2017 AUDI A8 airbag off

Airbag syste m
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immediately.
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
c h ild restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF light shou ld NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adu lt is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adu lt on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly 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
r=> page 208, Correct
passenger seating positions,
-the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
hold ing on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the arm rest,
- the safety be lt is be ing properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
th ings that may cause an inco rrect read ing o r
imp ression on the weight-sens ing mat under
the upho ls tery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt extende r has not been left in the
sa fety belt latch for the front passenge r seat .
I n addition to the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the inst rument panel, the
message
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF or PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
wi ll briefly appear in the inst ru ­
ment cluster display. This is to inform the driver
of the current front passenger airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop­
er ly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash.
238
-If the airbag indicator light r=> page 23
comes when the veh icle 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.
_& WARNING
I f the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rea rwa rd-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fa cing c hild re­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, espec ia lly 12 years and
younge r, always ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and s ize.
- Always install forward or rear-facing child
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
except ional circumstances and the PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and
stay on, immediate ly install the rear-facing
child seat in a rea r seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dea le r.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing chi ld restraint attached to the front
passenger sea t can put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat. The heavier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adu lt
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from t he air bag as poss ible. The back re st
m ust be adjus ted to an upr ight position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG

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

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

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
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 ' A WARNING
Child ren on the front seat of any car even w ith
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear ­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­
sition and have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rea rmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward- facing child restra int .
- Always ma ke sure that the s afety bel t upper
anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the chi ld restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly pos i­
t ioned.
Ch ild safety
-Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
@ Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle du ring a c rash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another co llision situat ion.
Advanced front airbag system and children
You r vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa rd (FMVSS)
208, as we ll as Canada Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le a t the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
T he Advanced A irbag system in yo ur vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments fo r 3- and 6-year old ch ild ren on the pas­
senger side and sma ll adu lts on the driver side.
T he low risk deployment criter ia are intended to
red uce the risk of inju ry t hrough interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by be ing
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front a irbag fo r infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in c hild res traints t hat are lis ted in
t h e Standard.
E ven though your veh icle is eq uipped wit h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
those 12 yea rs and you nger, sho uld a lways ride
in the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentia lly dange rous p lace for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place fo r an infant o r a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
249

Child safety
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight
of the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat . The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint ", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re­
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of­
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants
and typical 1 year-old child have been stored in
the control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a child restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight
measured by the weight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be different for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re­
straint to the seat. The sensor below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de­
cide" , whether there is a child restraint with a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off.
250
· Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception­
al circumstances you must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag
is turned off and that the airbag status is always
correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporating new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
differen t weights and si zes and different 'foot­
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007 Ride AA2403FOF

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Grace Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio S IP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos-
September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 2S4 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Grace Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
Child safety
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immed iately.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categor ies A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly ¢
page 254 .
.,. Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe­ ty seat .
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking r etractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
~page 258.
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with yo ur full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measu re more weight
than is actually on the seat.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
~page 253.
Always remember: Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especia lly those 12 years and younger,
shou ld a lways ride in the back seat proper ly re-
strained for their age and s ize.
liJJ..
251