2011 AUDI S8 sensor

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 .,.. •
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166 Airbag system
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
-Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers
or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants.
Fig . 156 Side curtain a irbags, d river 's side: s ide curta in
airbag location
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows
c:.> fig. 156 . They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision.
The side curtain airbag in­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­ cle acceleration registered by the control unit
is high enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­ sult of the collision .
It is not possible to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances 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 .
c:.> page 167, How side cur­
tain airbags work .
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 colli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wear ing
your safety belt and wearing it properly . This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do soc:.>
page 137, General
notes .
It is important to remember that while the
side curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows

-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 ..,

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 .,._

NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi­
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem compares the we ight measured by the
weight sens ing mat with the informat ion s to r­
ed i n the electron ic cont rol unit.
The electron ic control unit a lso registers the
tension on the front passenger safety be lt .
The te nsio n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe rent for an ad ult
who is properly using the safety belt as com­
pa red to the tension on the be lt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat.
T he sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger measures the t ension on the be lt. The input from this sen­
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restrai nt with a typ ica l
1 year-o ld child on the front passenger seat
and whether or no t the airbag mus t be turned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regard less o f the chi ld res traint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly insta lled at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep­
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fr ont passenge r seat, caref ully read all of the
information on c hild safety and Adv ance d Air­
b ags and heed a ll of the app licable WAR N­
I NGS . Ma ke certai n that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off and that
t he airbag status is always correctly signaled
by the
PASSENGE R AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restraints
h ave been ava ilable over the years, new mod­
els are introduced regularly incorporating new
Child Sa fet y 1 71
and imp roved des igns and o lde r models a re
taken out of production . Chi ld restraints are
not standard ized. Child rest raints of the same
type typically have d ifferent weights and si zes
and different 'footpr ints,' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restrai nt that sits
o n the sea t, when they a re installed on a veh i­
cle seat . These diffe ren ces make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify complian ce with t he re­
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with eac h
and every ch ild restraint tha t h as eve r been
so ld in the past or wi ll be so ld over the course
of the useful life of your vehicle.
Fo r thi s reason, the Uni ted S ta tes Na tional
Hig hway Traffic Safety Adm inist rat ion has
published a list o f specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System in your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 . These child restraints are :
Subpart A - Car bed child restra ints
Model
A ngel Guard A ngel
Ride AA2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartF it December 1, 1999
4543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
I
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
I
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 21 2
Evenflo First Choice December
1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007 Peg Perego Pr imo Vi- September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMUNOOUS
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188 Audi pre sense
Audi pre sense
Preventative passenger
protection
A pp lies to veh icles: with Audi pre se nse
Aud i pre sense can ini tia te steps to help pro­
t ect veh icle occupants in certain situa tions.
The funct ions described depend on equ ipment
installed in your vehicle:
Audi pre sense basic
The following functions can be triggered in
certain driv ing situations :
- Tightening of the safety belts (for examp le,
during heavy braking) : the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensioners. If a colli­
sion does not occur, the safety belts loosen
s lightly and are ready to be tightened again .
- Closing the w indows and the sunroof* : the
windows and the sunroof* close leaving a
small open gap .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be trig­
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Vehicles with Aud i drive select*: the dep loy­
ment time is adapted in dynamic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with
adaptive cruise control*)
Audi pre sense front includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, within the
limits of the system, the likelihood of a colli ­
sion with the vehicle immediately ahead is al­
so ca lculated . If the system senses an immi­
nent collision the follow ing functions can be
tr iggered :
-Audi braking guard
c::> page 92
- Tightening the safety be lts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav -
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with Audi
side assist*)
Audi p re sense rear includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, the likeli ­
hood of a rear -end collis ion with the vehicle
coming from behind is also calc ulated.
If the risk
of a co llision is detected, the following
functions can be triggered :
- Tig htening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav-
ing a small open gap)
- Adjusting the seats : the settings for the
power head restrains, the upper sections of
t he backrests and the pneumatic side bol­
s ters* are optim ized for the front seats and
the outboard rea r seats*. If a collision does
not occur, the previo us seat settings are re­
stored.
Audi pre sense plus
Audi pre sense plus includes the funct ions in
A udi pre sense front and Audi pre sense rea r.
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not avail­
able. See your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws
of physics.
It cannot prevent a collision. Do
not let the increased safety provided
tempt you to take risks. This will increase
the r isk o f a coll is ion and serio us personal
injuries.
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob­
jects . This increases the risk of a colli ­
sion.
- Aud i p re sense does not detect peop le or
animals or objects that are crossing the
vehicle's path
c::> page 86.
-The radar sensor's vis ion can be reduced
by heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road spray
and reflections from guard rails, tunnel
entrances, etc. These and similar condi­
tions can prevent vehicles from be ing ac­
curately detected and in some cases they
may not be detected at all.
Ill>

