2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants .
Fig. 12 6 Side a irbag locat ion in t he d river 's seat
The s ide a irbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t backrests ¢
fig. 126 facing the
doors. They are identified by the word "AIR­
BAG".
The side airbag sy stem ba sic ally con sis ts of:
- th e e lectronic control module and exter nal
s ide impact senso rs
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument
cluster .
The airbag system is monitored electron ically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times . Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicato r light will
come on fo r a few seconds (self diagnosti cs) .
The s ide airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the dr iver's and front passenger's up­
pe r torso and head inj uries on the side of the
veh icle tha t is s truck i n a side collision . The
ai rbag dep loys only in side impacts and only
when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the cont rol unit is high e nough . If t his rate is
be low the reference va lue programmed into
the control unit, the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision .
It is not
possible to def ine an a irbag tr igger ing range
A irba g sy stem 12 7
that will cove r every possib le ang le of impact,
since the circumstances wi ll vary cons iderably
between one co llision and another. Important
factors include, for examp le, the nature (hard
or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of i mpact, vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 128, Im ­
portant safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the drive r or front
passenger in position in t he 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 . A l­
ways remember that the side airbag system
c an on ly help to pro te ct yo u if you are wearing
your safe ty be lt and wea ring i t 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¢
page 102, Why safety
belts? .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
supplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru ising,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too ,
s ide a irbags will deploy only once and only in
ce rtain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
a re a lways the re to offer p rotection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even t he lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessa rily a n in d i­
cation of ove r-s ensitive o r failed airbag activa­
t ion. In some col lisio ns, both front and side
airbags may in flate. Remember too, that air­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in ce rtain
k inds of co llisions -yo ur safety belts are a l­
ways the re to offer protection in those acci­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag sy ste m will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the a ccelera tion
meas ured by t he sensor is too low

128 Airbag system
-in front -end collisions
- in rear-end co llisions
- in ro llovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags
and side a irbags may be triggered together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system wi ll
only p rov ide protection when occupants
are in the proper sea ting posit ion
¢page 128.
- If the airbag indicato r light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the vehicle ac­
celeration in a side co llision is high
enough to activate 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.
Fig. 127 Inflated side air bags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered , the airbag is
fi lled with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
B AG".
It expands between the side t rim panel
and the passenger. In order to help provide
this additiona l protection, the side airbag
must inflate with in a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force. The sup­
plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup ­
p lemental side a irbag expands . This appl ies
especia lly to childre n ¢ page 130, Child Safe- ty
. Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
li sion
¢ fig. 12 7.
Although they are not a soft pillow, 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 . This 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 supplemental protection .
A WARNING
-
An inflat ing s ide a irbag can cause se rious
or fata l injury. Improperly wearing safety
bel ts and imp roper sea ting positions in­
crease the r isk of se rious personal injury
and dea th whenever a vehicle is being
used .
- In order to reduce the risk of in jury w hen
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean aga inst the area whe re the
supplementa l side airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where the s upplementa l
s ide airbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety be lts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of the ir body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the s ide airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence.

-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
deploys 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 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 dealer.
- 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 130, Child Safety .
Airbag system 129
-Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
•
•

130 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The physical princip les of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash app ly also to children
¢ page 104. But unlike adu lts and teenagers,
their muscles and bones are not fully devel­
oped. 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
l aws requiring the use of approved ch ild re­
straint systems fo r infants and small child ren.
In a frontal 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 times the
weight of the child. T his means the weight of
the child would s uddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions,
only an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious 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 acc ident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your child's size¢
page 133, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important informat ion and WARN INGS
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 A irbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in chi ld re­
straints are on the front passenger seat. Be­
cause o f the large amount of important info r­
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.
.&, WARNING
-
All vehicle occupants and especially chi l­
dren must be restra ined properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child could be in­
jured by strik ing the interior or by being
ejected from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or impact. An unrestra ined or
i mproperly restra ined child is also at great­
er risk of injury or death through contact
with an inflat ing airbag.
.&, 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-fac ing ch ild
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, door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on . If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not
come on and stay on, the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier w ith 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
-=
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 an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 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
Child Safety 131
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, a child should al­
ways ride in the seat properly restrained for
its age and size . The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dan­
gerous place for a child to ride. The front seat
is not the safest place for a child in a forward­
facing child safety seat .
It can be a very dan­
gerous 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
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of child re­
straints and for the different models of the
same kind of child restraint offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced Air­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a
ll-
•
•

