2010 AUDI S8 steering

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Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
~ page 188,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly~ page 77,
- Wear safety belts properly~
page 200,
- Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children~
page 231.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. Therefore in
order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a driver
and as a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions =>
page 188, "Proper occupant seating positions". For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 77.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=>
page 231.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system.
Proper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If you have a physical impairment or condi­
tion that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat with
the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, please contact your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-800-822-
2834 for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator will fill the airbags,
break open the padded covers, and inflate between the steering
wheel and the driver and between the instrument panel and the front
passenger . The airbags will deflate immediately after deployment so
that the front occupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy. Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement.
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside of the vehicle while reducing the
forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help
to reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash .
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal collisions. The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration rate
caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control unit.
If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control
unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage, repair .,,,.

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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

-Airbag system --
--=------------------------------
& WARN ING (con tin ue d)
• Imp rope r installati on of child re straint s can reduc e their effec­
ti veness or ev en prevent them from providing any protection .
• An improperl y installed child restr aint can interfere with the
airbag a s it deploy s and seriou sly injure or e ven kill the child -even
with an Ad vanced Airbag System .
• Always c are fully follow the manu facturer 's instructions
provided with the child seat or carrier.
• Nev er place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight regi stered b y the weight-sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash. •
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig . 212 L ocation of
dri ver airb ag : in
stee ring wh eel
I
-
Fig. 2 13 Locati on of
fr ont pas se n ger's
a ir ba g: in the instru·
m ent pa nel
Your vehicle i s equ ipped with an "Advanced A irbag System" in compli ­
ance with United States Federal Moto r Veh icle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time you r veh icle was ma nufac­
t u red . The safety be lts for the front seats have " pretensioners" that
help to take s lack out of the be lt system. The p ret ensioners are a lso
activated by the electronic control unit for the airbag system.
T he front safe ty be lts also have load limi ters to help red uce t he forces
applied to the body in a c rash.
T he airbag for the dr iver is in the steering whee l hub => fig . 212 and
the airbag fo r the front passenger is in the instrument panel
=> fig. 213 . T he general location of the airbags is marked "AIRBAG".
T here is a lo t you need to know abou t the airbags in your vehicle. We
urge you to read the deta iled information about airbags , safety be lt s
and child safety i n this and t he o ther chapters that make up the
owner's literature . Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely importa nt fo r your safety a nd the sa fety of your passen ­
gers, especially infants a nd small children .
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
• Even when they deploy, airbag s provide only supplementa l
protection .

Airbag system -----------------=--=---
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, especially infants and small
children, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front pa ssenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag Sy stem 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
pas senger seat and the other condition s 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 alway s ride in the back properly re strained for
their age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance wi th Uni ted States Feder al Motor Vehicle Safe ty Standar d
208 as app licab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
T
he front Advanced A irbag System supp lements the safety belts to
prov ide add itional p rote ction for the dr ive r's and fr ont pa ssenge r's
heads a nd upper bodies in fro ntal crashes. The airbags inflate on ly in
fronta l im pacts w he n the vehicle dece le ration is high enoug h.
Th e front Adv anced Airbag Sys te m f or the fron t se at oc cupan ts is no t
a s ubstitute for your safety be lts. Rathe r, it is part o f the overa ll occu­
p a nt res tra in t system in y our ve hicl e. Alway s remembe r th at the
airbag system can on ly help to protect you, if yo u are s itting upr ight,
we aring yo ur sa fety be lt and wear ing it prope rly. This i s why you and
your passengers must always be p roperly restra ined, not just beca use
t he law requires you to be.
The Adva nce d A irbag System in your vehicl e has b een cert ified to
meet the " low ris k" requirements fo r 3 and 6 year-old c hildren on the
p as senge r side an d very sma ll adults on the d river side. The low r isk
deployment criter ia a re intended to he lp red uce the risk of in jury
t hroug h in ter action wi th the fr ont air bag t hat can oc cur, fo r exam ple,
by being too close to the steering wheel and instr ument panel when
t he ai rbag inf lates.
I n addit ion, the system has bee n certified to comply wi th t he
"sup pression" requirements of the Safety Sta nda rd, to turn
off the
front airbag for infants 12 mont hs old and you nger w ho are
restra ined o n the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
listed i n the Standard::::>
pag e 233, "Child restraints a nd Advanced
Airbags".
"Supp ression" re quires the fron t airb ag on the passenger side to be
t urn ed
off if:
• a ch ild up to about one yea r of age is restrained on the front
passenger s eat in one o f the re ar-fa cing o r forwar d-fac ing infant
restra ints listed i n Federal Moto r Vehicle Safety Stan dard 208 with
w hich the A dvanc ed Air bag System in y our ve hicle w as certi fied . For a
list ing of the child rest raints t hat were used to ce rtify your vehicle's
co mplia nce wi th th e US Safety St and ard
=> page 2 33,
• weight less than a thresho ld level stored in the contro l unit is
de te cted on t he fr ont passenge r sea t.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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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. ..,.

