2013 AUDI A8 window

134 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures desc ribed in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of inj ury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts for d rive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- s afety belt prete nsio ners ,
- safety belt force lim ite rs fo r the front seats,
- safety belt he ight ad justment systems for
the front seats ,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats
- side airbags in the front seats a nd outer rear
seats,
- side c urtai n airbags ,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- he ad restr aints for each sea ting pos ition,
- ad justab le s teer ing colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
ge ther as a system to help protect you and
you r passengers in a wide range of accidents .
T hese features canno t wo rk as a system if
they are not always cor re ct ly adjusted and co r­
rect ly used.
Safety is ev erybody' s responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu ­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen ­
gers,
befor e driv ing always:
.. Make s ure that all lig hts and signa ls are op­
erating correctly.
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.. Mak e sur e that all windows are clean and
afford good v is ibility to the outside .
.. Se cu re a ll luggage a nd o ther items carefu lly
<:!) page 69, ¢page 74.
.. Ma ke s ure that noth ing can interfere wi th
the peda ls .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir ­
rors correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints according to the ir height . .,..

The following bulletins list only some sample positions that will increase the risk of serious
in ju ry and death . Our hope is that these exam­
p les will make you more aware of seating po­
sitions that are dangerous.
The refore, wh en ev er th e vehicl e is
mov ing:
- never stand up in the vehicle
-never stand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- never ride with the seatbac k reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit s ideways
- never lean out the window
- never put yo ur feet out the window
- never put yo ur feet on the ins trument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion o r
back of the seat
- never r ide in the footwe ll
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imprope r seat ing positions increase the
r isk of se rious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­
pants stay in a p ro per seating pos it ion
and are properly restr ained whenever the
vehicle is be ing used.
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inf late without interference. Objects be­
tween yourse lf and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an acc ident by interfer­
ing w it h the way the a irbag deploys or by
being p ushed into you as the airbag de­
ploys.
-
Dr iving S afel y 139
-No persons (children) or animals sho uld
ride in the footwell in front of the pas­
senger seat. If the airbag dep loys, this
can result in ser ious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried
in the footwell area in front of the driv­
er 's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects
(shopping bags, fo r example) can ham­
pe r o r prevent proper deployment of the
airbag. Small obje cts can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
an d inju re you or your passenge rs .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
Make sure that a ll peda ls move free ly without
interference and that nothing prevents them
from return ing to their orig inal positions.
Only use floor mats t hat leave the pedal area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten­
ers.
If a brake circ uit fai ls, inc reased brake pedal
trave l is required to b ring the vehicle to a f ull
stop .
A WARNING
-Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk
of ser ious injury.
- Never p lace any objects in the drive r's
footwell. An ob ject cou ld get into the
pedal area and interfere with pedal func­
tion. In case of sudde n brak ing o r an ac­
cident, yo u wou ld not be able to b rake or
accelerate!
- Always ma ke sure that nothing can fall
or move into the driver's footwel l. •
•

-Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
o page 134 .
A WARNING
-
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
keep the rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
-Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used .
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­ pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury .
-
Driving Safely 141
-Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions .
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel, on the
left side of the luggage compartment. Be sure to keep these slots free and
open .
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
opage253 .
Tie-downs
The luggage compartmen t is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and o ther
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
o page 140, Loading the luggage com­
partment .
In a collision , the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en ­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
•
•

Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
~ Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
~ Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety be lts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas­
sengers are correc tly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit ­
ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being d riv­
en .
- Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument panel or sticking out
the window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi ­
tion .
Safety belts 147
-Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
tha t may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be requ ired for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly.
If web­
bing , bindings, buckles , or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­ shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer . Replace­
ment may be necessary even if damage
cannot be clearly seen . Anchorages that
were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the bel ts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel
c::> page 225, Safety belts .
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everbody buckle up!
Fig. 161 B el t b uckle and to ngue on the drive r's se at

162 Airbag sys tem
electronic contro l uni t (the PAS SENGER 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 position,
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 blink of an eye
~page 154.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward -facing child sea t in­
stalled on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-The inflating ai rbag will hit the child seat
or infant carrier with great force and will
smash the ch ild seat and child against
the backrest , center armrest, door or
roof .
- Always install rear-facing child seats on
the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front passenger seat
because of except iona l circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately i nstall the rea r-facing chi ld seat in a
rear seating position and have the ai rbag
system inspected by your Au di dealer.
A WARNING
Objects be tween 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
or by being pushed into yo u as the a irbag
inf lates. -
Never hold things in you r hands o r on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transpo rt items on or in t he a rea
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangero us projec ­
tiles that can cause ser ious personal in­
jury if the a irbags inf late .
- Never p lace or attach accesso ries o r oth ­
er objects (such as cup hold ers, te le­
phone b ra ck ets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r o r ne ar the are a
marked "AIRBAG" on the s teer ing whee l,
instr ument panel, sea t bac krests o r be ­
tween those areas and yourself. T hese
objects could ca use in jury in a crash, 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 airbag or
the front a irbag during braki ng or in a
sudden maneuve r. Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
in jur y, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
The fine dus t create d when air bags deploy
c a n cause breathing p rob lems fo r people
wi th a history of as thma or other breath ­
i ng cond itions.
- T o reduce the risk of breath ing pro blems,
those with asthma or othe r respiratory
conditions s hou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut o f 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 careful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the res id ue should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith water.

