2018 AUDI A8 ABS

Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu ­
pants .
Fig. 229 Location of driver airbag: in steering wheel
Fig. 230 Location of front passenger's airbag : in the in­
strument panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at
the time your vehicle was manufactured .
The airbag for the driver is in the steer ing wheel
hub ~ fig. 229 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 230. The
general location of the airbags is marked
"AIR ­
BAG" .
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle. We urge you to read the detailed
information about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
lL ~ up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
~ the WARNINGS -they are extreme ly important N ...... 0 0 :c ' Airbag system
for your safety and the safety of your passengers,
especially infants and small children.
A WARNING
-
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small children, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­ ing too close to the airbag when it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these specia l conditions is impossib le in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the "low risk" opt ion under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that is
heavier than the typical one-year old child is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position.
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehi-
cle was manufactured .
IJJ,,
231

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' If the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Feder ­
a l Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" dep loyment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined in the electronic control unit
r;:;. page 23 7.
Al way s remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith Advanced A irbags, the s afest p lace
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat . Please be sure to read the important infor­
mat io n in the sect ions that follow and be su re to
h eed a ll of the WARN INGS.
A WARNING
T o red uce the r isk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, a lways wear safety be lts properly .
- If you are unrest rained, lean ing fo rwa rd, s it ­
t ing s idew ays or o ut of pos it ion in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is much higher .
- Yo u will also receive se rious injur ies a nd
cou ld even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates
-
even with an Advanced Airbag I!!> page 22 7.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld seat insta l­
led on the front passenger seat will be ser i­
ously injured and can be k illed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
yo ur vehicle is designed to turn off t he front
airbag when a rearward-facing ch ild re­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can abso lutely g uara n­
tee that deployment is impossible in a ll con ­
c e ivable s ituat ions that may happen dur ing
the usefu l life o f yo ur vehicle .
- T he inf lat ing air bag w ill hit th e chi ld sea t or
infant carrier w it h great fo rce and will
smash the c hild seat and child against the
backrest , center a rmrest, door, or roof.
- Always install rearward -fac ing c hild re ­
straints on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearwar d fac ing c hild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
Airbag syste m
except io n al circumstances and the PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on
and stay on, immed iate ly install the rea r­
faci ng chi ld seat in a rear seating pos it io n
a nd have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r.
A WARNING
-
If, in exceptional c ircu mstances, you must in­
stall a forward-fa cing child rest ra in t on the
fron t passenger's seat:
- Always make su re the forward-facing seat
has bee n des igned and certified by its man­
uf acture r for use o n a front sea t with a pas ­
senge r front and side airbag.
- N eve r put the fo rw ar d-faci ng chi ld restra in t
up ag ainst o r very ne ar th e i nstr ument pan ­
el.
- Always move the fro nt passenge r seat to
the hig hest posit io n in the up and down ad ­
justment range and move it bac k to the
rearmost positio n in the seat's fo re and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir ­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for ­
ward-facing ch ild restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the c hild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the ch ild restraint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned .
- Make sure that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r th e ignit ion is switched o n.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenge r seat in your ve hicle has a lo t
of ve ry important parts of t he Advanced A irb ag
System in it. These parts incl ude the weight ­
sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and
more . The f unction of th e system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electronic con­
trol unit when the ign ition is on. The control unit
moni tors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the a irbag ind icator light on when a malfunction
i n the system compone nts is detected . The func­
t ion of the a irbag ind icator light is described in
greate r deta il be low. Because t he front
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lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' @ 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/
perchlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including a irbag modules
and safety belts with p retensioners are scrap·
ped, a ll applicable laws and regu lations must
be observed. Your a uthorized Audi dealer is
familiar w ith these requirements and we rec­
ommend that you have yo ur dealer perform
this service 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 pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-r im
comb ina tions not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, chang ing the s tiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic 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 wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the fo rce levels measured by
the sensors and preven t the airbag from deploy­
ing when i t should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
-Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­
led on your veh icle.
-Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors i n the buckle to send the w rong information
to the electronic control modu le and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfe re
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.
F ig . 233 Dr ive r's knee airbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the ins trument panel
u nderneath the steer ing
whee l~ fig. 233, the
airbag fo r the passe nger is at abou t the same
height in the instr ument pane l underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers add itional protection to
