2017 AUDI A8 warning

Airbag syste m
service action is entered in your Audi War­
ranty
& Maintenance book let under AIRBAG
REPLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
dea ler· risk of an accident!
- If the veh icle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicab le safety precautions
must be followed .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate 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 regulations 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
serv ice for you .
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using t ire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, chang ing the st iffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag senso rs and sent to the
electronic contro l unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of changes may reduce the force levels meas ured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­ ing when it should .
240
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim comb inations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the r isk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never insta ll suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly ins tal­
led on you r vehicle.
- N ever use tire-r im combinations that have
no t been approved by Aud i.
A WARNING
It ems stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center conso le 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 working
proper ly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfere
with the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig . 234 D river 's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel~
fig. 234, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment . ..,_

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower th igh areas and supp lements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts.
I f the front airbags dep loy, the knee airbags also
deploy in fronta l co llisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the contro l unit is met
c:::> page 234, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in position in a frontal coll is ion so that the a irbags
can prov ide supplemental protect ion.
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 are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . T his is why yo u should
always wear your safety belt, not j ust because
the law requires you to do
so <=> page 218, Gener­
al information.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
on ly in certain k inds of accidents -your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in wh ich airbags are no t supposed to
deploy or w hen they have a lready dep loyed, for
examp le when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is jus t one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The a irbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Therefore, a lways wear your
safety belts correct ly.
It is important to remember that wh ile the sup­
p lemental knee airbag system is designed to re ­
d uce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swell ing, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inf lates.
The knee airbag system basically cons ists of:
- The electronic contro l module
- T wo inf latab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one fo r the front
passenger
Airb ag sys tem
- The a irbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is switched off
- in fronta l co llisions when the decelerat ion
meas ured by the contro l unit is too low
- in side co llisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
ind icator light is on)
c:::> page 23.
A WARNING
--Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the prope r seat ing pos ition
c:::> page 234.
- If the airbag ind icator light c:::> page 23
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 inf late w hen it should.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 2 35 Inflated a irbags protect ing in a fro nta l collision
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger deploy in certain but not all frontal collisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collis ions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the a irbags fi ll with a
prope llant gas, and infla te between the lower
Ill-
241

Airbag system
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
c> poge 234, fig. 232.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
tremities.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy.
Fully inflated airbags in combinat ion with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
t he risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
a irbag 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 serious in­
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im­ proper seating positions increase the risk 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 adjusting their
seat positions, it is important 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/instrument panel.
242
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the airbag 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
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children or
animals ride in the footwell in front of the passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fatal injuries .
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the airbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and 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 children are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a collision
c> page 248, Child safety.

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 236 S id e airbag location in the driver's seat
N N
I
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests¢
fig. 236 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors. They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external side
im pact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- two rear side airbags
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter .
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 ition, the
a ir bag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diag nostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side coll is ion. The airbag deploys only i n side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg­
i stered by the control unit is high enough.
If this
r ate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control unit, the side curtain ai rbag will
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. It is
not possible to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover every poss ible angle of impact,
Airbag system
since the circumstances will vary considerably be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac ­
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 244, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety funct ion, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a side collision
so that the side airbags can provide protection.
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 side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wear ing it prope rly . This is another rea­
son why you should always wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
¢ page 218, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags . Remember too, side airbags will de­
ploy only once and only in certain k inds of acci ­
dents - your safety belts are always there to offer
protection.
Veh icle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens itive or fa iled a irbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may inflate . Remember too, that air bags w ill deploy
only once and only in certa in kinds o f collisions -
you r safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collis ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers .
243

Airbag syste m
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags 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 244.
-If the airbag indicator light¢ page 23
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Aud i dealer .
It is possible that
the a irbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig. 237 In flated side airbags o n left s ide of vehicle , rear
side a irbag
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is filled
wi th propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG".
It ex­
pands between the side trim pane l and the pas­
senger. In orde r to help provide this additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with great force . The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands . This ap­
plies especially to children ¢
page 248, Child
safety.
Supplemental side a irbags inf late be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
coll ision ¢
fig. 23 7.
244 Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag dep loys.
This is norma l and does not mean there is a fire
i n the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemen tal restrain ts . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to prov ide supplemental
protect ion.
A WARNING
An inflating side a irbag can cause se rious or
fata l injury. Imp roperly weari ng safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and dea th
whenever a vehicle is being used .
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the s upplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upright position and never
l ean against the area where the supp le­
mental s ide airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag i nflates .
- Always make sure that safety be lts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window .
-Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interfe rence .
- Never insta ll sea t covers or replacement
u pholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi .

Airbag syste m
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can he lp to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side colli­
sion . The side curtain airbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg ­
istered by the control unit is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value p rogrammed in­
to the control un it, the side ai rbags wi ll not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos­
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every poss ible ang le of impact, since
the circumstances will vary cons iderably 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 246, 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 pos it io n 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 yo u if you are wea ring your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . T his is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
c:> page 218, General information.
I t 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, swe lling, bruising, and m inor abra­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags
upon deployment. Remember too, these a irbags
w ill deploy only once and only in certa in kinds of
accide nts -your safety belts are a lways the re to
offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external s ide
impact senso rs
246
- The side curtain a irbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The a irbag indi cator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is mon itored electro nical ly to
make certain it is func tioning properly at all
times. Each t ime you switch on the ignit ion, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag i s not activated:
- if the igni tion is switched off,
- in side collisions whe n 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 pro tect ion when occupants are in
t he prope r seating pos ition
c:> page 54,
Seats and storage.
- I f the a irbag ind icator light c:> page 23
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed 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 re­
strained.
F ig. 239 Illu strat io n of pr inc iple : In flated side curta in a ir-
bag s on the left s ide
II>

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows in a side collision
c::>fig. 239.
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 order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side cur tain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
mental side curtain airbag inflates . This applies
especially to children
c::> page 248.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion " the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is quite 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. Always
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 their job to provide supplemental protection.
.&, WARNING
-
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used .
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain airbags inflate .
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate without interference. Un­
suitable accessories fitted inside the expan­
sion range of a side curtain airbag can dan­
gerously interfere with its function. A de-
Airbag system
ploying head airbag develops enough force
to catapult any piece of add-on component
out of its path of inflation and into the pas­
senger compartment. An occupant hit by
such a projectile can suffer serious injury or
death
c::> page 338, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for example pens). If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be used
c::> page 338, Addi­
tional accessories and parts replacement.
-Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the
side curtain airbags can help provide protec­
tion .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Always have work involving the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag components, or other repairs
performed by a qualified dealership . Other­
wise the airbag system may not work cor­ rectly.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
247

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 219, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, weight, and body struc­
ture. Many countries and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times 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 appro­
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an acc ident.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restraint on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
¢
page 22 7. Infants and other children who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re­
straint that is for their si ze and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental side air­
bags provide in some kinds of crashes .
For more information please see information
provided by the:
248
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http :/ /www.safe­
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www.tc.gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right fo r
your chi ld's size ¢
page 251, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restra ints 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 restraints are on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion , we cannot re­
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
i nformation in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small children .
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seat ing pos ition. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
-All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restra ined prope rly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An un restrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating airbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acc i­
dent situat ions.