2012 AUDI A8 ignition

amount prog rammed in the e lec tronic control
u nit. The front airbag on the passe nger side
will also be turned off if one of the ch ild seats
that has been certified u nder Fede ral Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been recog­ n ized o n the seat. The
PASS ENGER AIR BAG
OFF li gh t comes on and stays on to tell you
when the front Advanced A irbag on the pas­
se nger side has been tu rned off
Q page 144,
Child restraints on the front seat -some im­
portant things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inf lates, a lways wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way , yo ur risk of inj ury is much higher.
- You wi ll also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
Qpage 142.
More important things to know about
front airbags
F ig. 14 7 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfo ld properly and pro­
v ide supplemental protection in a fronta l co l­
lision .
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protection for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenger when :
- safety be lts are worn properly,
A irba g sy stem 151
- the seats have been positioned so that the
occ upant is properly seated as far as possi­
ble from the airbag,
- and the head restrai nts have been properly
adjusted .
Beca use ai rb ags infl ate i n t he bli nk o f an eye
wi th great fo rce, th ings you have on your lap
or have p laced on the seat co uld become dan­
gerous p ro jecti les, and be p ushed into you if
the a irbag inflates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased .
T his is norma l and is not ca used by a fi re in
the ve hicle . This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy. It could irr itate skin.
It is important to remember that wh ile the
s u pplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies , other
injuries, for example swelling, bru is ing and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags i nflate . A irbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body. Front a irbags
suppleme nt the th ree-point safety be lts only
i n some fronta l colli sions in which the vehicle
deceler ation is high e nough to deploy the air­
bags .
Front airbags will not deploy :
-if the ignition is sw itched off when a c rash
o ccur s,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end coll is ions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measu red by
the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
reg istered by the electro nic contro l unit .
The front passenger airbag also will not
deploy:
-when the front passenger seat is not occu­
pied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem ind icates that the front a irbag on the
passenger side has to be turned off by the
II>

Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
I ( USA models) /!{ (Canada models )
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG
OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the
electronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignit ion is on. Each time you
switch on the ignition, the airbag monitoring
indicator light
m (USA mode ls)/ m (Canada
models) will come on for a few seconds (self
diagnostics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light
(I (USA models);Ei
(Canada models):
-does not come on when the ignition is
switched on ,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignition, or
- comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfun ction is detected,
the indicator light will first start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a mal function occurs that turns the front
airbag on the passenger side
off, the PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG
OFF light will come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be something
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
Airbag system 153
when it is not supposed to, or will not in­
flate when it sho uld.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diate ly by your Audi dealer.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 148 Sect ion from t he instru ment panel: PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center of the instrument panel
<=>fig . 148 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wi ll come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger s ide has been
turned
off by the electron ic control unit . Each
time you sw itch on the ign ition, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG
OFF light will flash for a few
seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child
restraint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward -facing chi ld restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg istered on the front passen­
ger seat is equal to or less than the com -
bined weight of a typical 1 year-o ld
llJl>

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, .,..

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 ..,.
•
•

-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. .._

the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com ­
p letely and provide supplemental protection
in certa in frontal col lisions .
_&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrect ly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other eme rgency s ituation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious persona l injury
and/or death:
- T he shoulder be lt mus t lie as close to the
center of the child's co llar bone as possi ­
ble and must lie flat and sn ug on the up­
per body . It must never lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never across the
stomach or abdomen . Make sure that the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to
t ighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a ch ild's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an acc ident or other emergency
situation ¢
page 134 .
-The rea r side of the child safety seat
sho uld be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the ve hicle seat. Ad­
just the rear se at head res traint if it is
difficult to install the child seat w ith the
head restraint in place¢
page 128. Driv­
ing with head restraints that are not
properly ad justed increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat, for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
-Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing s ideways or out of posi­
t io n in any way during an acc ident can be
Child Sa fet y 175
struck by a dep loying a irbag . This will re­
sult in ser ious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because o f excep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, pe rform
the checks descr ibed¢
page 153, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take t he chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it prope rly at one
of t he rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
- Always rea d and heed all WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a child res tra ine d in ave­
hicle is being used
¢ page 134, Safety
belts,
¢ page 142, Airbag system and
¢ page 166 , Important things to know .
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger can be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertib le locking retractor for child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webb ing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to loc k the safety belt and prevent
the safety be lt webb ing from loosening up
dur ing norma l dr iving . A ch ild safety seat can
o nl y be properly installed when t he safety bel t
is loc ked so that t he chi ld and child sa fety
seat w ill stay in place.
Always remember: Even tho ugh you r vehicle is
equipped wi th an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hil dren, especially those 1 2 years and .,. •
•