t h e driver 's and passenger's knees and uppe r and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
t ion prov ided by the safety be lts .
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
~ page 235, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In add ition to their normal sa fety f unct ion, safe-
ty be lts he lp keep the driver or front passenge r in
..,.
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Child sa fety
Chi ldren up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety seats de­
signed for their age and we ight . Experts say that
the skeleta l structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fu lly deve loped, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appro­ priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seat ing pos ition of the
child and repos ition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety be lt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places . The rout ing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Chi ld ren age 12 and unde r must
a lways r ide in t he rear seat.
Ch ildren who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inc hes/
1.45 meters) tall ca n generally use the veh icle's
three po int lap and shoulder be lts. Never use the
lap be lt po rt ion of the vehicle 's safe ty belt alone
to restrain any child, rega rdless of how big the
chi ld is. A lways remember that children do not
have the pronounced pe lvic struct ure req uired for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­ h icle's three po int lap and shoulder belts. The
chi ld's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
port ion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child 's stomach o r abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and w it h considerable fo rce . In o rder to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
w ill be there to p ro tect the occ upant as the occu­
p a nt moves forward into the airbag.
A veh icle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflat ing
a ir bag. Whe n an oc cupan t is too close, he o r she
w ill be st ruck v iolently and will receive ser ious o r
possibly even fatal injury.
I n order for the airbag to offer p rotection, it is
important t hat all ve hicl e oc cupan ts, espec ia lly
a ny children, who mus t be i n the fro nt sea t be ­
cause o f exceptional circ ums tances, be p roper ly
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restra ined and as far away from t he a irbag as
possib le . By keeping room between the chi ld's
body and the front of the passenger compa rt ­
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supplementa l protection in certa in frontal
collisions.
A WARNING
No t using a booste r seat, using the booster
seat imp roperly, incorrect ly install ing a boos­
ter sea t or u sing t he ve hicle safety belt i m­
p roperly increases the r is k of se rious pe rsonal
i njur y and death in a collision or other emer ­
gency situation. To he lp reduce the risk of se ­
rious personal inj ury and/or death:
- The s hou lder belt m ust lie as close to the
center of the chi ld's co llar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It must never lie ac ross the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure that the belt l ies flat and snug .
P ull o n the belt to tig hten if necessary.
- Fa ilure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body w ill cause seve re injuries in a n
accident o r othe r emergency s ituat ion
r=;, page 219.
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat should
be posit ioned as close as possible to the
b ackrest on the ve hicle sea t. A dju st the rea r
seat head restr aint if i t is diffi cult to ins tall
t he child seat w ith the head restrain t in
p lace
r=;, page 211 . D riving with head re ­
st raints that are not prope rly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fata l neck in­
jury dramat ica lly.
- Ch ild ren on the front seat of any car, even
w it h Advanced A irbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even k illed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a ch ild put the shoulder be lt under
the arm or behind the back, because it could
cause severe injuries in a crash.
- Never let a child stand o r kneel on any seat,
for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a chi ld r ide in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remember that a ch ild leaning for ­
ward, sitting sideways o r out of position in
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lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' -Never f ill the fuel container with fuel
while it is in or on the vehicle. Stat ic elec­
tr icity is discharged when filling which can
cause the fuel vapors to ignite and in­
creases the r isk of an explos ion.
- Always p lace a fuel container on the
ground before fi lling.
- Always hold the fuel nozzle comp letely in
the fuel container when f il li ng .
- If the fuel container is made of metal, the
fuel nozzle must always be in contact with the conta iner when filling it w ith fuel. Th is
prevents static electr ic ity from discharg­
ing.
- Never sp ill fuel in the veh icle or the lug­
gage compartment. Evaporated fue l is ex­
p losive and increases the risk of serio us in­
jury or dea th.
- Follow legal requir ements when using,
sto ring and transpor ting fue l contai ners .
- M ake sure the fuel conta iner confo rms to
i nd ust ry st anda rds (ANSI/AS TM F852 -86).
(D Note
- Remove spilled fuel from vehicle paint im­
mediate ly, because it can damage paint.
- Never dr ive unti l th e fuel tank is comp letely
empty . The ir regular supply of fuel that re­
su lts from that ca n caus e engine misfires.
U ncomb usted fuel w ill enter the exha ust
system a nd i ncre ase the risk of damage to
the c atalyt ic converter.
@) For the sake of the environment
Do not overfi ll the fuel tank , othe rw ise fue l
can leak out whe n the vehicle is warm ing up.
(D Tips
The f uel f iller door on your vehicle does not
loc k if you lock the vehicle from the inside.
Chec king and Filling
Fuel filler door emergency release
If the central locking system is faulty, the fuel
filler door can be unlocked manually.
F ig . 25 4 Veh icles w it h se lect ive catalyt ic reduct io n•: right
side trim pa nel in t he luggage compa rtme nt
Fi g. 25 5 Righ t sid e tr im pa nel in t he luggage compart·
ment : emergency release mechanism
T he emergency release mechanism is located be­
hind the rig ht side trim pane l in the luggage
compartment . In vehicles with se lective cata lytic
reduction*, remove the vent grille f irst:
.,. Press bo th tabs @¢fig. 254 an d tilt the vent
grilled downward. Yo u can then remove the
grille upwar d .
.,. Loosen the loop¢ fig. 255 from the retainer
and then pull on the loop caref ully
¢ (D . The
fi ller door is released.
.,. Press on t he left side of the fue l filler door to
open
it ¢ page 2 70, fig . 252.
~ Note
Only p ull on the loop until yo u feel resista nce.
You w ill not hear it re lease. Othe rw ise you
could damag e the emergency rel ease mecha­
n ism.
271

