2011 AUDI S8 warning

Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used .
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
-Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace ­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­ bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
Airbag system 165
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates.
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders, tel­
ephone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests .
- Such objects and accessories can be­ come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built -in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer .
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
~ page 169, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­ rectly measure increasing air pressure in-
side the doors when air escapes through .,.. •
•

-The airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The airbag system is moni tored ele ct ro ni ca lly
t o make certain it is f unct ion ing properly a t all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition,
the airbag system indicator light wi ll come on
for a few seconds (se lf d iagnost ics) .
The side curt ain airbag is not activated:
- if the igni tion is switched off,
- i n s ide collisions when the acce lerat ion
measu red by the sensor is too low,
- i n rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts and the a irbag system will
o nly p rov ide protection whe n occ upants
are in t he pro per sea ting posit io n
c::> page 54, Gener al recommendations.
- If the airbag indicato r ligh t comes on
w hen the veh icle is be ing u sed, have the
system inspected immedia tely by your
au thorized Audi dealer. T he side curta in
air bag may not work properly even whe n
the vehicle acceleration in a side coll ision
is h igh enough to act ivate the airbag .
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fi g. 1 57 Ill ust rat ion of p rincip le: In fl ated side cu rt a in
air bags on t he left side
The side curtain air bags inflate between the
occ upant and the windows on the side of the
"' N ;g
±
"" ID
A irbag system 167
vehicle that is s truck in a side col lision
c::> fig. 157 .
When the system is t rigge red, the side curta in
a irbag is filled w ith propellant gas and breaks
th ro ugh a seam above the front and rear side
w in d ows identified by the AIRBAG labe l. In or ­
der to he lp provide this additional protection,
t h e side curtain a irbag m ust inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great fo rce . The side curtain a irbag could in ­
jure you if your seating pos it io n is not prope r
o r upright or if items ar e located in the area
whe re the supplemen tal side curta in a irbag
i nfl ates. This applies espe cially to ch ild ren
c::> page 1 69 .
Although they are not a soft p illow, side cur­
ta in a irbags can "cushion" the impact and in
th is way they can hel p to reduce the risk of in­
j u ry to the head a nd the upper part o f the
body.
A fine dust may deve lop w hen the a irbag de­
ploys . Th is is qui te no rm al and does not mean
t h ere is a fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that yo u and your passengers
must know a nd do to he lp the safety belts and
airbags do t heir job to provide supplemental
protection .
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
p roper seating pos it io ns increase the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death when­
eve r a vehicle is being used .
- Never let occupants place any pa rts of
thei r bod ies in t he area from which the
side curta in a irbags inf late.
- Always ma ke s ure that the s ide curtain
a irbags can infla te witho ut interference.
-
Unsui table a ccessor ies fitted inside the ..,

Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~ page 138, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adu lts.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­ ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure . Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a fronta l 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 t imes the
weight of the child . This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
on ly an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury .
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in ­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your chi ld's size ~
page 172, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about ch ild 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 Airbags in your vehicle and how they work when infants and children in child re-
Child Sa fet y 169
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor­
mation, we cannot repeat it a ll 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 chi ldren .
A\. WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that chil ­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­ der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str ikin g the interior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre ­
strained or improper ly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal­
led and used at one of the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in­
jured or even killed when an a irbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
•
•

170 Child Safety
-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptiona l circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a re ar seating posit ion and have the air­
bag system inspec ted immediately by
yo ur Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward -facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make su re the forward-fac ing
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 man ufacturer's in­
struct ions 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 a irbag as poss ible before installing
the ch ild restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upr ight 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 a front "Ad ­
vanced A irbag System" in compliance wit h
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as app licab le at the
time your veh icle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the " low-risk" re­
qu irements for 3- and 6-year old ch ildren on
the passenger s ide and small adults on the
driver side . The low risk deployment criter ia are intended
to red uce the risk of in jury
thro ugh interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for examp le, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the a irbag 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 a irbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenge r seat in child restra ints that are list­
ed in the Standard .
Even though your veh icle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, a ll children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly res trained
for their age and size . The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a ch ild to ride . The front
seat is not the safest p lace for a child in a for­
ward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-fac ing seat .
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in you r vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us ­
ing the weight-sens ing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tens ion on the safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat and a ch ild blanket on the front passenger
seat. The we ight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the ch ild restraint
and its "footp rint", the s ize and shape of the
bottom of the child res traint as it sit s on the
seat. The weight of a ch ild restra int and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re­
straints and for the different mode ls of the
same kind of chi ld restraint offered by ch ild
restraint manufacturers.
T he weight ranges fo r the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the .,._