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& 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,,

-Airbag system PHI- --=--=----------------
& WARNING
Changing th e vehicle 's su spension including use of unappro ved
tire -rim c ombination s can change Advan ced Airbag performan ce
and increas e the risk of serious personal injury in a cra sh .
• Never install suspension component s that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components or iginally
installed on your veh icle.
• Never u se tir e-rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Item s stored be tween the safety belt buckl e and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the ele ctroni c control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from w orking properl y.
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they a re not obstru cted .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be class ified as
Perc hlorate Mate rial -spe cial ha ndling may apply , see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/pe rchlorate . When the vehicle or
p arts of t he rest raint sys tem including a irbag mod ules and safe ty
belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed . Your authorize d Audi dea ler is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have yo ur dealer
perform this serv ice for you. •
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protect ion
to properly re str ained f ro n t seat occupants.
0
Fig. 21 6 Driv er' s
a ir ba g
The a irbag for the dr iver is located in the inst rument pane l under­
neath the steering wheel~ fig . 216, t he airbag for the passenger is
at abo ut the same height in t he instr ument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
Th e knee airbag offers addit ional protec tion to the dr ive r's and
passenger's knees and upper and lower thigh areas as a s upplement
t o the sa fety bel ts.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee airbags a lso deploy i n frontal
co llisions above a certain severity~
page 215, "More importan t
t hings to know abou t front airbags ".
Besides the ir no rma l safety function , safety belts work to help keep
t he drive r o r front passenger in po sit ion in c ase of a frontal collision
so that the a irbags can provide protection .
Th e airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt . Rather, it is
pa rt of the ove rall occ upant re st ra int system in your veh icle. Always
remember t hat the airbag system can on ly help to protect you if you
are wearing your safety be lt and wear ing it pr operly . T his is why you ..

ffl..,___A_ ir_ b_ a-=g :..- s.:o.y _s _t _e_ m _______________________________________________ _
When the system is dep loyed , the a irbags sta rt to fill with a propel­
lan t gas, and infla te be twee n the lower p art of th e ins tru men t pan el
and the driver and the lowe r part of the instrumen t panel a nd the
front passenge r=>
page 215, fig . 21 4.
Alt hough t hey are no t a soft pi llow, they can "cushi on" th e im pact
and in t his way they can he lp to reduce the risk of in jury to the lower
ext rem ities.
All this takes place i nstantaneously, so fast that many people don't
even rea lize that t he a irbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
w ith a great dea l of force a nd it is importa nt fo r occupant safe ty tha t
nothing should be i n their way when they deploy .
Fully inf lated air bag s in co mbination with prope rly wo rn sa fety bel ts
slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement and help to
re duc e the ris k. •
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Air bags are on ly su pp le m en ta l r es tra ints. Always wea r
s af ety be lts c orre ctly and ride in a p rop er seating pos i­
tion.
The re is a lot that you and your passenge rs must know and do to help
t he sa fe ty be lts and a irbag s to prov ide s uppl em ent al p rot ectio n.
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious injury. Wearing safety
belts incorrectly and improper seating positions increase the risk
of seriou s personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
• The airbag system cannot protect you properly if you are seated
too close to any of the airbag locations . When adjusting their seat
positions, it is important that both the driver and the front
& WARNING (co ntinued )
passenger keep their upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe di stances:
- 10 inches (25 cm) between the chest and the steering
wheel/instrument panel.
- 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of
the instrument panel.
• The risk of personal injury increases if you lean forward or to
the side, or if the seat is improperly positioned and you are not
wearing your safety belt. The risk increases even more should the
airbag deploy.
• Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without
interference. Objects between yourself and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by interfering with the way the
airbag deploys or by being pushed into you as the airbag deploys .
- No persons (children ) or animals should ride in the footwell
in front of the passenger seat . If the airbag deploys, this can
result in serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any k ind should be carried in the footwell area
in front of the driver's or passenger 's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example ) can hamper or prevent proper deploy­
ment of the airbag. Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploy s and injure you or your passengers.
• Make sure there are no cracks , deep scratches or other damage
in the area of the instrument panel where the knee airbags are
located.
• If children are incorrectly seated, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident =>
page 231, "Child Safety". •