(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or damage to the bumper, whee l housing and
underbody. This can affect the function of
the Audi pre sense system. Have your au­
thor ized Audi dealer check to make sure
that the system is working properly .
(D Tips
-Certain Audi pre sense functions are not
available when ASR is sw itched off (sport
mode) or when driving in reverse .
- The Audi pre sense functions may not be
ava ilable if there is a malfunction in the
ESP system or the airbag control mod­
u le.
- The Audi pre sense front/plus functions
are not available if there is a ma lfunction
i n the adapt ive cru ise control* system
¢ page 93.
-The Audi pre sense rear/plus functions
are no t available if there is a ma lfunction
i n the Audi side assis t* system
¢ page 93 .
-The reversible safety be lt t ightening on
the front passenger's side deactivates
when the Advanced front passenge r air ­
bag has been s uppressed or the seat is
not occup ied.
Audi pr e sense 189
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Replacing wh eels/ tire s
Vehicles w ith All Wheel Dr ive must always
have tir es of the same size. Also avoid tires
with different tread depths. For details see
pag e¢
page 249 , N ew tires and replacing
tires and wheels .
Off-Road driving?
Your Aud i does not have enough ground clear­
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle. It is
therefor e best to avoid rough tracks and un ­
even terrain as much as possible . Also refer to
¢ page 198.
A WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traf­
fic condit ions . Do not let the extra safety
afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
- Although the All Wheel Drive is very ef­
fective, always remember that braking
capacity is limited by t ire traction . Yo u
should the refore not dr ive at excessive
speeds on icy or s lippery road surfaces.
- On wet road su rfaces, be ca reful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to s lide on top of the wa ter
(aquaplaning). If this sho uld occ ur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
crease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways drive at
speeds wh ich are suited to the road con­
ditions -risk of crash .
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the engine.
If a vehicle wit h a conventional energy system
i s not driven for a long period of time , the bat­
tery is discharged by idling cu rrent consumers
(e .g. immobilizer) . In certain circumstances it
can result in there being ins ufficient energy
avai lab le to start the engine.
Int ellig ent technolog y 195
Intelligent energy management in your vehi ­
cle hand les the distribution of e lectrica l ener­
gy. Start ing ability is marked ly improved and
the life of the b attery is extended.
Bas ica lly, energy management consis ts of
batte ry diagnosi s, idling cur rent m anage­
ment
and dynamic energ y management.
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuously de termines
the state of the battery . Sensors de termine
batte ry voltage, battery current and battery
temperature . This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the batte ry .
Idling current management
Id lin g cur ren t management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ig nition switched off, it controls the
energy supply to the various electrical compo­ nents. Data from battery diagnos is is cons id­
ered.
Depend ing on the battery's state of cha rge ,
individua l cons umers are gradually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of the batte ry
and th us maintain starting capability .
Dynamic energy manag ement
While the ve hicle is being driven, dynamic en ­
ergy management distrib utes the energy ge n­
erated according to the needs of the individ u­
al components . It regulates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge for the battery .
@ Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
t hat the powe r and l ife of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is threatened, the indi­
cator light
(•i appears ¢ page 16, c:::3
Battery.
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