2015 AUDI A8 warning

166 Airbag system
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the sp rings, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbe rs etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors a nd sent to the electron ic control
un it. Some suspension changes ca n, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not dep loy 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 .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's s uspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advan ced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serio us
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspens io n components
t hat do not have the same performance
characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinat ions that
have not been approved by A udi.
A WARNING
-
Items stored between the safety belt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong informat ion to the electronic con­
trol modu le and prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from work ing properly.
- Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere w ith the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed .
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig . 169 Dr iver's knee airbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the ins trument
pane l 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.
T he knee airbag offers addi tional protection
to the driver 's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front 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 160, More important things to
know about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety f unction,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a fronta l collision so that
the a irbags can provide supplemental protec­
t ion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle. A l­
ways remember that the a irbag system can
only he lp to protect you if you are wearing
you r safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, no t jus t because the law requires you to
do so
¢page 143, General notes. .,.

Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are a lways there to offer protec ­
tion in those acc idents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, for example when your vehi ­
cle str ikes or is struck by another afte r the
fi rst coll is ion.
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 effectively when used with
the safety belts . Therefore, always wear your
safety bel ts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental knee a irbag system is des igned
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther in juries , fo r example, swel ling , bruising
and minor abras io ns and frict ion bu rns ca n al ­
so occur when an airbag in flates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of :
-The elec tronic control mod ule
- T wo inf latab le airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erato r), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- T he airbag ind icator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ign ition is switc hed off
- in frontal collisions w hen the decelerat ion
measured by the control unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers
- in the event of a system malfunct io n (wa rn -
i ng/indicator ligh t is on)
r::!> page 18.
& WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can
only p rov ide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating posit ion
c::>page 160.
-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
A irba g sy stem 16 7
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is pos­
sib le that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to , or will not inflate
when it should .
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re­
duced by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fi g. 170 In flated a irbags protect ing in a fronta l co lli·
s ion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collisions.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee a irbags
also dep loy in fronta l co llisions when the de­
ployment thresho ld stored in the control unit
is met.
When the system deploys, the ai rbags 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 passe nger
c::> page 160,
fig . 167 .
Although they are not a soft p illow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremit ies .
A ll of this takes place in the blink of an eye , so
fast that many people don't even realize tha t
the a irbags have deployed . The airbags a lso
inflate with a great deal of force and it is im­
portant fo r occupant safety that nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy.
i,..

168 Airbag system
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward 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.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags to provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk 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 minimum 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.
- T he 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
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 174, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 171 S id e 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
by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags
- the a irbag warn ing light in the inst rument
cl us ter.
The airbag system is monitored electron ically
to make certain that it is functioning prope rly
at all times . Each time you swi tch on the igni­
tion, the ai rbag system indica tor ligh t will
come on for a few seconds (sel f diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supp lements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
ju ry to the dr ive r's, front and rear passenger's
upper to rso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side co llision . The airbag deploys
only in side impacts and on ly when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control unit is
h igh enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control un it,
the side cu rtain airbag will not be trigge red,
even thoug h the ca r may be badly damaged as
a result of the collision. It is not possible to
define an airbag trigge ring range that will
cover eve ry possible angle of impact, since the
circumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the nat ure (hard or soft)
of the impac ting object, the angle of impact,
veh icle speed, etc.
c::, page 170 , Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir norma l safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion i n the event of a side
coll is ion so that the side a irbags can provide
p rotection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system i n your veh icle. Al ­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you a re wear ing
your safety belt a nd wear ing it prope rly. Thi s
i s another reason w hy you sho uld always wear
your safety belts, not jus t beca use the law re­
q uires you to do so
c::, page 143, General
notes.
A irbag system 169
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
suppleme nta l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser io us injuries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is ing,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too,
s ide a irbags w ill dep loy only once and only in
ce rtain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are always the re to offe r protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessarily a n in d i­
cation of ove r-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion. In some coll is ions, bot h front and side
a irbags may inflate. Remember too, t hat ai r­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in certain
k inds of col lisions -yo ur sa fety belts are a l­
ways there to offer protection in those acci­ dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ra tion
meas ured by t he sensor is too low
- in front-e nd collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
triggered together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 170 .
- If the ai rbag ind icator light c::, page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used,
h ave the system inspected immediately
by your au thori zed Audi dealer.
It is pos­
sible t hat the air bag will inflate when i t
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should. •
•

1 7 0 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 72 Infla ted s ide airbags o n left side of ve hicle,
r ea r side a irbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
fil led with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In order to help prov ide
this additiona l prote ction, the side a irbag
must inf late within a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force. The sup­
p lemental side a irbag co uld injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side a irbag expands . Th is applies
espec ially to childre n
c::> page 174, Child Safe­
ty .
Supplementa l s ide airbags inflate between
the occupant and the doo r pane l on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in ce rtain side col­
lision
c::> fig . 172.
A lthough they a re not a soft pillow, they can
" cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ p loys. This is no rmal 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 passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safe ty 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 lea n aga inst the a rea 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.
-A lways 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 hei r hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the win dow.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inf late 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.

