2017 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

0 co .... N ,..._
N .... 0 0 :c ' OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger seat.
{D) Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will
stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly in a collision .
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
Airbag system
-For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.) must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical
information, training and special equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag compo­nents must be performed by qualified work-
shops only. Make sure that any airbag
Ill-
239

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 .

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r -Never use additiona l seat cushions that
cover the areas where the s ide airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the origina l seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accide nt by in­
terfering w ith the way the a irbag unfolds or
by being pushed into you as the a irbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories o r other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bu lky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de­
ploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
ai rbags or allow ch ildren or other passen­
ge rs to travel in this posit ion.
- Always use the bui lt-in coat hooks only for
lightwe ight cloth ing . Neve r leave any heavy
o r sharp-e dged objects in the pockets th at
m ay interfere wit h side ai rbag dep loyment
and can cause pe rsonal injury in an accident .
- Always preven t the side airbags from be ing
d amaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hi tt ing the sides o f the seatbacks.
- T he airbag system can on ly be t rigge red
once . If the ai rbag has been triggere d, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Dama ge (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam i n the
area of the s ide airbag mod ule m ust always
be repaired immed iate ly by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improper ly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
i=> page 248, Child safety .
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way .
Airb ag sys tem
-In a side coll ision, side airbags will not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never dr ive with inte rior door trim panels
removed.
- Never dr ive when p arts have been re­
moved from the inside door pane l and the
openings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed .
- Never drive when loudspeakers 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 Aud i dea ler o r qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants.
Fig . 238 Sid e curta in airbags, driver's side: side curtai n air­
bag locat io n
The side c urtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter io r above the front and rear side w in­
dows
c> fig. 238. T hey are identified by the word
"A IRBAG" on the windshie ld frame and the cen-
ter roof pillar. .,..
245

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>