2015 AUDI S8 child seat

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.
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If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OF F
light will stay on. Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 153, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 174, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light c omes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
O FF
ligh t stays on cont inuous ly whenever the
ignition is on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- reactivate the system by switc hing the igni­
tion off and then switching it on again;
- remove and reinstall the chi ld restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
insta lled and that the sa fety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
ro uted th roug h the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint manufacturer 's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety be lt for the front passen ­
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled t ight . The belt
mus t not be loose o r have loops of slack so
that the senso r below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job ¢
page 184.
-make su re that th ings that may increase the
weight of t he ch ild and child sea t are no t be­
ing transported on the front passenger sea t;
- make su re that the safety be lt tension sen­
so r is not b locked . Shake the safety be lt
latch on the front passenger seatbac k and
forth;
- If a st rap or tether is being used to tie the
child seat to the front passenger seat , make
s ur e that it is not so tig ht that it ca uses the
weight-sensing mat to meas ure more
weight than is actually on the seat.
A irbag system 163
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
ti nu ous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restra int off the front passen -
ge r seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by yo ur Audi dealer immed iate ly .
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make s ure that the c hild is properly restrain­
ed in a ch ild rest ra int that is appropriate for
its si ze and age.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht sho uld
NOT come on when t he ignitio n is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes fo r about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
¢ poge 134, Prope r occupant seating posi­
tions,
-the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
a bove the fron t passenger door o r su pport­
ing their weight on the armres t,
- the safe ty be lt is be ing properly wo rn and
t ha t the re is no t a lot o f sla ck in the safety
be lt webb ing ,
- acce sso ry sea t covers or cushions or other
t hings tha t may cause an in correct reading
or imp ression on the weight-sensing mat
unde r th e upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not bee n left in
the safety be lt latch for the front passenger
seat.
I n add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear
i n the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenge r
a irbag status.
•
•

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. .,,_

168 Airbag system
Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags to provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used .
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
justing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following minimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- T he risk of personal injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing your safety belt. The risk in­
creases even more should the airbag de­
ploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter­
fering with the way the airbag dep loys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenger seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air­ bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
~page 174, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 171 S id e airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢ fig . 171 and the rear
backrest facing the doors. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors

1 7 0 Airbag system
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and con help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who ore properly restrained.
Fi g. 1 72 Infla ted s ide airbags o n left side of ve hicle,
r ea r side a irbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
fil led with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In order to help prov ide
this additiona l prote ction, the side a irbag
must inf late within a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force. The sup­
p lemental side a irbag co uld injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side a irbag expands . Th is applies
espec ially to childre n
c::> page 174, Child Safe­
ty .
Supplementa l s ide airbags inflate between
the occupant and the doo r pane l on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in ce rtain side col­
lision
c::> fig . 172.
A lthough they a re not a soft pillow, they can
" cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ p loys. This is no rmal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safe ty belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
The re is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safe ty belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplementa l protect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side ai rbag can cause serious
or fata l injury. Improperly weari ng safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used .
- In order to reduce the risk of inj ury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright posi tion and
never lea n aga inst the a rea whe re the
s u ppleme nta l side air bag is located .
- Never let a child or a nyone e lse rest
t h eir head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
in the area where the supplementa l
side airbag inflates.
-A lways make sure tha t safety be lts a re
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the fron t
seat put t hei r hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the win dow.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inf late without interference.
- Neve r install seat covers or rep lace ­
ment upholstery over th e front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Neve r use additional seat c ushions that
cove r the areas where the side a irbags
deploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to t he seam in the area of the si de a ir­
bag module mus t always be repaired
i mmediately by a n author ized Audi
dealer.

-Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or
other objects (such as cup holders , tel­
ephone 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 be­
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental side air­
bag deploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built -in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be trigge red
once.
If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must
always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident ~ page 17 4 , Child Safety .
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­ rectly measure increasing air pressure in ­
side the doors when air escapes through
Airbag system 1 71
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the open ings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been p roperly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additiona l speakers
or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag sy stem can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain ­
ed occupants .
Fig. 173 Side curta in a irbags, driver' s sid e: s ide cur ta in
airb ag loc ation
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ~ fig . 173 . They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar.
T he side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck .,.

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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.
•
•

174 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision.
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~ page 144, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts?.
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­
ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small ch ildren.
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your ch ild's size ~
page 177, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about child safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re- straints are on the front passenger seat
. Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor­
mation, we cannot repeat it all here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manual about airbags and the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­
ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str iking the i nterior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
strained or improperly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal ­
led and used at one of the rear seating positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING ,_
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
II>-