2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER airbag

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Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once
and that your safety belts are always there to of­
fer protection in those accidents in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy or when they have al­ ready deployed . Unbelted occupants can also be
thrown out of the vehicle where even more severe
or fatal injuries can occur .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It 's simply
not true!
Fig. 110 Dr ive r is properly restrained in a sudden b raking
maneuver.
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ­
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
the ir seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap­
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the uncontro lled movement that can cause seri­
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being slowed down more
gently or "softly '' through the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi ­
neered into today's vehicles . By "absorbing" the
kinetic energy over a longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety belts can also substantially re­
duce the risk of injury in other kinds of crashes .
So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident stat istics show that vehi­
cle occupants properly wearing safety be lts have
Safety belts
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident. Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
lision. For this reason., wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal coll isions. The front airbags are not acti­
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col­
lisions, in roll overs or in cases where there is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi . So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be properly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
• Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de­
scribed in this chapter.
• Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
-Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im-
properly increases the risk of ser ious personal
in jury and death. Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly be­
fore driving off and make sure all passen­
gers are properly restrained .
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned correctly on the body.
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
i ng smal l children, into any single safety
be lt.
- Never plac e a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap .
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven .
97

Safety belts
• Adjust the front seat and head restraint correct ­
ly
c::> page 56 , General recommendations .
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
in upright position and secure ly latched in place
before using the belt.
• Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis
c::> fig . 113 , c::> _&..
• Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
you r seat until you hea r it latch securely
c::>page 98, fig. 111 .
•Pullon the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le .
A WARNING
-
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
ser ious personal injury in an acc ident.
- Expectant mothers must a lways wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos­
sible across the pelv is and below the round­
ing of the abdomen.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> A in Fasten­
ing safety belts on page
99 .
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
bu tton only ofter the vehicle hos stopped .


Fig. 114 Relea sing the tongue from the buckle
• Pu sh the red re lease button on the buckl e
c::> fig. 114. The belt tongue wi ll spring ou t of
the buckle
c::> ,&.
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
100
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A WARNING
Never unfasten safety be lt while the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your risk of be ­
ing injured or killed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts con cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effective ­
ness of safety belts and wi ll even increase the risk
of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt to
critical areas of the body. Imp roper seat ing pos i­
tions also increase the risk of serious injury and
death when an airbag deploys and strikes an oc­
cupant who is not in the correct seating position.
A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for chi ldren . Therefore:
• Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sit­
ting positio n in the vehicle while travel ing
c::> _&. .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the r isk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> page 97.
Safety belt preten-
.
s1oners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear end collisions and in a
rollover above a particular severity, saf ety belts
in use are tensioned automatically .
The safety belts for the front seating positions
are equipped with safety belt pretensioners. The ..,.

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system is activated by sensors in front, side and
rear-end collisions and in a rollover of great se­
verity. Th is tightens the belt and takes up belt
slack <=>&.
in Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner on page 101.
Taking up the slack
helps to reduce forward occupant movement dur ­
ing a collision.
(D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be acti­
vated once.
-In minor frontal and side collisions, in rear­
end collisions and in accidents involving
very little impact force, the safety belt pre­
tensioners are not activated .
- When the safety belt pretensioner is activat­
ed , a fine dust is released . This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped . An authorized
Audi dealer is familiar with these regula­
tions and w ill be pleased to pass on the in­
formation to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regulations if the vehicle or indi­
vidual parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed . We
recommend you have your authorized Audi
dealer perform this service for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt preten­
sioner
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the
safety be lts on your Audi . Installing, removing ,
servicing or repairing of belt pretensioners can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from working correctly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system wil l not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
Safety belts
A WARNING
-
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing a safety belt preten­
sioner from activating when needed or acti­
vating it unexpectedly:
- The belt pretensioner system can be activat­
ed only once. If belt pretensioners have
been activated, the system must be re­
placed.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the safety belt system.
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
p retens ioners cannot be repaired. Special
procedures are required for removal, instal­
lation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified technician
who has an Audi approved repair manual,
training and special equipment necessary.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Material
-special handling may apply , see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules,
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have yo ur dealer perform th is
service for you.
101