17 2 Airbag system
in a side collision. The side curtain airbag in­
f lates in side impacts and on ly when the vehi­
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l 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 a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact , since the c ir­
cumstances w ill vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the nat ure (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
vehicle speed, etc.
c:> page 172, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide p rotection .
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. 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 wea ring
your safety be lt and wear ing it prope rly . T his
i s ano ther reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety be lts, not jus t be ca use the law re­
qu ires you to do soc;,
page 143, General
notes.
It
is impor tant to remember that whi le the
side curta in ai rbag sys tem is designed to he lp
reduce the like lihood o f serious injuries, other
inj uries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated wit h
these airbags upon deployment . Remember
too, these airbags w ill deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents - your safety belts are a lways there to offer p rotection .
The side curtain airb ag system basic ally
consists of:
- The electronic control module and externa l
s ide impact senso rs
- The side curtai n airbags above the front and
rear side w indows - The airbag indicator light in the
instrument
panel
T he airbag system is mo nitored e lec tronically
to make certain i t is func tioning properly at all
t imes . Each time yo u sw itch on the ign ition,
t h e ai rbag system indicator light will come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions.
A WARNING
- Safety belts a nd the airbag system will
only provide pro te ction when occup ant s
are i n the proper seating posi tion
c:> page 58, General recommendations.
- If th e airb ag ind ic a tor light~ page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system ins pected immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should .
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained .
Fig. 174 Illust rat ion of p rincip le : I n flated side curtai n
airbags o n th e left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows in a side co llisi on
u, N g
± .. 03
c:> fig . 174 . ..,_

,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or­ der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very h igh speed and w ith
great force. The side curtain airbag cou ld in­
jure you if you r seat ing position is not proper
or upright o r if items are located in the area
where the supplementa l side curtain airbag
inflates. This applies espec ia lly to children
¢ page 174.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side c ur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can he lp to reduce the risk of in ­
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de ­
p loys . This is q uite normal 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 ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags do the ir job to provide supplementa l
protection .
A WARNING
-
Improperly wear ing safety belts and im­
prope r seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and dea th when­
ever a veh icle is being used.
- Never let occ upants p lace any parts of
their bodies in the a rea from wh ich the
side curt ain airbags infla te.
- Always make sure that the side curta in
airbags can inflate w ithout interference.
Uns uitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a side curta in airbag
can dangerously interfere with its func­
t ion. A deploying head a irbag deve lops
A irbag system 173
enough force to catapu lt any p iece of
add-on component o ut of its path of in­
flation and into the passenger compart­ ment. An occupant h it by such a projec­
tile can suffer serio us in ju ry or death
c:!;> page 293, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swive l the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for examp le pens). If the airbag should
deploy , you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clo thing. Never leave any he avy or
sharp-edge d objects in the pockets that
may interfere with ai rbag dep loyment
and can cause personal injury in an acci­
dent .
- Never use hangers to hang cloth ing from
the hooks.
- On ly use factory -installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
veh icle leaves the factory, only Audi roll­
up sunscreens may be used
¢ page 292,
Additional accessories and parts re­
placement .
-Always sit in proper seat ing pos ition and
wear safety belts wh ile traveling so that
the side curtain airbags can he lp p rov ide
protection.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be rep laced by an au­
thori zed A udi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Always have work involving the side cu r­
tain airbag system, removal and insta lla ­
tion of the air bag components, or other
re pairs per formed by a qualified dealer­
ship. Otherwise the airbag system may not work correct ly .
- Never attempt to mod ify any compo ­
nents of the airbag system in any way.
•
•

174 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision.
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~ page 144, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts?.
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
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 ch ildren.
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes 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 ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious 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 ch ild's size ~
page 177, 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 A irbags, 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
-Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str iking the i nterior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
strained or improperly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal ­
led and used at one of the rear seating positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING ,_
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously 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 ser iously 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, center
armrest, or door.
II>-