2012 AUDI A8 airbag off

158 Airbag system
is met ¢ page 151, More important things to
know about front airbags.
I n addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts he lp keep t he driver or front pas­
senger in position in a frontal coll is ion so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety be lt . Rathe r, 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 wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. This
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
¢page 134, General notes .
The safety belt buck le for the driver and front
seat passenge r have switches that tell the air­
bag control module if the safety belt is being
used or not . If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a sligh tly higher
rate of decelera tion than if the belt is not be­
ing used . Therefore, in a par tic ul ar collision, it
is possible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the pos ition where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety be lts are a lways there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, fo r example whe n your veh i­
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wea r your
safe ty be lts correctly.
It is importan t to remember that while the
supplemental knee a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther inj uries, fo r example, swel ling, bruising,
minor abr asions and fri ction burn s ca n also
occ ur when an a irbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basic ally consists
of:
- The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable ai rbags (a irbag a nd gas gen -
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The a irbag indicator light in the instr ument
panel
The knee airbag system w ill not deploy:
- when the ig nit ion is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
meas ured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/ind icator light is on)
¢ page 18.
A WARNING
--
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection w hen occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 151.
-If the airbag ind icator light comes when
the vehicle is be ing used , have the sys­
tem inspected immediate ly by you r au­
thori zed A udi dealer. The airbag may not
w ork p roperly when the vehicle accele ra­
tion in a side collision is high enough to
de ploy the airbag . See also¢
page 18 .
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re ­
duced by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fi g. 1 50 In flated airbags protect ing in a frontal colli­
s io n
...

160 Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
---
Fig. 151 Side a irbag locat ion in the dr iver 's seat
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t backrests
c::>fig. 151 and the rear
backrest facing the doors. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" .
Th e s ide a irbag syste m basically co nsists of:
- the electronic control module and external
s ide impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
- two rear side airbags
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you switch 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, front and rear passenger's upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision . The airbag deploys
only in side impacts and on ly when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control unit is h igh enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control un it,
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 ang
le of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collis ion 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 161, Important
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 ca n provide
protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc ­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system can on ly help to pro tect you if you are wearing
yo ur safety belt and wearing i t properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires yo u to do soc::>
page 134, General
notes.
It i s important to remember that wh ile the
supplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruis ing,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
s ide airbags will dep loy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents - your safety belts
are always there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage are not necessarily an indi­
cat ion of ove r-sensitive or failed airbag act iva­
t ion. In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remembe r too, that air­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in certain
k inds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acci­ dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed .
The s ide airbag sy stem will not d eplo y:
-when the ignit ion is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
measured by the se nsor is too low
- in front-end collisions

Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants .
Fig. 1 53 Side cur ta in airbags, d river 's side: side curta in
ai rb ag location
The s ide curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side w indows
r=:> fig . 153 . They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG " on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof p illar.
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements
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 struc k
i n a side collision . Th e side curta in a irbag in­
flates in s ide impacts and on ly when the veh i­
cle acce leration reg istered by the cont ro l u nit
is high enough . If th is rate is be low the refer ­
ence va lue 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 a irbag trigger ing range that w ill cover
eve ry possible angle of impact , since the ci r­
cumsta nces wi ll vary conside rably between
one co llision and ano ther. Import ant factors
include, for e xamp le, the nat ure ( hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicle speed, etc .
r=:> page 164, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function , safe ­
ty belts work to he lp keep the dr iver or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli-
A irba g sy stem 163
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
v ide protection.
T he airbag system is no t a subs titu te for your
sa fe ty be lt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
c u pant restra int system in your vehicle . A l­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only he lp to protect you if you are wearing
yo ur 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
r=:> page 134, General
notes .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
s ide curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
injur ies, for examp le, swelling, bru is ing, and
minor abrasions can also be associa ted wi th
these airb ags upon deployment. Remember
too, these airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of acc idents -your sa fety
belts are always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
-The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the fron t and
rea r side windows
- The airbag i ndicator light in t he instr ument
pane l
T he airbag system is mo nitored e lectronically
to make ce rtain i t is func tioning prope rly at all
t imes. Each t ime you sw itch on the ign ition,
the ai rbag system indicator light will come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions when the accele ration
measu red by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end coll is ions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-,
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants

-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 exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the air­
bag system inspected immediately by
your Audi dealer.
_& 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.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Child Safety 167
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.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­ cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride . The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous 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 ..,.
•
•

