2014 AUDI R8 SPYDER warning

described in the child restraint manufactur­
er 's instructions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety be lt for the front passen­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the seat can do its job<=>
page 140 .
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the child and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen­
sor is not blocked . Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenge r seat back and
forth;
- If a st rap or tether is being used to tie the
ch ild safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure t hat it is not so tigh t that it
ca uses the we ight-sensing mat to meas ure
more weight than is actua lly on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not com e on and does not stay on con­
tinuously (when the igni tion is sw itched on),
- take the ch ild restraint off the front passen·
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat pos itions. Have the a irbag system
i nspec ted by your A udi dealer immediately.
- move the ch ild to a rea r seat posit io n and
make su re th at the chi ld is proper ly res train ­
ed in a chi ld restraint that is appropriate fo r
its size and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld
NO T come on when the ign ition is on and an
ad ult is sitting in a p rope r seat ing pos ition on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds while driving, un­
der these circumstances, make sure that:
- the ad ult on the front passenger seat is
proper ly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up against the
backrest and the backrest is not reclined
<=> page 94, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
A irbag system 123
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door,
- the safety be lt is being properly worn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accesso ry seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat .
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill briefly appear
in the instrument cluster display. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenge r
a irbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
p roperly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal c rash.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on, it
means that there may b e something
wrong with the Advan ced Airbag Sys tem.
It is poss ible that the air bag w ill inflate
when it is not supposed to, or will not in ­
f late when it sho uld .
- Have the airbag system inspe cted imme­
diate ly by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without
a child restraint, in a rea rward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing child re­
straint that has not been proper ly installed
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed.
- Even tho ugh your vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced A irbag System, make
certain that all children, espec ially 12
-
•
•

124 Airbag sys te m
years and younger, a lways ride proper ly
restrained for their age and s ize.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
P ASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on have
the a irbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
-A tight tether or other strap on a rear­ ward-fac ing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register mo re weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an ad ult were on the seat
and dep loy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed caus ing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger seat, a l­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sit ion in the seat's fo re and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the airbag
as possib le. The backrest m ust be adjus t­
ed to an upr ight position. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the t ime when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
on the front passenge r seat afte r taking
the steps described above, have the air­ bag system inspected by your Audi deal­
er before transpor ting anyone on the
front passenger se at.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenge r side will be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
w ill stay on.
-
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Pa rts of the airbag system are i nstalled at
many diffe rent p laces o n your Aud i. Insta llin g,
removi ng, servicing or repa iring a part in an
area of the veh icle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a coll is ion.
T he re a re some important t hings yo u have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness o f
t h e system wi ll not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol ­
l ute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv ic ing and repair proce­
du res can increase the risk of personal in­
j u ry and death by prevent ing an a irbag
from deploying when needed or dep loying
an a irbag une xpec tedly:
- Never cover, obst ruct, or change the
steer ing whee l horn pad or ai rbag cover
or the in st rument panel or mod ify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects s uch as c up
holders or telephone mountings to the
sur faces covering the a irbag un its.
- For cle aning the horn pad or instr ument
panel, use only a soft, dry clo th or one
moistened with pla in water. Solvents o r
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the st iffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
p loy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the a irbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or e lectr ica l sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equ ipment, cellu lar telep hones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technic ian who has the training
and specia l equipment ne cessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work-
shop. ..,.

126 Airbag system
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen ­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electron ic control unit.
.&_ WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's s uspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious personal inj ury in a c rash .
- Never install suspens ion components
that do not have the same performance
character istics as the components origi­
nally insta lled on yo ur vehicle.
- Never use ti re-rim comb inat io ns that
have not been approved by A udi.
.&_ WARNING
-
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the senso rs in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con ­
trol mod ule a nd prevent the Advanced A ir ­
bag System from work ing properly .
- Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buck les and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
T he knee airbag system can provide supple ­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 121 Driv er 's airbag
The drive r knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering whee l
~ fig. 121, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment .
T he knee air bag offe rs addi tional p rotec tion
to the driver 's and passenger's knees lower
t h igh areas as a supplement to the protection
by the safety belts .
If the fron t airbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions w hen the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met ~
page 120, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addition to their normal sa fety function,
safety belts help keeping the driver or front
passenger in position in a fronta l co llision so
that the airbags can provide supp lemental
protection .
T he airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part o f the overa ll oc ­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle. A l­
ways remember tha t the a irbag system can
o nly he lp to protect you if you are wearing
you r safety belt and wea ring it properly . This
is why you should a lways wear your safety
belt, not jus t be cause the law requ ires you to
do so~
page 103 , General notes.
The safety belt buckle fo r th e driver and front
seat passenger have switch es that tell the air­
bag control module if the safety bel t is being
u sed or not .
If the sa fe ty belt is be ing used ,
t h e knee a irbag w ill deploy at a s light ly h igher
rate of dece leration than if the be lt is not be ­
ing used . Therefore, in a particular co llision, it
is possib le that an airbag will not dep loy at a
seating pos ition where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the posit ion where the
safety belt is not being used .
Remember too, airbags w ill deploy on ly once
and only in certa in kinds of acc idents - your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t io n in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy o r whe n they have al­
ready dep loyed, for example when your vehi­
cl e s trikes or is st ru ck by ano ther after the
first collision . ..,.