Airbag syste m
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . For
airbags to do their job , occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop­
er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
.,. Adjust the dr iver's seat and steering wheel
proper ly ¢
page 87,
.,. Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢ page 88,
.,. Wear safety be lts proper ly ¢ page 9 7,
.,. Always properly use the proper child restra int
to protect children ¢
page 122.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the b link
of an eye and with cons iderable force. The sup­
plemental a irbags can cause injuries if the driver
or the front seat passenger are not seated prop­
erly . Therefore in order to help the airbag to do
its job, it is important, both as a dr iver and as a
passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keep ing room between your body and the
steer ing wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp lete ly and provide supp lemental p rotec tion
in certa in fronta l co llisions ¢
page 87, Proper oc­
cupant seating positions . For details on the oper­
ation of the seat adjustment controls¢
page 57.
It's especially important t hat childre n are p roper­
ly res trained
¢ page 122.
There is a lot that the driver and the passenger
can and must do to help the ind iv idual safety fea­
tures insta lled i n your Aud i work together as a
system.
Proper seat ing pos ition is important so that t he
front airbag on the dr iver side can do its job . If
you have a p hys ica l impairment o r condition that
p revents you from sitt ing p roperly on the driver
seat with the safety be lt properly fastened and
102
reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with
regard to the function or operatio n of the Ad­
vanced Airbag System, please contact your a u­
thori zed Audi dea ler or qua lified workshop, or
call Audi Customer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834
for poss ible modifications to your vehicle .
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov­ ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger . Th e airbags w ill deflate im­
med iate ly after deployment so that the front oc­
cupants can see t hrough the w indshield aga in
without i nte rruption .
All of th is takes place in the blink of an eye , so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
a irbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a grea t deal of force and nothing sho uld be
i n the ir way when they dep loy. Front a irbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts s low
down and limit the occ upant's forward move­
ment . T ogether they he lp to prevent the driver
and passenger from hitt ing parts of the inside
the ve hicle while reducing the forces ac ting on
the occupant during the crash . In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and
upper body in the crash. A irbags do not protect
the arms o r the lowe r parts of the body.
Both front a irbags w ill not inflate in all fronta l
collisions. The t rigge ring of the a irbag system de­
pends on the veh icle deceleration rate caused by
the coll is ion a nd registe red by the elec tronic con­
trol uni t. If th is rate is below the reference val ue
programmed into the contro l unit , the airbags
will not be t rigge red , even thoug h the car may be
badly damaged as a result of t he collisio n. Vehi ­
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi­
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an a irbag should infla te or not .
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possib le kind and an­
gle of impact that will always trigger the a irbags,
s ince the circums tances w ill vary considerably be­
tween one collision and another . Important fac ­
tors include, for example, the natu re (ha rd or
soft) of the object wh ic h the car hits, the angle of
i mpact, vehicle speed , etc. The front airbag s will .,.

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also not inflate in side or rear co llisions, or in roll­
overs .
Alwa ys rememb er: Airbag s wi ll deploy on ly once,
and on ly in cer tain kinds of collisions. Your safety
b e lts a re a lways there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most
effectively when used w ith the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
c::>page 95.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing whee l or in­
st rument panel will decrease the effect ive­
ness of the airbags and will in cr ease the risk
o f persona l injury in a coll is ion .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches ( 25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit mo re than 10 in ches
( 2 5 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi­
gate whethe r adaptive equipmen t may be
available to help yo u reach the peda ls and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward, sit­
ting s ideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of in jury is much higher.
- Yo u will also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inf lates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
i=> page 98, Safety belts.
- Never let children ride unrestrained or im­
properly restrained in the veh icle. Adjust the
front seats properly. If ch ildren are not
properly restrained, they may be severely in­
jured or killed when an airbag inflates .
- Never r ide with the backrest recl ined .
- Always s it as far as possib le from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
-
Airbag syste m
c::> page 87, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions.
- Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent ser ious injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air­ bag du ring bra king or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become p rojectiles and cause in ju ry when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irb ags th at have deployed i n a crash mus t be
r eplaced.
- Use on ly orig inal equipment airbags ap­
p roved by Aud i and installed by a tr ained
technician who has the necessary too ls and
diagnostic equipment to properly rep lace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assu re system
effectiveness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know
"' Be sure to read the important information and
head the WARNINGS for important details
about c hildren and Advanced Airbags
c::>page 122.
The airbag on the passenger s ide makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous p lace for a child to
r ide. The front seat is not the safest p lace for a
c hi ld in a forwa rd-fac ing c hild safety seat.
It can
be a ve ry dangero us p lace for an infant or a c hild
in a rearward-facing seat.
T he Adva nced A irbag Sys tem in you r vehicle has
been certified to comply wi th the Requiremen ts
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 as applicable at the time your ve hi-
cle was manufactured. ..,.
103

