2015 AUDI R8 SPYDER ESP

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mats wi ll prevent them from sliding into posi ­
tions that cou ld interfere wit h the peda ls or im­
pa ir safe operation of your veh icle in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the r isk of
ser ious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop­
erly secured .
- Never place or insta ll floor mats or other
floor coverings in the veh icle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering w ith the ped­
als or the ability to control the veh icle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floo r mats. Add itiona l floo r mats and other
cove rings w ill reduce the si ze of the pedal
area and interfere w ith the ped als.
- Always properly reinstall and se cu re f loor
m ats that have been taken ou t for clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the dr iver footwell while the vehicle is
moving. Objects can become tr apped under
the brake pedal and accelerator peda l caus ­
ing a loss of vehicle contro l.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
ter istics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden veh icle ma ­
neuver or in a coll is ion.
In a collis ion, the laws of p hys ics mean that even
smal ler items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy miss iles that can cause ser ious in ­
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
va ry w ith vehicle speed and the we ight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the mos t significant fa ctor.
Dr iving Sa fel y
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed o f
30 mp h (48 km/h) , the forces acting o n a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 t imes the norma l
weight of the item. This means that the weight of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flyi ng freely throug h
the passeng er compartment co uld cause in a col­
li sion like this.
A WARNING
Imp roperly store d luggage or other items c an
fly through the vehicle causing serio us pe r­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of ser ious
personal injury:
- Always put o bjects, fo r example, luggage o r
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur vehi­
cle hand les . To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects , that a change in the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We ight Rating
or the G ross Vehicle We ight Rating specified
on the safety compliance stic ker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding pe rm issib le weight
s ta nd ards c an cause the veh icle to slide and
h a ndle differently.
- Please observe informa tion on safe dr iving
~page 86.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doo rs, all windows
and the front lid a re secure ly close d and
l ocke d to reduce the r isk of injury when the
vehicle is not be ing used .
- Afte r closing the front lid, always make sure
that it is proper ly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle una ttended espe­
cially with the f ront lid left open . A child
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91

Driving Sa fel y
could crawl into the l uggage compartment
and close the front lid becoming trapped and unable to get out. Being trapped in ave­
hicle can lead to ser ious personal injury.
- Never let children p lay in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Veh icle occupants must al­
ways be proper ly restrained in one of the
ve­
hicle's seat ing positions .
@ Tips
The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure labe l. The t ire pressure label is locat­
ed on the d river's s ide B-pillar . The t ire p res­
sure label lists the recommended cold ti re in­
flation pressures for t he ve hicle at its ma xi­
m um c apaci ty weigh t and the tires t hat were
on yo ur vehicle at the time it w as m anuf ac­
tured . For recommende d tire pressures for
normal load conditions, please see chapter
¢ page 176.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
ha s a defect which could cause a
crash or could cau se injury or
death, you should immediatel y in­
form the National Highwa y Tr affic
Safet y Admini stration (NHTSA) in
addition to notif ying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA re ceiv e s similar com­
plaint s, it ma y op en an in vestiga­
tion , and if it finds that a safe ty
def ects exis ts i n a group of
vehicle s, it may order a re call and
reme dy campaign. However,
92
NHTSA cannot b ecome in vol ve d in
indi vidual p roblems bet ween you,
y o ur deal er, or Audi of Am eric a,
In c.
To contact NHTSA, you may c all
the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll­
free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY :
1-800-424-915 3) or
1-800-424-9393
o r you m ay wri te to :
Admini strator
NHTSA 1200 New Jersey A venue, SE
Wa shington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other infor­
mation about m otor vehi cle safe­
t y fr om :
http: //w ww.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you be­
lie ve that your vehicle has a de­
fect that could cause a crash , in­
j ur y or death, you should immedi­
atel y inform Transport Canada,
Defect In vestigations and Recall s.
You should also notify Au di C an a­
da, Inc.
Can adian cu stomer s who wi sh to
r e po rt a s afet y-related defe ct to ..,.

