2014 AUDI A8 instrument panel

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. ..,.

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>,

178 Child Safety
-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the air­
bag system inspected immediately by
your Audi dealer.
_& 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 a front "Ad­
vanced 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 th e
driver side. The low ris k deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interact ion with the airbag t hat can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates . In addition, the system
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 , all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride . The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous 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 .,..

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 197 Dr ive r foo twell: re lease leve r
AUD I
Fig. 198 Rocker sw itch under the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged.
.. Pull the lever under the instrument panel in
the d irect ion of the arrow~
fig. 197.
.. Raise the hood slightly~ &-
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
~ fig. 198. This re leases the catch .
.. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment . Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fully opening the hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 231
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
When ev er y ou must p erform an y wor k in the
en gine com pa rtm ent , for e xample checking
a nd filling diff ere nt fluid s, th ere is a risk of
inju ry, burn s and accid ent s. To pr eve nt per­
so nal injury alwa ys observ e the foll owing
W ARNING S. The engin e compartm ent of any
v e hicle i s a h aza rdou s area
~ ,& .
h WARNING
To help avoid injury, before yo u check any ­
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Sw itch off the ignition .
- Apply the parki ng brake.
- Move selector leve r to "P" (Park).
- Always let the eng ine cool down. Hot
components w ill burn skin on contact .
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo lant escaping from the engine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
- Keep ch ildren away from the engine com­
pa rtment.
- Never sp ill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents . They can cause a fire .
- Never touch the rad iator fan. The auxili­
ary electric fan is temperat ure controlled
and can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap
when the engine is still warm . The cool­
ant system is p ressu rized and hot cool­
a nt cou ld spray o ut.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by plac ing a
thick rag ove r the cap when you open the
coo lant rese rvoir.
- Do not remove the engine cover under
any circumstances. This inc reases the
ris k of burns.
- If work on the fue l system o r the elec tri ­
cal system is necessary: