2016 AUDI A8 sensor

passenger seat contains important parts of the
Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it from being damaged . Damage to the
seat may prevent the Advanced A irbag for the
front passenger seat from doing its job in a
crash.
The f ront Ad vanced Airb ag Sy stem con sist s
of the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle accelerat ion/decelerat io n to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides" whethe r to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also "de ­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
sho uld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A weight -sensing mat under t he upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat . The
information registered is sent continuously to
the e lectron ic control unit to regulate deploy­
ment of the front Adva need A irbag on the pas ­
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light i n the instrument cluster
¢ page 156.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation reg istered is sent cont inuous ly to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the fro nt Adv a need A irbags.
- T he
PASS EN GE R AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l
¢page 156, fig . 166 and tells you when
the fron t Advanced Airbag on the passenge r
side has been turned off.
- A se nsor below the safety bel t lat ch fo r th e
front seat passenger to meas ure the tens ion on
Airb ag sys tem
the sa fety belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight-sens­
ing mat help the contro l unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat should be turned off or not¢
page 147, Child
restraints
on the front seat -some important
things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched o r not and
t ransmits this information to t he electronic
cont rol un it.
_& WARNING
D amage to the front passenge r seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Imp roper repair or disassembly of the fro nt
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unctioning
p roperly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and p roperly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenge r or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat o r disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sh arp objects in your pocke ts or
p lace them on the seat. If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenge r seat. S uch items can
increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­
formation to the a irbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working p roper ly.
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
p roved by A udi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from recognizing chi ld
153

Airbag syste m
restraints or occupants on the front passen­
ger seat and prevent the side airbag in the
seat backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from accu­
rately reg istering the ch ild restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from funct ioning prope rly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenge r seat and the child restraint man­
ufact urer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the chi ld restraint, make
certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall child restrai nt in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
you r Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
ai rbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustable head re ­
stra ints to help reduce the r isk of injury in a wide
range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to
read the important information about safety and heed the WARNINGS in th is chapter .
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­ pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
era tion as we ll as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object invo lved in the crash.
On the passenger s ide, regardless of safety belt
use, the a irbag will be t urned off if the weight on
the passenge r seat is less than the amount p ro­
g rammed in the e lectron ic cont rol unit . T he front
154
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the chi ld seats that has been certi­
fied under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PA S­
S EN GER AIR BA G OFF
light comes on and stays
on to tell you when the front Advanced A irbag on
the passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 147, Child restraints on the front seat ­
some important things to know .
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
f lates, always wear safety belts properly.
- I f you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or ou t of position in any way,
your ris k of injury is much highe r.
- You will a lso receive ser ious injuries and
could even be killed if yo u are up against the
airbag or too close to i t when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
r::!;>page 146.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 165 Inflated front a irbags
-,... N 0 :i: ;;i;
Safety be lts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfo ld properly and prov ide sup­
plemental protection in a fronta l co llision.
The front airbags a re designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- t he seats have been positioned so that t he oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possib le
from the airbag,
Ill-

The PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
¢ fig. 166 .
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you
sw itch on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light will flash for a few seconds and :
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a sma ll child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go out if the front passenger seat is occu ­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat.
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light mu st co me
o n and st ay on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat,
o r
- a rearward-facing child restrai nt has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal ­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight reg istered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-o ld restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced A irbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is no t occupied, the
fron t air bag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Never install a
rearward -fac ing child restraint on the front pas ­
senger seat, the safest p lace for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat
¢page 147, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 168, Child safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF light
stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
Airb ag sys tem
not appear on and does not stay on a ll the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- react ivate the system by sw itch ing the ig nition
off and then switching it on aga in;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restraint. Make
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed through
the child restraint as desc ribed in the c hild re­
straint manufacturer's instruct ions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the seat can do
its job
¢ page 177 .
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild seat are not being
transpo rted o n the front passenge r seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is
not b locked . Shake the safety belt la tch on the
front passenger seatback and fo rth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
seat to the front passenger seat, make su re
t ha t it is not so tight that it causes the weight­
sensing mat to measure more weight than is
ac tually on the seat.
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still doe s
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it p roper ly at one of the rear
seat pos itions . Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by yo ur Audi dealer immed iate ly.
- move the child to a rear seat pos ition and ma ke
sure that t he chi ld is proper ly rest rained in a
child restra int that is appropr iate for its s ize
and age .
T he
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignit io n is on and an adu lt is
s itting in a proper seat ing pos ition on the front
passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds whi le dr iv ing, under these c ircumstan-
ces, make sure that :
Ill-
157

Airbag syste m
@ For the sake of the en vironment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -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 and
safety belts w ith pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regu lations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
cha nge the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For example, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the spr ings, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and preven t the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced A irbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally insta l­
led on your veh icle .
- Never use tire-rim comb inations that have
not been approved by Audi.
160
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic contro l module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
- Always make sure that noth ing can inte rfe re
w ith the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obst ructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 167 Driver's kn ee ai rbag
The driver knee airbag is in the inst rument panel
u nderneath the s teer ing whee l
~ fig. 16 7, the
airbag fo r the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers add itiona l protection to
the d river's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas and supp lements the protec ­
tion prov ided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags a lso
deploy in frontal coll is ions when the deployment
th reshold stored in the control unit is met
~ page 154, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In add ition to their normal safe ty f unct ion, safe-
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in ..,

Airbag syste m
airbags have dep loyed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that noth ing shou ld be in their
way when they deploy.
F u lly inflated airbags in combination with proper ­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and he lp to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints. Always
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 ser ious in­
jury. Wea ring safety belts incor rect ly and im­
proper seating pos it ions increase the r isk of
ser ious persona l injury and dea th whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- T he knee airbag system cannot protec t you
properly if you are seated too close to any o f
the airbag locatio ns. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
dr iver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the s teer ing whee l/instrumen t
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the i nstru­
ment panel.
- The r isk of persona l injury inc reases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
imp roperly positioned and yo u are not wear­
ing yo ur safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the a irbag deploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the risk of injury in an accident by interfering
162
w it h the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into yo u as the a irbag deploys.
- Neve r let anybody, especia lly childre n or
anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat.
If the airbag de ploys, this
can result in serious or fa tal in juries.
- Never ca rry objects of any kind in the foot­
well a rea in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat . Bul ky objects (shopp ing
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper dep loyment of the airbag .
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys a nd injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch­
es or other damage in the area of the instru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated .
- If ch ildren are i ncorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a col lision
c::> page 168, Child safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 169 S id e airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests<=>
fig. 169 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag sy stem bas ically consi st s of:
- the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors

-the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- two rear side airbags
- the a irbag warning light in the inst rument clus-
te r.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you sw itch on the ign it ion, the
a ir bag sys tem indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supp lements the safety
be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear p assenger's upper to r­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side col lision . The airbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control un it is h igh enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control un it, the s ide curta in a irbag w ill
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision.
It is
n ot possib le to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover eve ry poss ible angle of impa ct,
since the c ircums tances will vary considerab ly be­
tween one collision and a nother. Impo rtant fac­
tors incl ude, fo r example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the ang le of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
c> page 164, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restraint system in your veh icle. Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wea ring it properly . This is another rea­
son why you shou ld always wear your safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires yo u to do
so
c> page 138, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup­
p lemental side a irbag system is designed to re­
duce the likeli hood of serious injur ies, other inju­
ries, fo r example, swell ing, b ruising, and m inor
Airb ag sys tem
abras ions can also be assoc iated wit h deployed
side airbags . Remember too, side airbags will de­
ploy only once and only in ce rtain k inds of acci­
dents - yo ur safety belts are always there to offer
protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens it ive or fa iled a irbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w il l deploy
only once and only i n certai n kinds of collisions -
you r safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t io n in those accide nts in wh ich airbags are no t
s u pposed to deploy o r when they h ave al re ady
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ignit io n is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collis ions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents t he front a irbags, s ide
c urt ain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
togethe r.
.&, WARNING ~
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition
c> page 164.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light c> page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen it should.
163

by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Neve r place or attach accessories o r other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
b rackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such ob jects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause i njury
when the supplementa l side airbag de­
p loys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de ­
p loyment space between them and the
airbags or allow chi ldren or other passen­
gers to travel in this position.
- Always use the bui lt-in coat hooks only for
lightweight cloth ing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag dep loyment
and can cause pe rsonal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from be ing
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
o r hitt ing the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the a irbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat cove rs orto the seam in the
area of the s ide a irbag mod ule m ust always
be repaired immed iate ly by an autho rized
Audi dealer .
- If children are sea ted imp roperly, their ris k
of inj ury increases in the case of an ac ciden t
c;, page 168, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any components o f
t h e a irbag sys tem in any way.
- In a side collision, s ide a irb ags wi ll no t func­
t io n proper ly if sensors cannot co rrect ly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter ior door trim pane ls
removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside doo r panel and the
open ings they leave have not been prope r­
ly closed.
Airb ag sys tem
-Never dr ive when lo udspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that open ings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dea ler or qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protec tion to properly restrained oc­
cupants.
F ig . 1 71 S id e cur tain airbags, driver's side: s ide curtai n air ­
bag locat io n
The side c urt ain airbags are located on bot h sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win­
dows
c;, fig. 171 . They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshie ld frame and the cen­
ter roof pillar .
T he side curtain airbag system supp leme nts the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
side of the vehicle that is str uck in a side colli­
sion. The s ide curta in a irbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acce leration reg­
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference va lue programmed in­
to the control unit, the side airbags will not be
triggered, even tho ugh the car may be badly
damaged as a res ult of the collision.
It is not pos­
s ible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since ..,.
165

Airbag system
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
c:;, page 166, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec ­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re ­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you a re wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
c:;, page 138, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curtain airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abra ­
s ions can a lso be associated with these airbags
upon deployment. Remember too, these a irbags
will deploy only once and only in certa in kinds of
accidents - your safety belts are always there to
offer protect ion .
The side curtain airbag system ba sically
consists of:
-The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is switched off,
166
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas­
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c:;, page 58, Gen­
eral information .
-If the airbag ind icator light c:;, page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or wi ll 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 re­
strained.
Fig. 172 Illus trat io n of princ iple: I nflated s ide c urtain a ir­
bags o n the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows in a side collision
¢ fig. 172.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled w ith propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above t he front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
s ide curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with g reat fo rce.
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing position is not proper or upright or if