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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives !
This chapte r exp lains why safety be lts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly .
.. Read a ll the informat ion that fo llows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
prope rly i ncreases the r isk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of serious
injury and death in automobile accide nts .
For yo ur protection and tha t of your passen­
gers, always corre ct ly wear safety belts
w hen the veh icle is moving.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically im­
paired pe rso ns mu st also use safety belts .
Lik e all ve hicle occupants, t hey are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do no t
wea r safety be lts . The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -th rougho ut
the enti re pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi R8 has two seating posit ions in the
front. Each seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im ­
prope rly i ncreases the risk of se rious personal
injury and death.
- Never st rap more than one person, includ­
ing small ch ildren, into any belt .
It is espe­
c ially da ngerous to place a safety belt over a
c hild sitting on you r lap.
- Never let mo re people ride in the ve hicle
t h an t he re are safety be lts ava ilable.
Sa fety bel ts
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate sa fety
be lt or chi ld restraint.
4 Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the impor tance of buckling up.
Fig . 1 06 Safety bel t wa rning lig ht in the instr ument clus ­
te r - en lar ged
Before dr iving off, alway s:
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.. Fasten yo ur safety belt and make s ure you wea r
it properly .
.,. Make sure that your passengers also buck le up
and wear their safety belts properly .
.,. Protect childre n with a child restraint system
app ropriate for the s ize and age .
The warning lig ht . in the instrument cluster
li ghts up when the ign it ion is switched on as a re­
minder to fasten the safety be lts . In addi tion ,
you w ill hear a warn ing tone for a certai n pe riod
of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers al so put on their safety belts prop­
erly .
A WARNING
-Safety belts are the s ingle most effective
mean s ava ilable to reduce t he r is k o f seriou s
in jur y and de ath in au tom obile acc iden ts.
F or your protec tion and that of your passen ­
ge rs, always wear safety belts correct ly
when the vehicle is moving .
- Fai lure to pay attent io n to the warni ng lig ht
that comes on cou ld lead to personal in jury.
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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 ..,.

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 .,.

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.

Airbag syste m
"A IRB AG" on the s teering whee l, instr u­
me nt pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, especially
when th e airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front pass enger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the a rea of the side airbag or the front air­
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become project iles and cause injury, part icularly
when the seat is reclined .
A WARNING
The f ine dust created when a irbags dep loy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma o r other breathing condi­
tions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other resp iratory con­
ditions should get fresh air r ight away by
gett ing out of the vehicle or opening w in­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a coll is ion in w hich a irbags de ·
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating .
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
~ Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the elec ­
tronic control unit, sensor circuits and system
wiring) is monitored cont inuo usly to make sure
that it is funct ion ing properly whenever the ign i­
tion is on. Each time you turn on the ignition, the
ai rbag mon itor ing indicator light . will come on
for a few seconds (self d iagnostics).
112
The system must be inspected when the
indicat or light •=
-does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after yo u have
sw itched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driv ing.
If an airbag system malfunction is detec ted, t he
i ndica tor l igh t will fi rst start flashing to catch the
drive r's attention and then stay on cont inuo usly
to serve as a constant rem inder to have the sys ­
tem inspected immediately .
If a ma lfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG O FF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on, it
means that there may be something wrong
w ith the Advanced Airbag System . It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it is
not supposed to, or will not inflate when it
should.
- Have the airbag system inspected immedi­
ately by your Audi dealer.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fi g. 118 Sect io n fro m the instru ment pa nel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light is lo ca ted in
the center of the inst rument panel
r=;, fig . 118. ..,.

Airbag syste m
backrest is not reclined ~ page 87, Proper
occupant seating positions,
- the adu lt is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door,
- the safety belt is being properly worn and that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other th ings that may cause an incorrect reading or
impression on the weight-sensing mat under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latch for the front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OF F
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF or PA SSEN­
GER AIR B AG ON
will briefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster display . Th is is to inform the driver
of the current front passenger airbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not function ing prop­
erly cannot prov ide supplemental protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing wrong
with the Advanced Airbag System . It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inflate when it is
not supposed to, or will not inflate when it
sho uld.
- Have the airbag system inspected immedi­
ately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without a
child restraint, in a rearward-facing child safe­
ty seat or in a forward-facing child restraint
that has not been properly installed will be
ser iously injured and can be killed .
- Even though your veh icle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certa in
that all ch ildren, especially 12 years and
114
younger, a lways ride proper ly restrained for
their age and size.
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER 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 rearward­
facing child restraint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-sens ing mat in the seat and
reg iste r more weight th an is actually on the
seat. The heav ier we ight registered can
make the system work as though an adult
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed ca using
serious or even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forwa rd- facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possib le. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upr ight position.
Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
wheneve r the ign it ion 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 after tak ing the steps
described above, have the airbag system in­
spected by your Audi dealer before trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­ bag on the passenger s ide will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi . Installing, remov­
i ng, se rv ic ing or repair ing a pa rt in an a rea of the ..,_