168 Child Saf ety
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of chi ld re­
straints and for the d ifferent models of the
same kind of child restraint offered by child
restra int manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and mode ls of ch ild restra ints 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 A ir­
bag System. When a ch ild restrai nt is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi ­
cal 1 yea r-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem compares the we ight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the in formation stor­
ed in the electronic control unit.
The ele ctron ic cont rol unit also registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt.
The tension on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be different for an ad ult
who is properly using the safety belt as com­
pared to the tension on the belt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety belt
for the front seat passenger measu res the
tension on the be lt. The input from this sen­
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whe ther there is a ch ild restraint w ith a typ ica l
1 year-o ld child on the front passenger seat
and whether or not the airbag must be turned
off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards a nd has been certified by its manu­
facture r fo r u se w ith an airbag. Always be s ure
that t he ch ild res traint is p rope rly insta lled at
one o f th e rear seat ing pos itions. If in excep­
tional c ircu mstances you must use it on the
front passenger seat, caref ully read all of the
info rmation on c hild safety and Advanced Air­
bags and heed all of the applicable WARN­
INGS. Make certain 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
the a irbag stat us is always cor rect ly signa led
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
Many types and models of child res traints
have been available over the years, new mod­
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved des igns and older models are
taken out of product ion. Ch ild restraints are
not standard ized . Child restraints of the same
type typically have d ifferent weights and sizes
and diff erent 'footpr ints,' the s ize and shape
of the bo ttom of the ch ild restra int that sits
o n t he seat, when they a re inst alled on a vehi­
cle sea t. Th ese d ifferences make it vir tually
impossible to certify compliance with the re ­
quirements for advanced airbags with eac h
and every child restra int that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For th is reason, the United States National
Highway Traffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle w ith the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These chi ld restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model
Angel Guard Angel R ide AA 2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 200 7
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit Dece mber 1, 1999
4543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999W HO
Evenf lo Discove ry Ad -December 1, 1999
just Right 212
I
....

-Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Evenflo First Choic e December 1, 1999
1204
Gra co Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Vi -September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMUN00US
Subpart C -Forward -fa cing and
c on vert ible child restraint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
2 2-262
! Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
E venflo Tribu te V September 25, 200 7
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
&_ 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 switched
on.
- Take the child rest raint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rea r seat posi tions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay o n.
Child Sa fet y 169
-Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer immed iate­
ly.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by A udi on ly for
the Advanced A irbag 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, you are responsib le for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il­
dren:
... Always use the r ight chi ld safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
¢ page 171 .
... Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufactu rer's inst ruct io ns on how to route
th e safety belt properly through the child
safety sea t .
... When usi ng the vehicle safe ty belt to install
a child safety se at, you m ust first activate
t he conve rtible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from mov ing
¢ page 175.
... Push the ch ild 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) .
... If a strap o r tethe r is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat , make sure tha t it is not so tigh t that it
causes the weigh t-sens ing ma t to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
Always remember: Even tho ugh you r vehicle is
equippe d wi th an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young ­
er, s hou ld always ride in the back seat prope r-
l y restrained for thei r age and size.
ll>
•
•

as possible before installing the child
restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre­
vents the front passenger 's seat from
be ing moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upr ight position.
- Always buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not s itting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a col lision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c::> page 134, Safety
belts ,
c::> page 142, Airbag system and
c::> page 166, Child Safety.
A 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 rest raint is installed o n the front pas ­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off t he fro nt pas­
senger seat and install it properly 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
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate­
ly.
A WARNING
A child in a child restraint installed w ith
the LATCH lower anchorages or w ith the
standard safety belt on the rear seat may
play wi th unused rear seat safety belts and
become entangled res ulting in ser ious per­
sonal inj ury and even dea th.
- Always bu ckle unused rea r seat safety
bel ts out of re ach of chi ld ren in ch ild
sea ts and properly a ctivate the converti­
ble locking retrac tor so that the child
cannot un reel the safety belt from the
retractor .
-
Child S afety 1 71
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 . 1 55 Schem atic ove rv ie w : re arward-fac ing in fan t
se at, p roper ly inst a lle d on t he re ar seat
... When usi ng the veh icle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locki ng retractor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safety seat
from mov ing
c::> page 175 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachmen ts .
... Push the chi ld safety seat down with your
full weig ht 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 l bs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in specia l infant car riers
and child safety sea ts designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infan ts and
small chi ldren should r ide on ly 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, ne ck and head in a crash
c::> fig . 155.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a pote ntia lly dange ro us place for a
ch ild to ride . The front seat is not t he safest
pla ce for a child in a fo rward-facing child sea t.
It is a very dangerous place fo r an in fant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat. .._

172 Child Safety
& 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 will 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
c:> page 144, 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 airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c:> page 134, Safety
belts,
c:> page 142, Airbag system and
c:> page 166, Important things to know.
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. 156 Schematic overview: installat ion of th e at ­
tachments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 157 Schematic overview: installat ion 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
c:> page 175 or install the seat using
the LATCH attachments.
., Push the child 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)
c:> page 175.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
c:> page 182.
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 ..,.