2011 AUDI R8 SPYDER warning light

132 Airbag system
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys ­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the sp rings, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbe rs etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors a nd sent to the electron ic control
un it. Some suspension changes ca n, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­ ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic con trol module if the safety bel t is
latched or not .
If the safety belt is being used,
the front a irbag will deploy at a slightly high­
e r rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt i s not being used. Therefo re, i n a par­
ticular co llision, it is poss ible that an a irbag
will not deploy at a seati ng position where the
safety be lt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electron ic control unit .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's s uspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
t ions can change Advan ced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of ser io us
personal in jury in a crash.
- Never install suspens io n components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi ­
nally installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire -rim combinat ions that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
-Items stored between the safety be lt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from wo rking properly.
- Always ma ke sure that nothing can inter­
fere wi th the safety belt buckles a nd that
they are not obstruc ted .
@ For the sake of the env ironment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
s ione rs might be classified as Perchlorate
Ma teria l - specia l hand ling may apply, see
www .d tsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
ch lorate. W hen the vehicle or parts of t he
restraint system including airbag modu les
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicab le laws and regu la­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familia r with these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service fo r you.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants .
Fig. 1 26 D river 's ai rb ag
The airbag for the driver is Located in the in­
strument panel underneath the steering
whee l
c::> fig. 126, the airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the inst rument
panel underneath the g love compartment . ..,_

The knee airbag offers additional protect ion
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower thigh areas as a supplement to
the safety belts.
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collisions above acer­
tain severity ¢
page 126, More important
things to know about front airbags.
Besides their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in case of a frontal colli­
sion so that the airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a s ubstitute for your
safety be lt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your veh icle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
i s why you shou ld always wear you r safety
be lt, not jus t because the law requires you to
do so¢
page 110, Why safety belts?.
The safety belt buck le for the dr iver and front
seat passenge r have switches that tell the a ir­
bag control mod ule if the safety belt is being
used or not. If the safety be lt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher
rate o f deceleration than if the belt is not be ­
ing used . Therefore, in a partic ular collision, it
is poss ible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are
n ot supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, fo r example when your veh i­
cle strikes o r is struck by anothe r after the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reaso ns why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system wo rks most effective ly w hen used with
the safe ty belts. The refore, always we ar your
safety be lts correctly.
A irbag system 133
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, othe r
injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is ing, and
minor abrasions can also be assoc iated with
airbags .
The knee airbag sy stem basic ally consi sts
of:
- The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (a irbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The a irbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag sy stem will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is tu rned off
- in front-end collisions when the de celeration
meas ured by the con tro l unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end co llisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/ind icator light illuminated) ¢
page 17.
_& WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 126.
- If the a irbag ind icator light comes o n
when the vehicle is being used, h ave the
sys tem inspected immedi ately by your
author ized Audi dealer . The airbag may
not work properly when the ve hicle ac­
celeration in a side collis ion is high
enough to deploy the airbag. See also
¢page 17.
-
•
•

the passenger seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, this can resu lt in serious or fatal
injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be car­
ried in the footwell area in front of the
driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky ob­
jects (shopping bags, for example) can hamper or prevent proper deployment
of the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the ai r­
bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument pane l where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If children are incorrect ly seated, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident ¢
page 138, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants.
F ig . 128 Side a irbag location in t he d river 's seat
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
r::} fig . 128 facing the
doors. They are identified by the word "AIR ­
BAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
Airbag system 135
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is mon itored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning p roperly
at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's and front passenger 's up­
per torso and head injuries on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision. The
airbag deploys only in side impacts and only
when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the control unit is high enough .
If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into
the control unit, the side airbags will not be
triggered , even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not
possible to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover every possible angle of impact,
since the circumstances will vary considerably between one collision and another. Important
factors include, for example, the nature (hard
or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc.
¢page 137, Im­
portant safety instructions on the side airbag
system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe ­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupan t restra int system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety be lts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 110, Why safety
belts? .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
IIJ>,

136 Airbag system
o ther injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
side airbags wi ll deploy only once and on ly in
certain kinds of accidents - your safety belts
are a lways there to offer protect ion .
Vehicle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessarily an indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion . In some co llisions, both front and side
a irbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­
bags will dep loy only once and only in certain
kinds of collisions -your safety be lts a re al­
ways there to offer protec tion in those acci­
dents in wh ic h ai rbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignition is turned off
- in s ide collisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
I n some types of acc idents the front a irbags
and side a irbags may be triggered together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and t he ai rbag system will
only provide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
¢page 137.
-If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the veh icle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The a irbag may
not work p roperly when the vehicl e ac­
celeration in a side co llision is h igh
enough to activa te the airbag.
-
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig . 1 29 Inflated s ide a irbags on left s ide of veh icle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and b reaks through
a seam in the seat surface area ma rked "AIR ­
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In order to help provide
t hi s additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate w ithin a fraction of a second at
very h igh speed and with great force . The sup­
pleme nta l side airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos it ion is not proper or upright or if
items are loca ted in the area where the s up­
pleme nta l side airbag expands. This applies
especially to children ¢
page 138, Child Safe­
ty .
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occ upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
lis ion ¢
fig. 129.
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.