This is just one o f the reasons why an a irbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effective ly when used wit h
the safety belts. Theref ore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while t he
supp lemental knee a irbag system is des igned
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other injuries, for example, swel ling, bruising,
minor abrasions and friction burns can also
occur when a n airbag inflates .
The knee airb ag sy stem ba sically con sist s
of:
-The electronic contro l modu le
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not d eploy :
-when the ignition is turned off
- in frontal col lisions when the dece lerat ion
measured by the contro l unit is too low
- in s ide coll isions
- in rear-end colli sions
- in ro llovers
- in the event of a system malfunct ion (warn-
ing/ indicator light is on)
~ page 14.
A WARNING
- Saf ety belts and the a irbag system can
o nly p rov ide protection whe n occu pants
are in t he p roper sea ting posit io n
~page 12 0.
- If the air bag indica to r ligh t comes on
when the veh icle is be ing used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
-
A irba g sy stem 12 7
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re­
duced by fully deployed knee airbags.
F ig. 1 22 In flated a irbags protect ing in a frontal colli ­
s io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and fro nt pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collisions .
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also deploy in frontal col lisions when the de­
ployment threshold sto red in the control unit
is met.
When the system deploys fill the airbags with
a p ropellant gas, and inflate between the low­
er part of the instrume nt pane l and the dr iver
and the lower part of the instr ument pane l
and the front passe nger
~ page 120, fig. 119.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremit ies.
All of th is takes place in the bli nk of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate wi th a g reat dea l of fo rce and it is im­
po rtant for occup ant safety t hat no thing
sho uld be in their way whe n they deploy.
Fully inflated ai rbags in combination with
properly worn safety be lts s low dow n and lim­
it the occup ant's forward movemen t and help
to reduce the risk of inju ry.

128 Airbag system
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.
There is a lot that you and your passenger
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags to provide supplemental protection.
.&_ WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
-
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
justing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following min imum safe
distances:
- 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 airbag de­
ploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter­
fering with the way the airbag dep loys or
by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys .
- Never let anybody, especially children
or animals in the footwell in front of
the passenger seat.
If the airbag de- ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be car­
ried in the footwell area in front of the
driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky ob­
jects (shopping bags, for example) can
hamper 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 132, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 123 S ide a irbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
q fig. 123 facing the
doors. They are identified by the word "AIR­
BAG".
Th e 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
- 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 turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supp lements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up­
per torso and head injuries on the side of the
ve hicle that is st ruck in a side co llision . The
airbag deploys in s ide impacts and only when
the veh icle acce lerat ion registered by the con­
trol un it is high enough. If this rate is below
the refe rence va lue p rogrammed into the con­
trol un it, the s ide a irbags w ill not be trig­
gered, even though the car may be bad ly dam ­
aged as a result of the collision . It is not pos ­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every poss ible angle of impact,
since the c ircumstances will vary considerab ly
between one collision and anothe r. Important
factors include, fo r example, the nature (hard
or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of i mpa ct, veh icle speed, e tc.¢
page 130, Im­
portant safety instru ctions on the side airbag
system .
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe­
ty belts wor k to he lp keep t he d river or front
passenger in posi tion in the event of a side
coll is ion so that the side a irbags can provide
p rotection.
The airbag sys tem is
not a subs titute for your
safety be lt. R athe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc­
cupant res traint system in your veh icle . Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only he lp to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
is another reason w hy you sho uld always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
qu ires you to do so¢
page 103, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental s ide a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other i njuries, for example, swell ing, b ruising,
and minor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed s ide a irbags . Remem ber too,
A irbag system 129
side airbags wi ll dep loy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are always the re to offer p rotection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even t he lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessarily an indi ­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion . In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­ bags will deploy only once a nd only in certain
k inds of col lisions -your safety be lts a re al­
ways the re to offe r protection in those acc i­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit io n is turned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in rear-end co llisions
- in rollove rs .
In some types of ac cidents the front airbags
and s ide a ir b ag s may be triggere d toge ther.
A_ WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system wi ll
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 130.
-If the ai rbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the vehicle ac­
c e leration in a side collis ion is high
e nough to activate t he a irbag. •
•

130 Airbag system
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and con help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who ore properly restrained.
Fi g. 1 24 Inflated s ide airbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with prope llant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG". It expands between the side trim pane l
and the passenger . In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very hig h speed and with great force. The sup­
plemental side airbag could i njure you if your
seating position is no t proper or upr ight or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
p lemental side airbag expands. This applies
especial ly to children
Q page 132, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplementa l side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door pane l on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
lision
Q fig . 124.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­
p loys. This is norma l and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle. Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags ore only
supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safe ty belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
The re is a lot that you and your passenger
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplementa l protect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side ai rbag can cause serious
or fata l injury. Improperly weari ng 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 inj ury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright posi tion and
never lean aga inst the area whe re the
s u ppleme nta l side air bag is located .
- Never let a child or a nyone e lse rest
t h eir head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
in the area where the supplementa l
side airbag inflates.
-Always make sure tha t safety be lts a re
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the fron t
seat put t heir hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the win dow.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Neve r install seat covers or rep lace­
ment upholstery over th e front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Neve r use additional seat c ushions that
cove r the areas where the side a irbags
deploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to t he seam in the area of the si de a ir­
bag module mus t always be repaired
i mmediately by a n author ized Audi
dealer.

132 Child Safety
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c::> page 104, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fully developed . In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especial ­
ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure . Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small children.
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate child restraint properly used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your child's size
c::> page 135, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re­
straints are on the front passenger seat. Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor- mation, we cannot repeat it all here. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manual about airbags and the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­ ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
A WARNING
-
All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child could be in­
jured by striking the interior or by being
ejected from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child is also at great­
er risk of injury or death through contact
with an inflating airbag.
_& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be seriously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not
come on and stay on, have the airbag
system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
.