2012 AUDI R8 SPYDER warning light

-Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas­
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­ ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­ ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re­
straint manufacturer 's instructions re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re­
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat .
Airbag system 117
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, the inflat­
ing 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. Have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dealer .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash.
When the electronic control unit registers a
low severity crash and the safety belt is being
used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys,
followed by the second stage after a much lat­
er time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash
of medium severity, the first stage of the air­
bag deploys followed by the second stage at a
much later time in the crash sequence - re­
gardless of whether the safety belt is being
used or not . In higher severity crashes as reg­
istered by the electronic control unit, both the
first and second stages deploy almost at the
same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
IJII,-
•
•

118 Airbag system
amount programmed in the e lectronic control
unit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will also be turned off if one of the child safe­
ty seats that has been certified under Federa l
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recogn ized on the seat . The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned off
c::> page 111, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know .
8_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inf lates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
c::> page 109.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fig . 122 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position
so that airbags can deploy properly and pro­
vide supplemental protection in a frontal col­
lision .
The front airbags are designed to provide ad­ d itional protect ion for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly, -
the seats have been positioned so that the
occupant is properly seated as far as possi­
ble from the airbag,
- and the head restraints have been properly
adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, things you have on your lap
or have placed on the seat could become dan­
gerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if
the airbag inf lates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released .
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in
the vehicle . 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 whi le the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for example swelling, bruising and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags
supplement the three point safety belts only
in some frontal collisions in which the vehicle
deceleration is high enough to deploy the air­
bags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
- if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
o ccurs ,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by
the airbag system is less than the min imum
threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
registered by the electronic control 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 ..,.

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 ..,.

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. ..,.

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>-

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