2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER Owners Manual

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The side airbag system supplements the safety be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's and front passenger's upper torso
and head injuries on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys in
side impacts and only when the vehicle accelera ­
tion registered by the control u nit is high enough .
If th is rate is below the reference value program­
med into the control unit, the side airbags will
n ot be triggered , even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the co llision.
It is
not possib le to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover every possible angle of impact, since the c ircumstances will vary considerab ly be ­
tween one collis ion and another. Important fac­
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impact ing object, the angle of im ­
pact, vehicle speed, etc.
9 page 120 , Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide protect ion.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu ­
pant restrai nt system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that th e side airbag system can only
he lp to p rotect you if yo u are wear ing your safety
be lt and wearing i t properly. This is ano ther rea­
son why you shou ld always wear your sa fety
be lts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
9 page 95, General notes .
It is impor tan t to remember tha t while the sup ­
p lemental side a irbag sys tem is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serious inj uries, other inj u­
ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags. Remember too, side airbags will de­
p loy only once and only in certa in kinds of acci­
dents -your safety belts are a lways there to offer
protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
ve hicle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over -sens itive or fa iled a irbag activa tion . In
some coll isions, both front and s ide airbags may
i nflate. Remember too, that airbags will deploy
only once and only in ce rtain kinds of collisions -
Airb ag system
you r safety belts are always the re to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
s u pposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system w ill not deploy:
- when the ignit io n i s tu rned off
- in side co llisions whe n the a ccelera tion meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in re ar-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags and
s ide airbags may be triggered together.
A WARNING
-- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide p rotection when occupants are in
the proper seating position~
page 120.
-If the ai rbag ind icator light comes on when
the vehicle is be ing used, have the system
inspected immed iate ly by yo ur autho riz ed
Aud i dea le r. T he airbag may no t wo rk prop­
erly when the vehicle acceleration in a side
coll is ion is high enough to activate the air­
bag .
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who ore properly restrained.
Fi g. 122 In flated s ide airbags on left s ide of ve hicle
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat s urface area mark ed "A IRBAG" . It ex­
pands be tween the side trim panel a nd the pas-
senger. In or der to help provide this addi tional .,.
119

Airbag syste m
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with
great force . T he supplemental side airbag cou ld
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­ plies especially to ch ildren
~ page 122, Child
Safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehi cle that is struck in certain s ide
collision
~ fig. 122.
A lthough they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of inj ury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passenger must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and a irbags do the ir job to provide supplementa l
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause ser ious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used .
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when the supplemental s ide airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a chi ld or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplementa l side airbag
inflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correct ly,
120
-
- 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 s ide a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference .
- Never install seat covers or rep lacement
upholste ry over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags de­
ploy .
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­ crease the risk of inju ry in an accident by in­
terfer ing with the way the airbag unfolds or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place or attach a ccessor ies or other
obje cts (such as cup holders, telephone
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 become dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplementa l side airbag de­
ploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this posit ion.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Aud i deale rship.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to the
or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the s ide a irbag mod ule must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Aud i dea le r.

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- If children are seated improper ly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
Q page 122, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func­
t ion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through large r, un­
closed openings in the doo r panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r door trim pane ls
removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the ins ide door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equ ipment is insta lled in the inside
door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied work­
shop .
Airbag syste m
121

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 96, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not fully
developed . In many respects children are at
greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adu lts.
Because children 's bod ies are not fully developed,
they require restra int systems especially de ­
signed for their size, weight, and body structure. Many countr ies and all states of the United
S ta tes and p rov inces of Canada have laws requi r­
ing the use of app roved ch ild restra int systems
for in fan ts and small children .
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/ h) the fo rces 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
chi ld would sudden ly be more than 260 po unds
(120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate ch ild restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury. Ch ild restraints, like
adu lt safety be lts, must be used p roperly to be
effective . Used improperly, they can increase the
ris k of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is r ight for
your child's size
c::> page 125, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read a nd heed all of t he importa nt in­
formation and WARNI NGS about c hild safety, Ad­
vanced Ai rbags, and the installa tion of child re­
s traints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced A irbags in yo ur vehicle and how t hey work
when infants and children in child rest rain ts are
on the fron t passenger seat . Because of the large
amo unt of important informat ion, we cannot re­
peat it a ll here. We urge you to read the detai led
122
i nformation in this owner 's man ua l about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans ­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe ­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small chi ld ren .
&_ WARNING
All vehicle occupants and especially chi ld ren
must be res trained p roperly whenever r iding
in a vehicle. An unres trained or imprope rly re­
strained chi ld could be inj ured by strik ing the
inte rior or by being ejected from the vehicle
during a sudden maneuver or impact. An un­ restra ined or improperly restrained child is al­
so at greater risk of injury or death through
contact w ith an inf lating a irbag.
&_ WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be ser iously injured or
even killed when an a irbag inflates . A child in
a re arwa rd-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serio usly
injured and can be kil led if the front air bag in­
f lates.
- The infla ting airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or in fant ca rrier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, door or roof.
- Never install a rearward facin g child safety
seat on the front passenger seat unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght does not come on and stay on,
have the airbag system inspected immed i­
ately by your Au di dealer .
&_ WARNING
If, in exceptiona l circumstances , you must in­
stall a forwa rd-fac ing c hild restra int on the
front p assenger's seat:

