2015 AUDI S8 warning light

160 Airbag system
A WARNING
To reduce th e risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wea r safety b elts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher .
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
~ page 151.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fig. 167 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfo ld prope rly and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in a fronta l co l­
lision.
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protect ion for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the
occupant is properly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag,
- and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, things you have on your lap
or have placed on the seat could become dan ­
ge ro us projectiles, and be pushed i nto yo u if
the airbag inflates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle
. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy.
It could irr itate skin.
It is impo rtant to remember th at w hile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
i njur ies, for example swelling, br uising and
minor abrasions, can a lso happen when air­
bags inflate. A irbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body . Front a irbags
supplement the t hree-po int safety belts only
in some fronta l collisions in wh ich the vehicle
deceleration is high enough to deploy the air ­
bags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
- if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
occ urs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end co llisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for airbag deployment as
registered by the electronic contro l unit .
The front passenger airbag al so w ill not
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu ­
pied,
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem indicates that the front airbag on the passe nger side has to be turned off by the
electronic control un it (the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
-
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the r isk of se riou s injury i n crashes.
- To reduce the risk of inju ry whe n the air­
bags i nflate, the drive r and passenge rs
m ust alw ays sit in an upr igh t position,
m ust not lean aga inst or place any part
of their body too close to the area where
the airbags are located .
II>

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-Occ upants who are unbelted, out of posi­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye
¢ page 153.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat i n­
stalled on the front passenger seat will be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflati ng a irbag w ill hit the child sea t
or infant carrier w ith great force and w ill
smash the ch ild seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear -facing child sea ts on
the rear seat .
- If you mus t install a rearward facin g
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi ·
ately install the rear-facing chi ld seat in a
rear seating position and have the a irbag
system inspected by your Aud i deale r.
A WARNING
Objects be tween you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of i njury in a crash by i n­
terfering wi th the way the air bag unfolds
or by being pushe d in to yo u as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ing s in your hand s or on
yo ur lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never tran sport i tems on or in the are a
o f the front passenge r seat. Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air ­
bags during braking or other s udden ma­
neuvers and become dangerous projec­
t il es that can cause serious persona l in­
jury if the airbags inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cup ho lders, tele­
phone brackets, large, heavy or bu lky ob­
jects) o n the doors, over or near the area
-
-
A irbag system 16 1
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat bac krests or be­
tween those areas and yo urself . These
objects could cause in ju ry in a crash, es­
pecia lly when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects. Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag du ring braking or in a
sudden maneuve r. Obje cts near the air­
b ags can become projec tiles and c ause
in jur y, partic ula rly when the sea t is re ­
clined .
& WARNING
-=
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
with a history of asthma or ot her breath­
ing cond itions.
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory
conditions shou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting out of the veh icle or
ope ning windows or doors .
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy , was h your hands a nd face with
mild soap and water before eating .
- Be careful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli (USA models)/!f (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advan ced Airbag System: the airbag
moni toring indicator light and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Adva nced A irbag System ( in cl uding the
electron ic co ntro l u nit, se nsor circu its and sys­
t em wir ing) is mo nitore d con tinuously to
make su re that it is funct ion ing properly
•
•

162 Airbag system
whenever the ignit ion is on. Each time you
switch on the ignition, the airbag monitoring
indicator light
II (USA models) ;fll (Canada
models) will come on for a few seconds (self
diagnostics).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II (USA models)/E,I
(Canada models):
-does not come on when the ignition is
switched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ign ition, or
- comes on wh ile driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected ,
the indicator light will first start flashing to catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately .
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
airbag on the passenger side off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
-If the airbag indicato r light ¢ page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by your aut horized Aud i dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it shou ld.
-
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
Fig. 168 Sectio n fro m the instrument panel : PASSEN ­
G ER AIR BAG OFF lig ht
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center of the instrument panel
~fig. 168.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger sid e has been
turned off by the electronic control unit. Each
time you switch on the ignition, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few
seconds and:
- wi ll stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child
restraint on the front passenger seat,
-will go out if th e front passenge r seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight -sensing mat .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and stay on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing ch ild restra int has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- the weight reg istered on the front passen­
ger seat is equal to or less than the com­
b ined weight of a typical 1 year-old restrain­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forwa rd-fac­
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced A irbag System in you r vehicle was
cert ified.
II>-

164 Airbag sys te m
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light¢
page 18
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediate ly
by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild witho ut
a child restra int, or in a rearward-facing
child safety seat, or in a forward-facing
child restraint that has not been properly
installed will be seriously injured and can
be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Ai rbag System, make
certain that a ll children , especially 12
years and younge r, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restra ined fo r their
age and size.
- Always install forwa rd or rea r-facing
c hild seats on the rea r seat- even w ith
an Adv anced Airb ag System.
- If you must install a rearward-fac ing
c hild sea t on the front pas senge r seat
bec ause of except iona l circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t
does not appea r and stay on, immediate ­
ly install the rea r-faci ng chi ld seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dealer.
- A tight tet her or other st rap on a rear ­
ward-facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-sens ing
mat in the seat and register more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
we ight registe red can make the system
wor k as though an a dult were on the seat
-
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
m ust be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
must install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat i nto its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as fa r away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest mus t be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. M ake sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all t he time when ­
eve r the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
=
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is prope rly seated a nd restra ined at
one of the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r before t ransporting
a nyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front a irbag on the passe nger side wi ll be
turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Pa rts of the airbag system are i nstalled at
many different p laces on your Aud i. Insta lling,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the veh icle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a coll is io n.
There are some important t hings yo u have to
know to ma ke sure that the effectiveness of
the system w ill not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol-
lute the environment. .,,_

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.
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-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. •
•

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 . ..,_

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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.
•
•