly inform the
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
National Highway Traffic S
afet y Admini stration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA re ce ive s similar complaints, it may
op en a n inve stig ation , and if it finds that a
safety defects exists in a group of vehicles, it
may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become involved in
indi vidual problem s between y ou, y our dealer,
or Audi of Am erica, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll-free at:
Tel.: 1 -888-32 7-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424 -9153)
or write to:
Admini strator
NHTSA 1200 New Jer sey A venue, SE
Washington, D.C . 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor vehi cle safety from :
http: / /www .safer car.gov
Applicable to Canada
Canadian customer s who wish to report a
safety-related defect to Tr ansport Canada,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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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 t
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver and front
seat passenger to remind you about the importance of
buckling-up.
Before driving off, always:
Fig. 201 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster -
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly .
IJ,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Because the passengers of this vehicle are not using safety belts
=> page 198, fig. 202, they will keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, until something stops them
- here, the wall =>
page 198, fig. 203.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a vehicle that is
involved in a frontal collision. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30
to SO km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000
lbs, or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was travelling just before the crash. Of course,
the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they deter­
mine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions.•
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Safety first
Fig. 204 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is violently thrown
forward
Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Fig. 205 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the way=> fig. 204. This impact with the vehicle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not supposed
to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is equipped
with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver, must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of severe injury or
death in a crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and that your
safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the vehicle
where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly . Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other passengers=> fig . 205. In a
frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

& WARNING (continued)
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct
positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the
system.
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
• Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
& WARNING (continued)
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel=>
page 281,
"Safety belts". •
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 207 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To provide maximum protection , safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=>
page 76 , "General recommendations" .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=>& .
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely => fig. 207 .
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle. _.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

& WARNING (continued)
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information ~
page 200. •
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 209 Safety belt
position during preg­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body=:>
page 202.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
::::, page 76, "General recommendations".
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis::::, fig.
209, ::::, /1.
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely::::,
page 201, fig. 207.
-Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• Expectant mothers must always wear the lap portion of the
safety belt as low as possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information ~
& in "Fastening safety belts" on page 201. •
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 210 Releasing
the tongue from the
buckle
Push the red release button on the buckle::::, fig. 210. The
belt tongue will spring out of the buckle::::,
/1.
Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you guide the belt
tongue to its stowed position .
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so
will increase your risk of being injured or killed. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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[I) Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be activated once.
• In minor frontal and side collisions, in rear-end collisions, in a ro ll­
over and in acc idents involving very little impact force, the safety belt
pretensioner are not activated.
• When the safety belt pretensioner is activated, a fine dust is
re leased . This is norma l and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
• The relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehicle or components of the system are scrapped. A qualified deal­
ersh ip is familiar with these regulat ions and will be pleased to pass on
the information to you.
• Be sure to observe all safety, environmental and other regulations
if the vehicl e or individual parts of the system, particularly the safety
belt or a irbag, are to be disposed. We recommend you have your
authorized Audi dea ler perform this service for you .•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
Th e safety belt pretensioners are parts of the safety belts on your
Audi. Installing, removing, servicing or repairing of belt preten­
sioners can damage the safety belt system and prevent it from
work ing correctly in a collision.
Th ere are some important things you have to know to make s ure that
the effectiveness of the system w ill not be impaired and that
discarded components do not cause injury or pollute the environ­
ment.
& WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretensioner 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 activated only once. If belt
pretensioners have been activated, the system must be replaced.
• Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the safety belt
system.
• Safety belt systems including safety belt pretensioners cannot
be repaired. Special procedures are required for removal, installa ­
tion and disposal of this system.
• For any work on the safety belt system, we strongly recom ­
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified tech­
nician who has an Audi approved repair manual, training and
special equipment necessary.
~ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified as
Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca .gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including air bag modu les safety belts
with pretensioners are scrapped, all app licab le laws and regu lations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar with these
requirements and we recommend that you have your dealer perform
th is service for you. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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costs o r even t he lack of ve hicle damage is not necessarily an ind ica­
t ion of w heth er an a irba g should inflat e or not.
S ince the c ircumstances will vary considera bly b etwee n one co llision
and another, it is not possi ble to define a range of vehicle spee ds that
w ill c ove r eve ry po ssibl e kind and angle of i mpac t that will alw ay s
trigge r the a irbags. Im portant facto rs include, for examp le, the
n at ure (har d or so ft ) of th e obje ct wh ich t he c ar hi ts, the an gle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc . T he front airbags w ill also not inflate in
s ide or rear co ll is io ns, or i n roll-o ve rs.
Always remember: Airbags will deploy only once, a nd only in certain
kinds of coll isions . Yo ur safety be lts are a lways there to offer protec ­
ti on in t hose situ ations i n w hich air bags are not s upposed to deploy,
or w hen they have alrea dy de ploye d; for examp le, w hen your ve hicle
s tr ikes or is st ruc k by ano ther ve hicle after the fi rst co llisio n.
T hi s is just one of the reasons w hy a n airbag is a s upplementary
res tra in t a nd i s no t a su bs titu te for a saf ety bel t. The air bag syste m
works most effective ly whe n used w ith the safety belts . Therefore,
always p rope rly wea r you r sa fety belts ~ page 197 .
& WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
decrease the effectiveness of the airbags and will increase the r isk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm ) to the steer ing 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 help you reach the pedals and increase your seating
distance from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of po sition 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
(co ntinued )
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always
wear safety belts properly=>
page 201, "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 r ide unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehicle. Adjust the front seats properly .
• Never r ide with the backrest reclined.
• Always sit as far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel=>
page 188.
• Always sit upright with your back against the backre st 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 equ ipment airbags approved by Aud i and
installed by a trained technician who ha s the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag in your
vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash.
• Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to be installed in
your vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Always remember, a child seat or infant carrier insta lled on the front
sea t m ay be s truck and kno cked o ut o f p osition by the rapidl y
inflating passenge r's airbag in a frontal coll is io n. The a irbag cou ld
great ly reduce the effect iveness of the c hild restraint and even seri­
ously i njure the child dur ing inflat io n.
For this reason, and because the back seat is the safest place for chil­
dren -whe n pro perly restra ined a ccording to their age an d siz e -we
strongly recommend that childre n always sit in the back seat
=> page 23 1, "Child S afety".
& 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 child seat in a rear seating
position 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-f acing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• 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 aga inst 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 ad justed 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 seriou s injury, make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child re straint is installed on the front pas senger seat and the ignition
is switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on, perform
the checks described=>
page 217, "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System ".
• Take the child restra int 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 th e 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