138 Child Safety
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The physical princip les of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash app ly also to children
¢ page 112. But unlike adu lts and teenagers,
their muscles and bones are not fully devel­
oped. In many respects children are at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than adults.
Because children 's bod ies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­ ly designed for their s ize, weight, and body
structure . Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
l aws requ iring the use of approved ch ild re­
straint systems fo r infants and small child ren.
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. Thi s means the weight of
the child would s uddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions,
only an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of ser ious in­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your ch ild's s ize
c> page 141 , Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the impo rtant informat io n and WARNINGS
about child safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced A irbags in your vehicle and how they
wo rk when infants and children in chi ld re­
straints are on the front passenger seat. Be­
cause o f the large amount of important info r­
mation, we cannot repeat it all here. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this owner's manual about airbags and the Ad
­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport ­
ing children on the front passenger seat.
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
-
A ll vehicle occupants and especially chi l­
dren must be restrained properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child could be in­
jur ed by str ik ing the interior or by being
ejected from the vehicle dur ing a sudden
maneuver or impact. An unrestra ined or
i mproperly restra ined child is also at great­
er risk of injury or death through contact
with an inflat ing airbag.
.&, WARNING
--Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-fac ing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be seriously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst 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
l ight does not
come on and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier w ith great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.

A WARNING ,~
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- 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 child restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6- year-old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn
off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Child Safety 139
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, a child should al­
ways ride in the seat properly restrained for
its age and si ze. The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dan­
gerous place for a child to ride . The front seat
is not the safest place for a child in a forward­
facing child safety seat . It can be a very dan­
gerous place for an infant or a larger child in a
rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight -sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight -sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re­
straints and for the different models of the
same kind of child restraint offered by child
restraint manufacturers .
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi­
cal 1 year-old child, the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem compares the weight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the information stor­
ed in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenger safety belt. ..,. •
•

Child Safety 141
Subpart
C -Forward-facing and convertible child restraints
Model
Britax Roundabout E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519
Cosco Summit Deluxe High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Booster 22-209
Manufactured on or after
September 25, 2007
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Evenflo Tribute V 379xxxx
E venflo Medallion 254
----------
Evenflo Generations 352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport
----~-,
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo
-------
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on .
- 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 on and stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier with great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer .
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been tested by Audi only for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function. September 25, 2007
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il­
dren:
.., Always use the right chi ld safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
¢page 143.
.., Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
.., When using the vehicle sa fety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ¢
page 146.
.., Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2 .5 cm).
"'If a strap or tethe r is being used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat , make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actua lly on the seat.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a .,..
•
•

142 Child Safety
child should a lways ride in the seat properly
restrained for its age and size.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the
wrong ch ild safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death .
- All veh icle occupants and especially chil­
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle .
- An unrestra ined or improperly rest rain­
ed child can be injured or killed by be­
ing thrown against the inside of the ve ­
hicle or by being ejected from it d uring
a sudden maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflat ing
airbag.
- Commercially ava ilable child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a ch ild restra int, sele ct
one that fits yo ur child and the veh icle .
- Only use child restrain t sys tems tha t
fu lly contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion . The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side . Aud i does
not recommend using ch ild safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames. They do not provide adequate
contact w ith the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions p rov ided by the manu­
facture r of the seat you are using .
- Never let mo re than one child occupy a
child safety seat .
- Never let babies or older chi ld ren ride in
a vehicle while s itting on the lap of an­
other passenger.
- Ho lding a chi ld in your arms is neve r a
substitute for a child restraint system. -
The st rongest pe rson could not hold
the child w ith the forces that ex ist in
an accident. The child will str ike the in­
terior of the veh icle and can also be
struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each another in an acc ident.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
un less the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not
come on and stay on the infl ating 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.
- Forward-facing child safety seats insta l­
led on the front passenger's seat can in­
terfere w ith the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the chi ld .
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the ch ild 's
safety and we ll-being require that the
following specia l precautions be taken :
- Make sure the forward-fac ing seat has
been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat w ith a
passenger front and side airbag.
-Always carefully follow the manufac­ turer's instructions provided w ith the
child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat
i nto the rearmost position of the pas­
senger seat 's fore and aft adjustment
range, and as far away from the airbag
as possible before installing the ch ild
r est raint.
- Always make sure that nothing p re­
vents the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rea rmost position
i n its fore and aft adjus tment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
i n the upright pos ition.