172 Child Safety
Subpart C - Forward-facing and
convertible child r estra in ts
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundab out September 25, 2007
E 9 L02xx
Cos co Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
Evenflo Tribu te V Sep tember 25 , 200 7
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport
Graco Toddler Safety
Seat Step 2 September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Graco Platinum Cargo September 2S, 2007
8_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is sw itched
on .
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at o ne
of the rea r seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur autho riz ed Aud i dealer immediat e­
ly.
The c hild seats listed in catego ries A to C
have been tested by A udi on ly for th e Ad­
vanced Ai rbag function .
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 dr iver, yo u are respons ib le for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il­
dren:
.,. Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
~ page 174.
.,. Always carefu lly fo llow the child sa fe ty seat
manufac turer's inst ruct ions on how to ro ute
t he sa fe ty belt properly through the child
safety seat .
.,. When using the vehicle safety 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 mov ing
r=> page 178.
.,. Push the c hild safety seat down with you r
full weight to get t he safety be lt really tight
s o that t he seat ca n no t move fo rward o r
sideways more th an one inch
(2 .5 cm) .
.,. If a s trap o r tet her 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 actually on the seat .
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young­
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper­
ly restra ined fo r the ir age and size .
A WARNING
-Not usi ng a child safety seat, using t he
wrong child safety s eat o r imprope rly in­
stalling a c hild res tra int increases the risk
of ser ious perso na l in ju ry an d de ath.
- All vehicle oc cupants and espe cially chil­
d ren mu st always be res tra ine d pr operly
wheneve r rid ing in a vehicle.
-

17 4 Child Safety
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a coll ision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in
ave­
hicle is being used<=> page 137, Safety
belts,
<=> page 145, Airbag system and
r=> page 169, Child Safety.
&_ 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.
- Ta ke the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur authorized Audi dealer immediate­
ly .
&_ WARNING
A child in a child restraint installed with
the LATCH lower anchorages or w ith the
standard safety belt on the rear seat may
play with unused rear seat safety belts and
become entangled resulting in serious per­
sonal injury and even death.
- Always buckle unused rear seat safety belts out of reach of ch ildren in ch ild
seats and properly activate the converti­
ble locking retracto r so that the child
cannot unreel the safety belt from the
retractor .
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and
20 lbs . or 9 kg need special rearward-fac­
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
Fig. 158 Schematic overview: rearward -fac ing infant
seat, p rope rly installed on the rear seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety 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
r=>page 178 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments .
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot
move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infant carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infants and
small children should r ide only in special re­
stra ints in wh ich the child faces the back of
the vehicle. These infant seats support the ba­
by's back, neck and head in a crash
c:> fig. 158.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
ch ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child sea t.
It is a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat. ..,_

_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­ stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat - even with an Advanced Air­
bag System. A child wilt be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the inflat­
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and smashes
the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof¢
page 147, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint
in the forward-facing direction. Such re­
straints are designed for the special needs of infants and very small children
and cannot protect them properly if the
seat is forward-facing.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢page 137, Safety
belts,¢ page 145, Airbag system
and
¢ page 169, Important things to know.
Child Safety 175
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9
and 18 kg) in a crash .
Fig. 159 Schematic overview: installat ion of the at­
tachments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 160 Schematic overview: instal latio n of the seat
using the vehicl e's safety belt system
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking feature on the safety
belt to prevent the child safety seat from
moving <=>
page 178 or install the seat using
the LATCH attachments.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt realty tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
¢page 178.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 185.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg).
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more
~

176 Child Safety
than 20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
a lways be properly restrai ned in a chi ld safety
seat certified for the ir s ize and wei ght
¢
fig. 159 and ¢ fig. 160.
The airba g on the passen ger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
chi ld to r ide. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child safe­
ty seat. It is a very dan gerous plac e for an in­
fant or a larger child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the
wrong ch ild safety seat or improperly in­
stall ing a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
co llision or other eme rgency s ituation.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even w ith Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
o usly inju red or even killed when an a ir­
bag inflates. A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat w ill be seriously injured
and can be k illed if the front a irbag in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant car rier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
arm rest, door o r roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear sea t.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
sea t because of excep tional circ ums tan­
c es and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rea r-facin g child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used¢
page 137, Safety
belts,¢ page 145, Airbag system
and
¢ page 169, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a fo rward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r's seat, the child's safe­
ty and well-being require t hat the follow­
i ng spe cial preca utions be ta ken:
- Make sure t he forward-facing seat has
been designed and cert ified by its man u­
facturer fo r use on a front seat with a
p assenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer' s in­
s truc tions prov ided with t he ch ild safety
seat o r infant ca rr ier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmos t position of the passen­
ge r seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
b le before installing the ch ild restraint.
- Always ma ke sure that no thing prevents
the front passenger 's seat from being
moved to the rea rmost pos ition in its
fore and aft ad justment range.
- Always make sure the bac krest is in an
upright pos ition.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignit ion is switched
on.
- I f the light does not stay on, perform the
checks¢
page 156, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Ta ke the chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not stay on
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
-