2014 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

removing, servicing or rep airing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impa ired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol ­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploy ing when needed o r deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instr ument pane l 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
pane l, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners cou ld damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repa ir, 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 necessa ry.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Aud i dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop.
- Never mod ify the front bumper or parts
of the veh icle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate witho ut interference:
Airbag system 167
-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 i nflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side a ir­
bag module must always be repaired
i mmediately by an author ized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Aud i
dea ler or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
specia l equipment necessary .
- The airbag sys tem 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 serv ice action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alte rnator and starter a re separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dea ler - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
i s scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classif ied as Perchlorate
Material - special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc .ca. gov/hazard o u sw a ste/ per­
ch lorate. When the veh icle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules ..,.
•
•

168 Airbag system
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, al l applicable laws and regula·
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dea ler is familiar with these require·
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this service for you .
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-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the vehicle, chang ing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the spring s, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit . Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, 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 e lectronic 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. 169 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig . 169, 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 and up­
per and lowe r th igh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts. ..,.

If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collisions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
c:> page 162, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety be lts he lp keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a subst itute for yo ur
safety be lt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your veh icle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
i s why you shou ld always wear you r safety
be lt, not just because the law requires you to
do so¢
page 145, General notes.
The safety be lt buck le for the dr iver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the a ir­
bag con trol mod ule if the safety belt is be ing
used or not . If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher rate of deceleration than if the belt is not be­
ing used. Therefore, in a particu lar collision, it
is poss ible 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 be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec ­
tion in those acc idents in which a irbags a re
not supposed to deploy or when they have a l­
ready deployed, fo r example when your veh i­
cle strikes or is str uck by another after the
first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system wo rks most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety be lts correctly.
It is impo rtan t to remember that while the
supp lemental knee a irbag sys tem is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
A irbag system 169
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru ising
and minor abrasions and friction b urns can al­
so occur when an airbag inflates .
The knee airbag system basic ally consist s
of:
-The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable a irbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument pane l
The knee airbag s ystem will not depl oy:
- when the ignit ion is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn -
ing/indicator light is on) ¢
page 18.
A WARNING
--Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 162.
-If the airbag ind icator light ¢ page 18
comes when the ve hicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authori zed Audi dealer.
It is pos­
sible tha t the airbag will infla te when it
is not supposed to, or will not infla te
when it should.
-
•
•

1 7 0 Airbag system
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re­
duced by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig . 170 Inflated airbags protect ing in a frontal coll i­
sio n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the a irbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collis ions ..
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy i n frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill
with a propellant gas, and inflate between the
lower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument
panel and the front passenger
9 page 162,
fig. 167.
Although they a re not a soft pillow, they can
"cush ion " the impact and in this way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremities.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed . T he ai rbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and it is im ­
po rtan t for occupant sa fety that not hing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Fu lly inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety bel ts slow down and lim­
it the oc cupant's forwa rd movement and help
to reduce the risk 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.
The re is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the sa fety belts and
airbags to prov ide supplemen ta l protect ion.
A WARNING ~
An inflat ing knee a irbag can cause serio us
i njury . Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
risk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front
passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
d istances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 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 forward or to the side, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are not wearing your safety belt . The risk in­
creases even more should the a irbag de­
p loy .
- Always make s ure that the knee airbag
can inf late without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter ­
fering w ith the way the airbag deploys or
by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, espec ia lly children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front

of the passenger seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air­ bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
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 children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
¢ page 177, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
---
Fig. 171 Side airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢fig. 171 and the rear
backrest facing the doors. They are identified
bytheword "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags
Airbag system 1 71
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you switch on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's, front and rear passenger's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys
only in side impacts and only when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control unit is
high enough.
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
sult of the collision.
It is not possible to de­
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 173, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 145, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
IIJ>,

17 2 Airbag system
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too,
side airbags will deploy on ly once and on ly in
certain k inds of accidents -your safety belts
are always there to offer protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessar ily an indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion . In some co llisions, both front and side
a irbags may inflate . Remember too, that air ­
bags will deploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of co llisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protec tion in those acci­
dents in wh ich airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed.
The side airbag s yst em will not depl oy :
- when the ign ition is switched off
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers.
I n some types of acc idents the front airbags,
side curta in a irbags and side airbags may be
triggered together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and t he airbag system will
only provide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
¢ page 173.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your aut ho rized Aud i dealer.
It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld. -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.
F ig . 1 72 Inflated s ide a irbags on left s ide of veh icle,
r ea r side a irbag
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG".
It expands between the side tr im panel
and the passenger. In orde r to help provide
t hi s addit io nal pro tect ion, the s ide airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very h igh speed and with great force. The sup ­
plementa l side airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side airbag expands. This applies
especially to ch ildren
q page 177, Child Safe­
ty .
Supplemental side airbags inflate betwee n
t h e occ upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is str uck in certa in side col ­
li sion ¢
fig. 172 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion " the impact and in this way t hey can
help to reduce the risk of inju ry to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys. This is normal a nd 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 accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection .
A 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.
Airbag system 173
- 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 177, 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 .,.. •
•

17 4 Airbag syst em
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive w ith inter ior door trim pan­
e ls removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­ moved from the ins ide doo r panel and
the openings they leave have not been p roperly closed.
- Never d rive when loudspeakers in the
doors have bee n removed unless the
spea ker holes have been properly
closed.
-Always ma ke certa in that openings are
covered or fi lled if additional speakers
or other equ ipment is installed in the
inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants.
Fi g. 1 73 Side curtain a irbags, d river 's side: s ide curta in
a ir bag location
The s ide curtain airbags are located o n both
sides of the interior above the front and rea r
side windows
c:.> fig. 173 . They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof p illar.
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso o n the side of the vehicle tha t is struc k in a side collision
. The side curtain airbag in­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­ cle acceleration registered by the control un it
is h igh enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
t h ough the car may be bad ly 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 impact, s ince the cir­
cumstances will vary cons iderably between
one collision and another. Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc .
c:,, page 175, How side cur­
tain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a colli­
sion 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 restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wear ing
you r saf ety belt and wearing it properly . This
is anothe r reason why yo u should always wear
yo ur safe ty belts, no t just because the law re ­
quires yo u to do soc:.>
page 145, General
notes .
It is important to remember that w hile the
s ide cur tain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injur ies, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor ab rasions can also be associated with
these a irbags upon dep loyment. Remember
too, these airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offe r protection .
The s ide curtain a irbag system basic ally
cons ists of:
- The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear s ide windows