2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER airbag off

112 Safet y belt s
movin g ju st before the crash, unti l something
stops them· here, the wall
r::!;> fig. 115.
The same pr inc iples apply to people sitting in
a veh icle that is involved in a fronta l co llision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs., or 1,000 kg) or
more. At higher speeds, these forces are even
greater .
Peop le who do not use safety be lts are a lso
not attached to their vehicle. In a fronta l colli ­
sion they will also keep mov ing forward at the
speed their vehicle was trave lling just before
the crash . Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal coll is ions, they determ ine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col·
lisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes, unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fi g. 11 6 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is violently
t h rown forward
Unbe lted occupants are not able to res ist the
tremendous fo rces of impact by holding tight
or brac ing themselves. Without the benef it of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc·
cupant w ill slam vio lent ly into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­ eve r else is in the way¢
fig. 116. This impac t
with the veh icle inter ior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Neve r rely on airbags a lone for p rotection.
E ven when they deploy, airbags provide only
addit ional p rotec tion. A irbags are no t sup- posed to deploy in all k
inds of accidents . Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, includ ing the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize 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 dep loy or
when they have already dep loyed. Unbelted
occupants can a lso be th rown out of the veh i­
cl e where even more severe or fatal injuries
ca n occ ur.
How are safety belts
worn correctly?
Fastening safety belts
Seat first · everybody buckle up!
Fig . 11 7 Head restraint adjustment and belt position
Fig. 11 8 Belt buck le an d tongue on the dri ver's seat
To p rov ide max imum protect ion, safety belts
must a lways be posi tioned co rrec tly on the
wea rer's body.
.. Adjust the front seat and head rest raint
p rope rly
r::!;> page 66, Seats and storage.

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 al­
ways wear their safety belts properly and be
in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
"" Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 100,
"" Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢ page 101,
""Wear safety be lts properly r::::> page 110,
""Always use the proper child restraint to pro-
tect children properly¢
page 138.
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 . T herefore in order to help the
airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r to s it properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steer ing whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supp lemental protec­
tion in certain frontal collisions
r::::> page 100,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or detai ls
on the operation of the seat adjustment con­
trols
r::::> page 67.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained
r::::> page 138.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
ge rs can and must do to help the individua l
safety features installed in your Aud i work to­
gether as a system.
P roper seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver s ide ca n do its
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con-
A irbag system 117
dition that prevents yo u from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reach ing the peda ls, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or
operation of the airbag system, please con­
tact your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop , or call Audi Customer CARE at
1-800-822-2834 for possible modification to
you r vehicle.
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener ­
ator will fill the a irbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inflate between the steer ing
whee l and the dr ive r and between the instru­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The a ir­
bags will deflate immediately after deploy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
through the windshield again without inter­ ruption .
A ll of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate with a great dea l of force and nothing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Front airbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc ­
cupant's fo rward movement . T ogethe r they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senger from hitting pa rts 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 wi ll not inf late in all fronta l
collisions . The t riggering of the airbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
caused by the collision and registered by the
electronic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con ­
trol unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a res ult of the co llision . Ve hicl e damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is not necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inf late or not . .,. •
•

118 Airbag sys te m
Since the cir cumstances will vary considerab ly
between one collision and anot her, it is not
possib le to def ine a range of vehicle speeds
that will cover every possible k ind and angle
of impact that will always trigger the airbags.
Important factors include, for example, the
nature (hard or soft) of the object which the
car h its, the ang le of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. The front airbags will also not inflate in
side or rea r collisions, or in ro ll-overs .
Always remember : Airbags will deploy only
once, and only in certa in kinds of co llisions.
Your safety belts are always there to offer pro­
tection in those s ituations in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy, or when they have
a lready deployed; for example, when your ve­
hicle strikes or is struck by another vehic le af­
ter the first co llision.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
a supplementary restraint and is not a substi­
tute for a safety belt . The airbag system
works most effect ively when used with the
safety belts. Therefore, always wear your safe­
ty belts properly
c;, page 109.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing wheel or
instrument panel will dec rease the effec­
tiveness of the airbags and will increase
t he risk of personal injury in a co llision .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (2S cm)
to the stee ring wheel or instrument pan­
el.
- If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
( 2 5 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi­
ga te whethe r adaptive equipmen t may
be available to help you reach the pedals
and increase your seating distance from
the steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of in jury is much higher.
- You will also receive serio us inj uries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag. -
To reduce the risk of injury when an a ir­
bag inflates, always wear safety be lts
properly ¢
page 112, How are safety
belts worn correctly? .
-Never let children ride unrestrained or
improperly restrained in the vehicle. Ad­
just the front seats properly . If children
are not p roperly restrained, they may be
seve rely in ju red or killed when an a irbag
infla tes.
- Never ride with the back rest reclined.
-Always sit as far as possible from the steer ing whee l or the instrument pane l
c;, page 100, Prop er occupant seating
positions.
- Always sit up right with your back against
the backres t of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the f loor in front of the sea t to
he lp preven t serio us in juries to the legs
and h ips if the airbag infla tes .
- Never re cline the front passenger's sea t
to tr anspor t ob jec ts. Items c an al so
move into the a rea of the s ide airbag or
the front airbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver . Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
in ju ry when an airbag inflates.
A WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must
be replaced.
- Use on ly orig inal equipment airbags ap­
proved by Aud i and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and d iagnost ic equipment to properly re­
p lace any airbag in your vehicle and as­
sure sy stem effe ctive ness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled air­
bags to be installed in you r vehicle.

Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.. Be sure to read the important informat ion
and heed the WARNINGS for important de­
tai ls about chi ldren and Advanced Airbags
i=> page 138.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag System, make certain that
a ll chi ldren, especially those 12 years and
younger, are properly restrained for their age and s ize. The airbag on the passenger side
makes the front seat a potentially dangerous
p lace for a child to ride . The front seat is not
the safest place for a child in a forward-facing
chi ld safety seat. It can be a very dangerous
p lace for an infant or a c hild in a rearward-fac ­
ing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle
h as been cert ified to comp ly with the require­
men ts of Uni ted States Federa l Mo to r Veh icle
Safety Standard
208 as applicable at the time
your ve hicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the fron t air bag on the
passenger side to be turne d off ("sup­
p ressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear -facing or for­
ward -facing infant restraints listed i n Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed o n the front
passenger seat . For a listing of the child re­
straints that we re used to certify compliance
w ith the US Safety Sta ndard
c> page 140.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the in­
strument panel te lls you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the e lectronic control u nit.
Each t ime you tur n on the ignition, the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight w ill come on for a
few seconds a nd:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied ,
- will stay on if there is a small child or ch ild
restraint on the front passenger seat,
A irbag sys tem 119
- will go off if the front passenger seat is oc ­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight -sensing mat
c> page 128, Monitor­
ing the Advanced Airbag System.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n the contro l unit detects a tota l weight
on the front passenger seat that req uires the
front a irbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenge r
seat is more than that of a typical
1 year-o ld
c h il d but less than the weight of a small
adult, the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front a irbag on the passenger side has not
been turned off by the elect roni c con trol unit
and can deploy if the control unit se nses an
impact that meets the cond it ions stored i n its
memory .
For example, th e airb ag may deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ie r than a typical 1
year-old ch ild is o n the front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of
the ch ild safety seats listed
c> page 140), or
- a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is
on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center
of the instrument panel will come on and stay
o n.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (t he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illum inate and stay lit) ev en if a
small ad ult o r teenager, or a passenge r who is
not si tt ing upr ight w ith their b ack against a
non -recli ned ba ck rest w ith their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the sea t is on t he front
passenger seat
c> page 100, Proper seating
position for the driver.
If t he fron t passenger airbag dep loys, the
Federa l Standar d requ ires the airbag to meet
the "low risk" dep loyment criteria to red uce
the risk of injury th ro ugh interaction with the
airbag. "Low risk" dep loyment occurs in those .,.. •
•

120 Airbag sys te m
cr ashes that take place a t lower decelerations
as defined in the electronic control u nit
c:::> page 12 8, PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
A lways remember, a chi ld safety seat or infant
carrier insta lled on the front seat may be
struck and knocked o ut of position by the rap­
id ly inf lating passenger's a irbag in a frontal
coll is ion. The airbag cou ld greatly reduce the
effectiveness of the child restraint and even
seriously injure the child during inflat ion .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
t he front a irbag infla tes -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant car rier wit h great
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof .
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come o n and stay on the inflating airbag
wi ll hit the child safe ty seat or infant car­
rie r with great fo rce and will smash the
c hild safety seat and child against the
backres t, door or roo f. Have the airbag
system inspe cted immedia tely by your
authorized Audi dealer.
- F orward-fac ing ch ild safety sea ts instal­
led on the front passenger 's seat may in ­
terfere with the deployment of the air­
bag and cause serious personal injury to
the ch ild.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing
seat has been des igned and certified by its manufacturer fo
r use on a front seat
wit h a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put t he fo rward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always move the passenge r seat into its
rearmost pos ition in the seat's fore and
aft ad justment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild restra int. The
backrest must be ad justed to an up right
position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time wheneve r the ig nit ion is switched
on.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serio us inju ry, ma ke
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light wi ll be displayed whenever a child re­
straint is insta lled on the front passenger
seat and the ignition is sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not stay on, per form the checks de­
scribed
c:::> page 128 , Monitoring the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
un less t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
lig ht comes on and stays on. If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not
come on and stay on, the inf lating ai rbag
will hit the child safety seat or in fant car­
rier w ith great force and w ill sm ash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the a irbag
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
- Always carefu lly follow instr uctions from
child restraint manufacturers when in­
stalling ch ild restra ints .
A WARNING
-If, in except iona l circumstances, you m ust
in stall a forward or rearward-facing child
restra int on the front passenger 's seat : "'

-Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion .
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier carefully.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sens ing mat and can
cause injury in a crash .
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig. 122 Location of drive r airbag : in steerin g wheel
Fig. 123 Locat ion of front passenger 's a irbag: in the in­
s trum ent panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
Airbag system 121
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured . The safety belts
for the front seats have "pretensioners" that help to take slack out of the belt system. The
pretensioners are also activated by the elec­
tronic control unit for the airbag system .
The front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
in a crash.
The a irbag for the driver is in the steer ing
wheel hub<=)
fig. 122 and the airbag for the
front passenger is in the instrument panel
r:::> fig . 123. The general location of the airbags
is marked '' AIRBAG" .
There is a lot you need to know about the air­
bags in your vehicle. We urge you to read the
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and child safety in this and the other
chapters that make up the owner's literature.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
& WARNING
=
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide
only supplementa l protection .
- Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts
and make sure that everybody in your
ve­
hicle is properly restrained .
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, es­
pecially infants and small children, will re­
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil­
led by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the
front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
-
-
that deployment under these special 11-

122 Airbag sys te m
conditio ns is impossible in a ll co nceiva­
ble situati ons t hat may happen during
t h e usef ul lif e of your vehicle.
- The Adva nced Airbag System can deploy
in accor dance with the "low risk" opt ion
under the U.S. Federal Sta ndard if a child
that is heavier than the typical one-year old child is on the front passenger seat
and the othe r cond itions for airbag de­
ployment are met.
- For their own safety, all children, espe­
cially 1 2 yea rs and younger, sho uld a l­
ways ride p roperly rest rained for their
age and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your veh icle is eq uipped wit h a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 as applicab le at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supp le­
ments the safety belts to provide addit iona l
protection for the driver's and front passeng ­
er's heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes.
The airbags inflate only in frontal impacts
when the vehicle dece lerat io n is high enough .
The front Advanced Airbag System for the
front seat occupants is not a substitute for
your safety belts. Rather, it is part of t he over­
all occupa nt restraint system in your ve hicle.
A lways remember that the airbag system can
on ly help to protect you, if you are s itting up­
r ight, wearing yo ur safety belt and wea ring it
p roperly. This is w hy you and yo ur passenge rs
must always be properly restrained , not just
beca use the law requires you to be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle
h as been cer tified to meet the " low r is k " re­
qu irements for 3 and 6 year -o ld children on
the passenger side and very small adu lts on
the driver side. The low risk deployment crite ­
ria are intended to he lp red uce the risk of in­
jury through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, fo r example, by be ing too cl
ose to the steering wheel and instrument
pane l when the airbag inflates .
In add ition, the system has been certified to
comply wi th the "s uppression" re qu iremen ts
of the Sa fe ty Standard, to turn off the front
airbag for infants 12 months o ld and younger
who are rest rained on the front passenger
seat in child restraints that are listed in the Standard
¢ page 140, Child restraints and
Advanced Airbags .
"Suppression" requires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a child up to abo ut one year o f age is re ­
strained on the front passenger seat i n one
of the rear-fac ing or forward -facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard
208 with which the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
cert ified . For a listing o f the ch ild res traints
that were used to certify your vehicle 's com­
plia nce w it h t he US Safety Standa rd
¢ page 140,
-we ight less than a threshold level stored in
the co ntrol uni t is de te cted on the fron t pas­
senger seat.
When a person is detected on the front pas­
senger seat, weighing more than t he total
we ight of a ch ild tha t is abou t 1 year old re ­
stra ined in one of the rear-fac ing or forward­
f acing infant res traints ( listed in Fede ral Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standar d
208 with which
the A dvanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certif ied), the front airbag on the passen­
ger side may or may not deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n the electronic contro l unit detects a to­
ta l we ight on the front passenger seat that re ­
quires t he front airbag to be t urned off. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front a irbag on the passenger
s ide has not been t urned off by the cont ro l
u ni t and ca n dep loy if the control un it senses
an imp act that meets the cond itions store d in
i ts memory.
If the total weight on the fro nt passenge r
seat is more than that of a typ ical 1 yea r-old , .,.

but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy (the
PASSENG ER AIR BAG OF F light does not
come on).
For example, the a irb ag may depl oy if:
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of
the chi ld safety seats listed
¢ page 140),
-a ch ild who has outgrown child rest raints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center
of the inst rument panel w il l come on and stay
on.
The front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upr ight w ith
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the veh icle floo r in front
of the sea t is on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the
Federal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the " low risk " deployment criteria to help re­
duce the risk of inj ury through interaction
with the airbag . "Low risk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de­
celerations as defined in the electronic control un it
¢ page 128.
Please be sure to read the important informa­
tion in the sections that fo llow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARNINGS.
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inf lates, a lways 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 w ill also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in-
A irbag system 123
flates - even with an Advanced Ai rbag
¢page 117.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced A irbag System .
-Although the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle is designed to turn
off the
front airbag when a rearward-facing child restraint has been instal led on the
front passenger seat, nobody can abso­ lutely guarantee that dep loymen t is im ­
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen during the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door, or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
un less the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating a irbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­ rier w ith great force and w ill smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the a irbag
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in except iona l 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 fo r use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or ve ry near the instru-
ment panel.
~
•
•