2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

electronic control unit (the PA SS ENGE R AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright posit ion,
must not lean against or place any part
of the ir body too close to the area where
the a irbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi ­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blin k of an eye
¢page 111.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child sa fety
sea t insta lled on the front passenger seat
wi ll be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front ai rbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-
-The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest , door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
c ome o n and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat o r infant car­
rier wi th great force and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof . Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a c rash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
A irbag system 119
or by be ing p ushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold things in you r hands o r on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat . Objects
could move into the a rea of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in ­
jury if t he a irbags inflate .
- Never p lace or attach accessories or oth ­
er objects (such as cup holders, te le­
phone b rac kets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r o r near the area
marked "AIRBAG " on the s teering wheel,
instrument panel, seat bac krests or be­
tween those areas and yo urself. These
objects could cause inju ry in a c rash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects . Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­ bags can become projec tiles a nd cause
in ju ry, partic ula rly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
T he fine dus t created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
wi th a history of as thma or other breath­
ing cond itions.
- T o reduce t he risk of bre ath ing problems,
those wi th asthma o r other respiratory
conditions s hou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating .
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the resi due should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
•
•

120 Airbag system
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
I 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 (includ ing the
e lectronic control un it, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monit ored cont inuous ly to
make sure that it is functioni ng properly
wheneve r the ignit io n is on. Each t ime yo u
turn on the igni tion, the airbag mon itoring in­
d icator light
I will come on for a few se co n ds
(sel f di agnos tic s) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
I :
- does not come on when t he ignit io n is
swi tched o n,
- does not go ou t a few seconds afte r yo u
h ave swi tched on the ign ition, o r
- comes on wh ile d riving .
If an airbag system malfunct ion is detected,
the ind icator light will first start flash ing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to se rve as a constant reminde r
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a ir bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght w ill come on and stay
on w henever the ign ition is on.
_& WARNING
An air bag system tha t is no t funct ionin g
prope rly ca nno t pro vide supplemen tal p ro­
t ection in a fron tal crash .
-If the air bag indic ator li ght co mes on, it
means that there may be somet hing
wron g wit h the Adva nce d Airbag System.
It is possible t hat the air bag will inflate
when it is not s upposed to, or w ill not in­
flate when it should.
-
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diate ly by yo ur autho rized Au di dea le r.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fi g. 1 23 Sect ion from the instr um en t pa nel: PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
i n t he center of the inst rument pa ne l
<=> fig . 123.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wi ll come
o n and stay on to tell you w hen the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenge r side has been
turned off by the electro nic contro l unit. Each
t ime you turn on the igni tion, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG
OFF light will flas h for a few
se co nds a nd:
- w ill stay on if the fro nt passenge r seat is not
occu pied,
- will stay on if the re is a small ch ild or child
restrai nt on the front passenge r seat,
- will go out if the front passenge r seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sens ing 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 rest raint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, o r
- a forwar d-fac ing ch ild restra int has been in ­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- t he weight reg iste red on the fron t passen ­
ge r seat is equal to or less t han the com­
bined weig ht of a typical 1 year -o ld restra in­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac-
ing infant restra ints listed in Federal Motor ..,.

Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occ upied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PA S­
SENGER A IR BAG OF F
light will stay on. Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat
c:> page 111, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and c:> page 130, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light c omes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PA SS ENG ER AIR BA G
OFF
light stays on cont inuously whenever the
i gn it ion is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight does not appear on and stay on a ll
the t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- r eact ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and re install the child restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety be lt fo r the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
ro uted through the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint man ufacturer's in ­
structions;
- make su re that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety be lt for the front passen ­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
c:> page 138;
- make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen­
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on t he front passenge r seatbac k and
forth;
- If a st rap or tether is being used to tie the
c hild safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make s ure t hat i t is no t so tight tha t it
A irbag system 12 1
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
d oes not come on
and does not stay on con ­
tin uous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child rest ra int off the front passen-
ge r seat and have the a irb ag sys tem inspect ­
ed by yo ur authori zed Aud i dealer . Do not
transport children witho ut a c hil d safety
seat.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht sho uld
NOT 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 for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these c ircumstances, 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
c:> page 92, Proper occupant seating posi ­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is be ing properly worn and
that the re is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accesso ry seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an inco rrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing m at
under t he upho ls tery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger sea t,
- a safety belt extender h as not been left in
t he sa fe ty belt latch for the fron t passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
l igh t in the center of the instrument panel,
t h e message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear
i n the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
•
•