132 Child Saf ety
typical 1 year -old chi ld, the Advanced Airbag
System compares the weight meas ured by the
weight sensing mat with the in format ion stor­
ed in the electron ic contro l unit.
The electron ic contro l unit a lso registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt.
The tens ion on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d ifferent for an adult
who is properly using the safety belt as com­
pared to the tension on t he be lt whe n it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat.
The senso r below the latch fo r the safety be lt
fo r the front seat passenger measu res the
tension on the be lt. T he inp ut from this sen­
sor is then used with the we igh t to "decide",
whether there is a chi ld restraint with a typica l
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whether or not the airbag must be turned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure tha t it has been ce rtified to meet
Un ited States Fede ral Motor Vehicle Safety
S tanda rds a nd has been cer tified by its manu­
facture r fo r u se wit h an air bag. If i n excep­
tional circumstances yo u m ust use it on the
front passenge r seat, caref ully read all of the
info rmation on c hild safety an d Advanced Air­
bags and heed a ll of the app licable WARN­
INGS. Make certai n that t he child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat i nside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenge r airbag is tur ned off and that
the airbag status is a lways correctly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restra ints
have been ava ilable over the years, new mod­
e ls ar e introduced regularly incorporat ing new
a nd improved designs a nd older models are
taken out of p ro du ction. Child res traints are
not stan dardized . Ch ild restra ints o f the same
type typically have different weights and s izes
a nd d ifferent 'footprints,' the s ize and s hape
of the bottom o f the child restraint that sits
on the seat, when they are installed on a veh i­
cle seat. These differences make it virtually impossible to certify compliance wi
th t he re ­
quirements for a dvanced airbags with eac h
and every ch ild restra int that has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For t his reason, the United States National
Hig hway T raffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has
published a list of spec ific type, ma kes and
m odels of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle w ith the su ppr ession
r equirem ents of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These chi ld restraints a re :
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model
Angel Guard Angel
R ide AA 2403F OF Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model
Century Sm art Fi t
4 543
Cosco Arriva
22 -013PAW and base
22-999 WHO
Evenflo Discove ry Ad­
just Right 212
E venflo First Choice
2 04
Graco Infant 8457
G raco Snug ride
Peg Perego Pr im o Vi­
aggio SIP IMU NOOUS Manufactured on or
after
D ecembe r 1, 1999
Septemb er 25, 20 07
Decembe r 1, 1999
D ecember 1, 1 999
Decembe r 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Subpart C -Forward-facing and
convertible child restraints '
.
'
.
Model Manufactured on or
·
B rita x Round about
E 9 L0 2xx after
Sep
tember 25, 2007
Cosco Touriva 02519 Decemb er
1, 1999
'

Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
H igh Back Bo oste r
22-262
Co sco High Bac k Boos -September 2S, 2007
ter 22- 209
Evenfl o Tribut e V
379xxxx September 25, 2007
December 1, 1999
E
venflo Genera tions September 25, 2007
35 2xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 2S, 2007
Grace Toddler Sa fety September 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
T o 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 on the front pas ­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on a nd stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat o r infant ca r­
rie r wi th great fo rce and will smash the
c hild s afety seat and child agains t the
backrest, door or roof . Have the airbag
system inspected immedia tely by your
authorized Audi dealer.
(D Tips
The ch ild seats listed in catego ries A to C
have been sta tica lly tested by Au di only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
.
Child Sa fet y 133
Important safety instructions for us ing
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are respons ible for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle , especially ch il­
dren:
"' Always use the r ight ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
r=;, page 135.
"' Always carefully fo llow the child safe ty seat
manufac turer's inst ruct io ns on how to ro ute
the sa fe ty be lt properly through the c hild
safety seat .
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from mov ing
¢ page 138 .
"' Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot
move fo rwa rd o r
sideways more th an one inch
(2.5 cm).
"' If a st rap or tethe r is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
A lways remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
c hi ld should always ride in the seat properly
restrained for its age and s ize.
A WARNING
N ot using a child safety seat, using the
wrong ch ild safety seat o r imprope rly in­
stalling a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious persona l inju ry and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must always be restrained p rope rly
wheneve r riding in a vehicle.
-
- An unrest rained or improper ly restrain­
ed ch ild can be injured or killed by be­
i ng t hrown against the ins ide of the
ve­
hicle or by being e jected from it dur ing
a sudden maneuve r o r i mpact .
•
•

134 Child Safety
-An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag .
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion. The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames . They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat .
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu­
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger .
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each another in an accident.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant car­
rier with 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.
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat can in­
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's
safety and well -being require that the
following special precautions be taken :
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac­
turer's instructions provided with the
child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat
into the rearmost position of the pas­
senger seat 's fore and aft adjustment
range, and as far away from the airbag
as possible before installing the child
restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre ­
vents the front passenger's seat from
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used¢
page 101, Safety
belts,
¢ page 109, Airbag system and
~ page 130, 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 restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.