172 Airbag system
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 accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
-Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer. -
Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates.
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders, tel­
ephone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­ come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other passengers to travel in this position.
-Always use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight clothing. Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
~ page 176, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­ rectly measure increasing air pressure in-
side the doors when air escapes through ..,.

larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never d rive w ith int erio r door tr im pan­
els removed.
- Never d rive when parts have been re­
moved from t he ins ide door panel and
the openings they leave have not been
p roperly closed.
- Never d rive w hen loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unle ss the
spea ker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make cer ta in t hat openings are
covered or filled if additional s peake rs
or other equi pment is i nstalled in the
insi de door panels.
- A lways have work on t he doors done by
a n author ized Audi dealer or qualified
wo rkshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants.
Fi g. 173 Side curtai n airbags, dr iver 's s ide: side curtai n
ai rbag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 173. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof p illar.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupa nts' heads and upper
torso on the side of the veh icle tha t is struc k
Airba g system 173
in a side co llision . The side cu rtain airbag in­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­
cle acceleration registered by the contro l un it
is h igh eno ugh. If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­
su lt of the co llision . It is not possib le to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover every possib le ang le of impa ct, sin ce the cir­
c u mstances will vary cons iderably be tween
one collision and anothe r. Important factors
incl ude, fo r example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehicle speed, etc . ¢
page 17 4, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety f unction, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a coll i­
s ion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection .
The airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­ cupant restra int system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
o nly help to protec t you if you are wear ing
you r safety be lt and wea ring it p roperly. This
i s a nothe r reason why you should a lways wear
yo ur safe ty be lts, no t ju st because the law re­
quires you to do so ¢
page 144, General
notes .
It is impo rtant to remembe r that w hile the
s id e cu rtain air bag system is desig ned to help
reduce t he likelihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for examp le, swelling, br uising, and
minor ab rasions can also be associated with
these a irbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these airbags will deploy only once and
o nly in certain kinds of acc idents -your safety
belts are always the re to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag sy stem ba sically
consists of :
-The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rea r side windows

17 4 Airbag system
-The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag sys tem is monitored electro nica lly
to make certa in it is funct ion ing properly a t all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition,
the a irbag system ind icator light wi ll come on
for a few seconds (self diagnost ics).
The side curtain airb ag i s not activated :
-if the ignit ion is switched off,
- in s ide collisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low ,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers .
A WARNING
-
-Safety belts and the a irbag system will
only p rov ide protection when occ upants
are in t he p roper sea ting posit ion
c>page 57, General recommendations.
- If the airbag indicato r ligh t¢ page 18
comes whe n the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your aut horized Aud i dea ler . It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work tog ether with
sid e airbags to h elp reduc e the risk of head
and upper torso i njurie s for occupants who
are properly res trained.
F ig . 17 4 Illust rat ion of p rin cipl e: In fl ate d side cu rt a in
airba gs on th e left sid e
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
"' N ;g
:i: .. m
vehicle that is struck in a side collis ion
¢ fig . 174 .
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled w ith prope llant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by th e AIRBAG label. In or·
der to he lp provide this add itiona l protection,
the side curta in a irbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force . The side curta in a irbag could in ·
jure you if your seating pos it io n is not proper
o r upright or if items are located in the area
whe re the supplemental side curta in a irbag
infla tes. This applies especially to ch ild ren
¢ page 176.
Although they are not a soft pi llow, side cur·
ta in a irbags can "cushion" the impact and i n
th is way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
j u ry to the head and the uppe r part o f the
body.
A fine dust may deve lop w hen the airbag de·
ploys. Th is is qui te no rma l and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al·
ways properly wear safety belts and rid e in a
proper seating position .
The re is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the safety belts and
airbags do th eir job to provide supp lemental
protection .
A WARNING
-Improperly wearing safety belts and im-
p roper seating posit ions increase the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death when·
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bod ies in the area from which the
side curta in a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the s ide curtain
airbags can inflate without interference .
Unsui table ac cessories fitted inside the
-