2012 AUDI A8 child seat

154 Airbag sys te m
restrained in one of the rear -facing or for­
ward-facing infant restraints listed in Feder­
al Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your
vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS ­
SENGER AIR BA G OFF
light will stay on. Nev­
er install a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at o ne
of the seat ing pos itions on the rear seat
~ page 144, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
~ page 166, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light come s
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BA G
OFF
light stays on continuo usly whenever the
ignition is on. If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- reactivate the system by switching the igni­
t ion off and then switching it on again;
- remove and reinsta ll the chi ld restraint.
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
insta lled and that the safety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
routed throug h the child restraint as descri­
bed in the child restraint manufacturer's in ­
structions;
- make sure that the convert ible locking fea­
tu re on the safety belt for the front passen­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled t ight. The belt
mus t not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job
~ page 175 .
-make su re that th ings that may increase the
weight of the chi ld and child seat are not be­
ing transported on the front passenger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen ­
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety be lt
l atch on the front passenge r seatback and
forth; -
If a strap or tether is be ing used to tie the
child seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so t ight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measure more
weight than is actually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
t in uous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen -
ger seat and install it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer immed iate ly.
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure that the child is properly restra in­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light should
NO T come on when the ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes fo r about 5 seconds w hile driving, un­
der these cir cumstances, make sure that;
-the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
~ page 12 5, Proper oc cupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing we ight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or s upport ­
ing their weight on the armrest ,
- the safe ty belt is be ing properly wo rn and
t ha t the re is not a lot o f slack in the safety
be lt webbing ,
- accesso ry sea t covers or cushions o r other
t hings that may cause an incorrec t reading
or impression on the weight -sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not bee n left in
the sa fety belt latch for the front passenger
seat .
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght in the center of the instrument panel, .,..

the message PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF or
PA SSENGER AIR BA G ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster display. Th is is to in ­
form the driver of the current front passenger airbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System.
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or w ill not in­
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme ­
diately by your Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restra int, or in a rearward-fac ing
child safety seat, or in a forward-facing
child restrain t that has not been properly
installed will be serio usly injured and can
be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make
certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always install forward or rear-facing child seats on the rear seat -even w ith
an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and stay on, immediate­
ly i nstall the rea r-facing chi ld seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dealer.
-
A irbag system 15 5
-A tight tether or other strap on a rea r­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and reg iste r more weight
than is actually on the seat . The heavie r
weight registered can make the system
wo rk as tho ugh an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
m ust be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to the chi ld .
- If, in exceptiona l c ircumstances, you
m ust install a forward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­ sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be adjust­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make su re that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rear seating pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side wi ll be
turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light will stay on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are i nstalled at
many diffe rent p laces o n your Aud i. Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the veh icle can damage a part of an .,..
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The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collis ions .
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collis ions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met .
When the system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and inflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the fron t passenger
c> page 151 ,
fig . 14 7.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cush ion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even reali ze that
t he airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate w it h a great deal of force and it is im ­
portant for occupant safety that not hing
should be in the ir way when they dep loy .
Fully infla ted airbags in comb ination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim ­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags to provide supp lemen tal protection .
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
A irbag system 159
-The knee a irbag system cannot protect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locat ions. When ad­
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal in jury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk i n­
creases even more should the ai rbag de­
ploy .
- Always make sure that the knee a irbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of in jury in an accident by inte r­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children
or anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, th is can result in serious or fa tal
i njur ies.
- Never carry obje cts of any kind in the
footwe ll area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop ­
ping bags , fo r example) can interfere
with o r prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the ve hicle if the air­
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 panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
c> page 166, Child Safety .
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- in rear-end co llisions
- in ro llovers.
In some types of acc idents the front airbags,
side curta in a irbags and side airbags may be
tr iggered toge ther.
& WARNING
- Safe ty belts and the airbag sys tem will
only prov ide protection when occ upants
are in the p roper seating position
¢page 161.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. T he a irbag may
not work p roperly when the vehicle ac­
cele ration in a side co llision is high
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.
Fi g. 152 Inflated side airbags on left side of veh icle,
rear side airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
f ill ed w it h propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG" .
It expands between the side trim pa nel
and the passenger . In order to help prov ide
t his additional protection, the side a irbag
must inf late withi n a frac tion of a second at
very high speed and with grea t fo rce . The sup­
p lemental side airbag could i nju re you if your
seating position is not proper or upr ight or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side a irbag expands . Th is applies
A irba g sy stem 161
especially to children ¢ page 166, 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. 152 .
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. T his is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
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 accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro ­
vide s upplementa l protect ion .
& WARNING
An in flat ing side a irbag can cause serious
or fata l injury. Impr oper ly weari ng safety
belts and imp roper seat ing pos it ions in­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is bei ng
used .
- In order to reduce the risk of i njur y when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
-Always sit in an upright posit ion and
nev er lean aga inst th e area whe re the
suppleme nta l side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse res t
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where t he supplementa l
s ide a irb ag i nflates.
- Always make sure that safety be lts a re
wor n cor rectly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in th e front
seat put the ir hand or any other parts
of thei r body ou t of the window.

162 Airbag system
-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.
- 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 166, 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
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.

164 Airbag system
are in the proper seating posit ion
c:> page 54, General recommendations.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The side curta in
airbag may not work prope rly even when
the vehicle acceleration in a side coll is ion
is h igh enough to act ivate the airbag.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig . 154 Illustrat ion of principle: Inflated side curtain
a ir bags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side co llision
~fig. 154.
When the system is tr iggered, the side curtain
a ir bag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the A IRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional p rotection,
the side c urtain airbag must inflate within the
b link of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side c urtain airbag cou ld in­
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplementa l side curtain airbag
inflates . This applies espec ial ly to children
~page 166.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can he lp to reduce the r isk of in - jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys. This is qui te normal and does not mean
there 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 you and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection .
A WARNING ........
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
proper seating posit ions increase the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death when­
ever a vehicle is bei ng used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bod ies in the area from which the
side curta in a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the s ide curtain
a ir bags can inflate without interference.
Unsuitable accessor ies fitted inside the
exp ansion range of a s ide cur tain airbag
can dangero usly inter fere w ith its f unc ­
tion. A deploying head airbag develops
enough force to catapu lt any piece of
add-on component out of its path of in­
flation and into the passenger compart­
ment. A n occupant h it by suc h a projec­
tile can suffer serio us injury or death
~ page 283, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them
(for examp le pens) .
If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the bu ilt -in coat hooks only for light·
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy o r
sha rp-edged objects in the pockets that
-
may interfere with airbag dep loyment ~

166 Child Saf ety
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 135, 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
adults.
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 ch ildren.
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,
only an appropriate ch ild 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 ch ild's size ~
page 169, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information 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 Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re- straints are on the front passenger seat
. Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor­
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.
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 iking the i nterior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
strained or improperly 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 airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing 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 against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
II>-

-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 ..,.
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