Airbag system
The Standard requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off ("suppressed") if
a child up to about one year of age restrained in
one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat. For a listing
of the child restraints that were used to certify
comp liance with the US Safety Standard
¢page 124.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru­
men t panel tells you when the front Advanced
A irbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light w ill come on for a few
seconds and:
- will stay o n if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or ch ild re­
stra int on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat¢
page 112, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight on
the front passenger seat that requires the front
a ir bag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year-old child but
less than the we ight of a small adult, the front
a ir bag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come
on) . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the e lectronic
contro l unit and can deploy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the conditions stor­
ed in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (re-
104
gardless of whether the child is in one o f the
child safety seats listed¢
page 124), or
- a child who has outgrown child restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger ai rbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
instrument panel and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) even if a smal l adult
o r teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting up­
right with their back against a non-reclined back­
rest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat
¢ page 87, Proper seating position for the driver.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of in­
ju ry through interaction with the a irbag. "Low
risk" deployment occurs in those crashes that
take place at lower decelerations as defined in
the electronic control un it
¢page 112, PASSEN­
G£R AIR BAG OFF light.
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carr ier installed on the front seat may be struck
and knocked out of position by the rapidly inflat­
in g passenge r's airbag in a frontal collision . The
a irbag could greatly reduce the effec tiveness of
the child res traint and even seriously injure the
child during inflation.
_&. WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
a ir bag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG

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OFF light does not come on and stay on the
inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat
or infant carrier w ith great force and w ill
smash the ch ild safety seat and ch ild
against the backrest, door or roof . Have the
airbag system inspected immed iately by
your authorized Aud i dealer .
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats installed
on the front passenge r's seat may inte rfe re
with the deployment of the airbag and cause se rious personal injury to the child .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you mus t in­
stall a forward -facing ch ild restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and ce rtified by its man ­
ufact urer for use on a front seat with a pas ­
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or ve ry near the instr ument pan­
el.
- 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 before installing the for­
ward -fac ing child restra int. The backrest
must be adjusted to an up right posit io n.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes o n and stays on all the t ime
whenever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wi ll
be di splayed w henever a child res traint is in ­
stalled on the front passenger sea t and the
ign ition is swi tched on .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not stay on, per form the checks described
<:? page 112, Monitoring the Advanced Air ­
bag System .
-Have the airbag system inspecte d by your
Audi dealer immed iately .
Airbag syste m
- Always carefu lly follow instr uctions from
child restraint manufacture rs when instal­
ling child restrain ts.
A WARNING
If, in except iona l circumstances, you m ust in­
stall a forwa rd or rearward -fac ing ch ild re ­
strai nt on the front passenger's sea t:
- Improper installation of ch ild restra ints can
red uce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protect ion.
- An improperly installed ch ild restra int can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serio usly injure or even kill the child -even
wit h an Adva nced A irbag System.
- Always carefu lly follow the manufact urer's
instr uctions provided w ith th e child safety
seat o r carr ie r.
- Never p lace add itiona l items on the seat
that can increase the total weight reg iste red
by the we ight-sensing mat and can c ause in­
jury in a cr ash.
105

Airb ag syst em
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants .
Fig. 115 Location of driver airbag : in steering whee l
Fig. 116 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the instru­
ment panel
Your vehicle is equ ipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in comp liance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicab le at the time your veh i­
cle was manufactured. The safety belts for the
front seats have "pretensioners" that he lp to take
slack out of the belt system. The pretensioners
are also activated by the electronic control unit
for the airbag system.
The front safety belts a lso have load limiters to
help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steer ing wheel
hub
¢ fig . 115 and the airbag for the front pas ­
senger is in the instrument panel¢
fig. 116. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR­
BAG".
106
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detailed
i nformation about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children .
,&_ WARNING -
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supp lemental p rotection.
- Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn safety belts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety be lts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
prope rly restrained.
,&_ WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small ch ild ren, will rece ive
serious i njur ies and can even be killed by be­
ing too close to the airbag when it inf lates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a sma ll child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that dep loyment un­
der these special condit ions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the "low risk" option under
the U .S. Federal Standard if a chi ld that is
heav ier than the typical one-year old child is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- For its own safety, a child shou ld always r ide
prope rly rest rained for i ts age a nd si ze.
Advanced front airbag system -
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System
in compliance with United States
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 asap­
plicable at the time your vehicle was manufac­
tured.