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- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
t ions 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 air­
bag as possib le befo re installing the child
restraint. The backrest must be ad justed to
an upr ight position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht comes on and stays on all the
t ime whe never the ignition is switched on.
(D Tips
Always rep lace child rest raints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child rest rain t that is not v is ible could cause
it to fail in another collision situ ation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air ­
bag System" in compliance with U nited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your ve hicle has
been ce rtified to meet the " low-risk" requ ire­
ments for 3 -and 6-year-o ld children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the r isk of injury throug h interaction with
the airbag t hat can occur, for examp le, by being
too close to the s teer ing wheel and instrumen t
p a nel when the a irbag inflates. In ad di tion, the
sys tem has been cert ified to comply with the
"s uppression" requirements of the Safety Stand ­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infa nts up to
12 months who are restra ined on the front pas­
se nger seat in chi ld restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equi pped with an Ad­
vanced A irbag system, a ch ild should always ride
Child Sa fet y
in the seat properly restrained fo r its age and
size. The airbag on the passenger side makes the
f ront seat a potent ia lly dange ro us place for a
c h ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
la rger child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
T he Advance d Airbag System in you r vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
rest raint on the front passenger seat using the
weight-sensing mat in the seat c ushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch o n the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt.
The we ight-sensing mat measures total weight of
the child and the child safety seat and a ch ild
blanket on the front passenger seat. The we ight
o n the front passenger seat is related to the de­
s ign of the child rest raint a nd its "footpr int", t he
s iz e and s hape of the bottom of the c hild re­
str aint as i t si ts on the seat. The weight of a ch ild
restrain t and its "foo tpr in t" vary fo r different
ki nds of child res traints and fo r th e d iffe rent
models of the same kind of chi ld restraint offered
by chi ld restraint man ufact urers.
T he we igh t ranges for the individu al types, ma kes
and mode ls of chi ld res traints t hat the NHT SA
has spec ified in the Safety Standard toget her
with t he weig ht ranges of typica l infants and typ ­
ica l 1 year-old child have been stored in the con­
trol unit of the Advanced Airbag System. When a
c h ild restra int is being used on the front passen­
ger seat with a typical 1 year-old ch ild , the Ad­
vanced Airbag Syste m compa res the we ight
measu red by the we ight sens ing mat with the in­
f o rmat io n sto red in the e lec tronic con trol un it.
T he elec tronic cont ro l unit also reg iste rs the ten­
s io n on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
s io n on the safety be lt fo r th e front passe nger
sea t w ill be di fferent for an adul t who is properly
u sing the safety be lt as compare d to the tension
o n the bel t when it is used to attach a child re ­
stra int to the seat . The sensor be low the latch for
1iJ11-
123

Child Safety
the safety belt for the front seat passenge r
measures the tension on the be lt . T he inp ut from
this sensor is then used w ith the weight to "de­
cide", whether there is a child restra int w ith a
t ypical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the chi ld restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet Un it ­
ed States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
and has been certified by its manufact urer for
use with an airbag. If in exceptional circ umstan­
ces yo u must use it on the front passenger seat,
caref ully read all of the information on child safe­
ty and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the ap­
plicable WARNINGS . Make certain that the child
restraint is correctly recognized by the we ight­
sensing mat ins ide the front passenger seat, that
the front passenger a irbag is tu rned off and that
the airbag status is a lways correctly signaled by
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of c hild restra ints have
been ava ilable ove r the years, new models a re in­
troduced regu larly incorporat ing new and im ­
p roved des igns and o lder models are taken out o f
p rod uction. Child rest raints are not standardized.
Chi ld restraints of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and sizes and different 'foot­
prints,' the si ze and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a veh icle seat . These differences
make it v irtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requ irements for advanced ai rbags with
each and eve ry child rest raint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold ove r the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States Nat iona l H igh­
way Traffic Safety Admin istration has p ublished a
lis t of specific type , makes and models o f chi ld
restraints that m ust be used to certify comp li­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These chi ld
restraints are:
124
Subpart A - Car b ed child restra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007 Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B -Rear -facing child restraint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22 -013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Adjust December 1, 1999
Right 2 12
E venf lo First Choice 204 December 1, 1999
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Pr imo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio SIP I MUNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child re straint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 025 19 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007 H igh Back Booster
22 -262
Cosco High Back Booster September 25, 2007
22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Meda llion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Todd ler Safety
September 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007

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A WARNING ,~
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on and stay on 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. Have the
airbag system inspected immediately by
your authorized Audi dealer.
{!) Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly
c;, page 127.
.. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe­
ty seat.
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c;, poge 130.
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
.. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
Child Safety
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the seat.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
child should always ride in the seat properly re­
strained for its age and size.
A WARNING
-Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children must always be restrained properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child can be injured or killed by being
thrown against the inside of the vehicle or
by being ejected from it during a sudden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air­ bag .
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle .
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush­
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro­
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in­
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
~
125

Child Safety
-Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci­
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each another in an accident.
- 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on and stay on 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 . Have the
airbag system inspected immediately by
your authorized Audi dealer.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas­ senger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be­
fore installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
126
- Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­ ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c> page 95, Safety belts,
c;:, page 102, Airbag system and
c;:, page 122, Child Safety .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- 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 PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on and stay on 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. Have the
airbag system inspected immediately by
your authorized Audi dealer.