122 Airbag sys te m
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced A irbag 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 i nspected imme­
diately by your author ized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If the front air bag inflates, a ch ild witho ut
a child restra int, or in a rearwa rd-fac ing
child safety seat, or in a forward- facing
child restraint that has not been prope rly
installed will be serious ly injured and can
be killed.
- Even though your ve hicle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride proper ly
restrained for their age and s ize.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenge r seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS ·
S ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay, on the inflating airbag
wi ll hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier with great fo rce and will smash the
child safety seat and child against the
backrest, door or roof. Have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
-A tight tether or other strap on a rear­ ward-facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on t he weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register mo re weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
we ight registe red can make the system
-
wo rk as though an adult we re on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed, causing serious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild.
- If, i n exceptiona l circumstances, you
must install a forward-fac ing c hild re·
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat i nto its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as fa r away from the a irbag
a s poss ible. The b ackrest mus t be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition . Make s ure 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 adult is sitt ing
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, have the ai r­
bag system inspected by yo ur autho rized
Aud i deale r before t ransporti ng anyone
on the front passenger se at.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in t he front pas­
senger seat de tects an empty seat, the
front ai rbag on the passe nger side wi ll be
t urned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
w ill stay on.
-
Care, service and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places o n your Audi . Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the veh icle can damage a part of an
airbag system a nd prevent that system from
working properly in a coll is ion.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that th e effectiveness of
the system w ill not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol -
l u te the environment. ..,.

A WARNING
1
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in ­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft , dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body .
- 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
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­ bag module must always be repaired
Airbag system 123
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authori zed Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version . Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
t enance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and s tarter are separa ted
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech ­
nic circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped , all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten ­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material - special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc .ca. gov/hazard o u swaste/ per-
ch [orate . When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familiar with these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you.
•
•
•
•

124 Airbag system
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion strut s, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not .
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­ er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular 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
position where the safety belt is not being
used.
It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING
-Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from working properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter­
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
· Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system con provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 124 Drive r's airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
~ fig . 124, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees lower
thigh areas as a supplement to the protection
by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
~ page 118, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keeping the driver or front
passenger in position in a frontal collision so ..,.

that the airbags can provide s upplemental
protection.
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 veh icle . Al­
ways remember that the airbag system ca n
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly . This
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
be lt, not just because the law requires you to
do soc::>
page 102, Why safety belts?.
The safety belt buck le for the driver and front
seat passenger 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 slightly higher
r ate of decelera tion than if the belt is not be­
in g used. Therefore, in a par ticular collision , it
is poss ible th at an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remembe r too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are a lways there to offer protec ­
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, for example when your vehi­
cle strikes o r is struck by another after the
fi rst coll is io n.
This is just one of t he 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
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental knee airbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther injuries, fo r example, swel ling, b rui sing,
minor abrasions and friction burn s can also
oc cur when an airbag infl ates.
The knee airbag system basically cons ists
of :
-The elect roni c con trol mod ule
A irba g sy stem 125
- Two in flatable ai rbags (a irbag and gas gen ­
erator), one for the driver and o ne for the
front passenger
- The a irbag i ndicator light in the instr ument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is tu rned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
meas ured by the cont ro l 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)
c::> page 14.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection w hen occupa nts
are in the proper seating position
<::>page 118.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the sys tem inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re­
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
F ig. 12 5 Inflated a irbags prot ecting in a frontal coll i­
s io n
-
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the dr iver and fro nt pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collisions .
II>-

126 Airbag sys te m
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
a lso deploy in frontal co llisions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When the system dep loys fill the airbags with
a prope llant gas, and inflate between the low­
er part of the instrument panel and the driver
and the lower part of the instrument panel
and the front passenger
<=> page 118, fig. 122.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cush ion" the impact and in this way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities.
A ll of this takes place i n the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The a irbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and it is im­
portant for occupant safety that noth ing
should be in the ir way when they deploy.
Fu lly inflated airbags in combination 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
a ir bags to provide supp lemental protection .
,&. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wear ing sa fety belts inco rrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
just ing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenge r keep their upper bodies and knees at the following m
inimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the stee ring wheel/inst ru­
ment panel.
- at leas t 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if
you lean fo rward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly posi tioned and you are
not wearing yo ur safety belt. The risk in ­
creases even more should the a irbag de­
ploy.
- Always ma ke sure that the knee airbag
can inf late without interference. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can increase
the risk of in jury in an accident by inter­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, espec ia lly children
or anima ls in the footwe ll in front of
the passenger seat. If the a irbag de·
ploys, th is can result in serious or fatal
injur ies.
- No objects of any k ind shou ld be car­
ried in the footwell area in front of the
driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky ob­
jects (shopping bags, for example) can hamper o r prevent proper deployment
of the airbag . Small objects can be
th rown thro ugh the veh icle if the air­
bag deploys and injure yo u or your p as­
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 child ren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
<=> page 130, Child Safety.