2018 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

u. co ..... N
" N ..... 0 0 :c ' his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined ¢
page 209, Correct
passenger seating positions,
- the adult is not taking weig ht off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is being 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 incorrect read ing or
impression on the weight-sens ing mat under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenge r seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latch for the front passenger seat.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF or PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
w ill br iefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster display . T his is to inform the dr iver
of the curre nt front passenge r airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator l ight¢
page 23
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by yo ur
au thori zed Au di dealer. It is possible that
the a irbag will in flate when it is not s up­
posed to, or will not inflate when it shou ld .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-facing child re­
straint that has not been properly installed
w ill be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certain
that all ch ild ren, especially 12 years and
Airbag syste m
younger, always ride on the bac k seat prop­
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize.
- Always install forward or rea r-facing child
seats on the rea r seat
-even w ith an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rea rward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because o f
except ional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
s tay on, immed iate ly ins tall the rea r-facing
child sea t in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing ch ild restraint attached to the front
p a ssenger se at c an put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat . The heav ier 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
serio us or even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the airbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjusted to an upr igh t position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
wheneve r the ignit ion 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 tak ing the steps
described above, make sure the adult is p roperly sea ted and restra ined a t one of the
rear sea ting posit ions.
- Have the ai rbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r before transpo rting anyone on
the front passenge r seat.
239

Airbag syste m
(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 w ill be turned off,
and the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light will
stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Install ing, remov­
i n g, servic ing o r repa iring a part in an area of the
ve hicle can damage a pa rt of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a co llision .
There are some important t hings yo u have to
know to make sure th at the effect iveness of the
system wi ll not be impaired and that dis carded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repair proce­
dures can increase the r isk 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
i ng wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument pa ne l or mod ify them in any way.
-Never attach any objects such as cup holders
o r te lephone mount ings to the surfaces cov­
er ing the ai rbag units.
-For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
pane l, use on ly a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners cou ld damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or st rengt h of the materia l so
t h at the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
-Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
-All work on the stee ring wheel, i nstr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in ­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
ce llular telephones and CB rad ios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
240
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
-F or any work on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see yo ur au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
-Never install seat covers or replaceme nt
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not bee n specific ally app roved by
A udi.
-Neve r use additional seat c ushi ons that
cover the areas where the side airbags in ­
flate.
-Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs o r to
t h e seam in the area of the s ide airb ag
module mus t always be repai red immedi ­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
-The airb ag sys tem can be act iv a ted only
once . A fter an airbag has in flated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qua lified tech nic ian who has the technical
information, train ing and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
-The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new rep lacement
parts des igned and approved espec ially for
your Aud i model version. Replacement of
comp lete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be perfo rmed by qualified work­
shops only. M ake sure that any a irb ag se rv ­
ice act ion is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE ­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
-For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
a lter nator and starter a re separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circu it
interrupter.
-Wo rk on the pyrotechnic c ircuit inte rrupt­
e r must o nly be perfo rmed by a qua lified
dealer
-r isk of an a cciden t!
-If the vehicle or the c ircuit inte rr u pte r is
sc rapped, all appli cable safety p recau tions
mus t be followed.
..,.

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
..,.
241

Airbag system
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental 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 airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do
so c:> page 219, Gener ­
al information .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents
-your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
example when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Th erefore , always wear your
safety belts correctly.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental knee air bag system is des igned to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates .
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
- The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollove rs
242
-in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is
on) ¢ page 23 .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
r::;> page 235 .
- If the airbag indicator light c:> page 23
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 234 Inflated a irbags protec ting in a fronta l co llis io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l collisions.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a
prope llant gas, and inflate between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
c:> page 235 , fig. 231.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of inj ury to the lower ex­
tremities.
All of this takes pla ce in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
.,,.

lL t:0 ....
'"" ......
'"" .... 0 0 :c ' 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 .
Full y inflated airbags in comb ination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags are 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.
- 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
Airbag system
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
animals r ide 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
<=> page 249, Child safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 235 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
<=> fig . 235 and the rear back­
r est facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
.,..
243

Airbag system
-the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- two rear side airbags
- the airbag warnin g light in the inst rument clus -
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you sw itch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The sid e airbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
t he dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side co llision . The airbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the ve hicle acceleration reg ­
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control un it, the side curta in a irbag w ill
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision.
It is
not poss ib le to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover eve ry poss ible angle of impact,
since the circumstances will vary considerab ly be ­
tween one collision and another . Important fac­
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the ang le of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
c> page 245, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you s hou ld always wear you r safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires you to do
so c> page 219, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental s ide a irbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelih ood of se rious injur ies, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor
244
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags . Remember too, side airbags wi ll de­
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci­
dents - your safety belts are always there to offer
protect ion.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-sens itive or fa iled airbag activat ion. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that air bags w ill deploy
o nl y once and only in certain kinds of collisions -
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in wh ich airbags a re not
s uppo sed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when t he ign ition is switched off
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end coll is ions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents th e front airbags, side
curtain airbags and sid e airbags may be trigg ered
together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seat ing position
c> page 245.
-If the airbag indicator 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 possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate w hen it should.

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' 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.
Fig. 236 Inflated side airbags on left side of vehicle , rea r
side airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas­
senger. In order 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 249, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collision
~ fig. 236.
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 deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
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 act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
_&. WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- 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 de­ ploy.
- 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.
-
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
.,._
245

Airb ag syste m
by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone brackets, or even Large, bulky 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
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this position.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
Lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere w ith side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an author ized
Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side a irbag mod ule m ust always
be repa ired immed iately by an authorized
Audi dealer .
- If children are seated imp roperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
¢ page 249, Child safety.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side a irbags w il l not func­
t ion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure ins ide the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with inter ior door tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and the
open ings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed.
2 4 6
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings 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 or 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. 237 S id e curt ain airbags, driver's sid e: side curtain air­
bag location
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win­
dows¢
fig. 237. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the cen­
ter roof p illar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
s ide 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 high enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control unit, the side airbags will not be
triggered, even though the car may be badly damaged as a result of the collision .
It is not pos­
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
..,.