LL
"' .... N ,-.. N .... g :r st
use a spare tire* that is the same
circumference as the regular
tires.
&_ WARNING
-Only use tire/rim combina­ tions and suitable wheel bolts
that have been approved by
Audi. Otherwise, damage to
the vehicle and an accident
could result.
-For technical reasons, it is not
possible to use tires from oth­
er vehicles
-in some cases,
you cannot even use tires from
the same vehicle model.
-Make sure that the tires you
select have enough clearance
to the vehicle. Replacement
tires should not be chosen
simply based on the nominal
size, because tires with a dif­
ferent construction can differ greatly even if they are the
same size. If there is not
enough clearance, the tires or
the vehicle can be damaged and this can reduce driving
safety and increase the risk of
an accident.
-Only use tires that are more
than six years old when abso-
Wheels
lutely necessary and drive
carefully when doing so .
-Do not use run-flat tires on
your vehicle. Using them when
not permitted can lead to ve­
hicle damage or accidents.
-If you install wheel covers on
the vehicle, make sure they al­ low enough air circulation to
cool the brake system. If they
do not, this could increase the
risk of an accident.
Tire wear/damage
Fig. 265 T ir e profile: treadwear indica­
tor
Tire wear
Check the tires regularly for wear.
-Inflation pressure that is too low
or high can increase tire wear
considerably.
-Driving quickly through curves, rapid acceleration and heavy
braking increase tire wear.
291

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"" .... 0 0 :c ' Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPM S
malfunction indicator to indicate when the sys­
tem is not operating properly. The TPMS mal­
function indicator is combined with the low tire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi­
mately one minute and then remain cont inuously
illuminated . This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal­
function ex ists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be ab le to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended . TPM S malfunctions
may occur for a var iety of reasons, including the
installation of replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing one or
more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure
that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
If the Tire Pressure Monitoring System
indicator appears
Applies to: AS, 58
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too low
or if there is a system malfunction .
Fig. 268 Instrument clus ter: indicator light with message
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitor­
ing system compares the tire tread circumfer­
ence and vibration characteristics of the individu­
al tires . If the pressure changes in one or more
tires, this is ind icated in the instrument cluster
display with an indicator light
ti] and a message .
Wheels
If only one tire is affected, the location of that
tire will be indicated.
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain­
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switching between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your vehicle
c:> page 302. The tire pressure mon i­
toring system only monitors the tire pressure you
have stored. Refer to the tire pressure label for
the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle
c:> page 293, fig . 267 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration character­
istics can change and cause a tire pressure warn­
ing if :
- the t ire pressure in one or more tires is too low
- the tire has structural damage
- the tire was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored
c:> page 302
- the spare tire* is installed
Indicator lights
ti] Loss of pressure in at least one tire c:> ,&..
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the pressures of all four tires and
store the pressure again in the Infotainment sys­
tem
c:>page 302.
mm ( T ire Pressure Monitor ing System) Tire
pressure: System malfunction!. Ifm:m appears
after switching the ignition on or while driving
and the
ti] indicator light in the instrument clus­
ter blinks for approximately one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction. Try to
store the correct tire pressures
c:> page 302. If
the indicator light does turn off or turns on again
after a short period of time, drive to an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty immediately to have the malfunction correct­ ed .
.&, WARNING
- If the tire pressure ind icator appears in the
display, reduce your speed immediately and
avoid any hard steering or braking maneu­
vers. Stop as soon as possible and check the
tires and their pressure.
..,.
301

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Te xtiles
Deposits adhering to Vacuum cleaner
artificial leather, the surface
Alcantara Water-based deposits Absorbent
cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
b lood, etc.
O il-based deposits Apply a m ild soap solution
al, blot away the dissolved o il or
such as oil, make-up, dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
etc.
Special deposits such
Specia l stain remover, blot with absorbent material, treat
as ink, nail polish, la- afterward with mi ld soap solution, if necessary
a)
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc .
Natural leather Fresh stains Cotton cloth with a mi
ld soap solution a>
Water-based deposits Fresh stains : absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, dried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
b lood , etc.
Oi l-based deposits Fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make-up, for leather
etc . dried stains: oil cleaning spray
Special deposits such Spot
remover suitable for leather
as ink, nail polish, la-
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Care Regularly apply conditioning cream that protects from
light and penetrates into the material. Use specially-c ol-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary .
Refrigerator Dust and dirt Clean the ventilation openings in the luggage compart-
ment
Deposits Lukewarm
water, mild soap solution if
necessarya>, then
dry
Defrosting Empty the refrige rato r, switch it off and let it thaw with
the door open, t hen dry
Carbon parts Deposits clean the same way as plast ic parts
• > Mi ld s oap so lution: maxim um two tablesp oon s of neu tra l soap in 1 quar t (1 lite r) of wat er
A WARNING
Th e windsh ie ld may not be treated with wa­
ter-repelling windshi eld coating agents. Un­
favorable conditions such as wetness, dark­
ness, or lo w sun can result in increased glare.
Wiper blade chatter is also possible.
@ Note
-Headlights/tail lights
-
- Never clean headlights or tail lights with a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that con­
tains alcoho l, because they could cause
cracks to form .
-Wheels
- Never use any paint polish or other abra-
sive materials.
309