2018 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

lL t:0 ....
'"" " '"" .... 0 0 :c ' the circumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision 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 247, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curta in 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 veh icle . Always re ­
member t hat the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wea ring your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . T his is anothe r reason
why you should always wear your safety be lts,
not just because the law requi res you to do so
¢ page 219, General information.
It is important to remember that while the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injur ies, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and minor abra ­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags
upon dep loyment. Remember too, these airbags
will deploy only once and only in certa in kinds of
accidents
-your safety belts are a lways there to
offer protect ion.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic contro l module and external side
impact senso rs
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear s ide windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to
make certain it is funct ioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain a irbag is not a ctivated:
- if the ignition is switched off,
Airbag system
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas­
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear -end co llisions .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c> page 54,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag ind icator light i=> 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 w ill not inf late 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 . 2 38 Illus trat io n of pr incip le: Inflated side curta in a ir­
bags o n the left s ide
T he side cu rtain airbags inflate between the oc­
c u pant and the w indows in a side coll is ion
¢fig. 238.
When the system is triggered, the s ide curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
th rough a seam above the front a nd rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional pro tect io n, the
s ide curtain airbag must inflate w ithin the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or upright or if
247

Airbag syste m
items are located in the area where the supp le­
mental side curtai n airbag inflates . This applies
especia lly to
children ¢ page 249 .
Although they a re not a soft p illow, s ide c urtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dus t may deve lop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supp lemental protect ion.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating posit ions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used .
- Never let occ upants place any parts of the ir
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
ta in a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate witho ut interference. Un­
s u itable accessories fit ted inside the expan­
sion range o f a side curtain airbag can dan­
gerously interfere with its function. A de ­
ploying head airbag develops enough force
to catapult any piece o f add-on component
o ut of its path of inflat ion and into the pas­
senger compartment. An occupant hit by
s u ch a projectile can suffer ser ious injury or
death ¢ page 339, Technical Modifications .
-Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
yo u have any objects clipped onto them (for
example pens) . If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built- in coat hooks on ly for light­
weight cloth ing . Neve r leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in t he pockets that may
248
inter fere with a irbag deployment and can
cause persona l injury in an accident.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- On ly use factory-insta lled sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be
used¢ page 338, Addi­
tional accessories and parts replacement .
-Always sit in p roper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the
side curtain airbags can help p rovide protec­
tion .
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an autho rized
Aud i dea le r o r qualified workshop.
- Always have wo rk involv ing the side curtain
airbag system, remova l and installat ion of
the airbag components, or other repairs pe rformed by a qualified dealers hip . Other­
wise the airbag system may not work cor­
rectly.
- Never attem pt to mod ify any com ponen ts of
the airbag system in any way .

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c> page 220, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children a re at
greater r isk of se rious injury in c rashes than
ad ults .
Because ch ildren's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they requ ire restra int systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight, and body struc ­
ture. Many coun tries and a ll states of the United
States and p rovinces of Canada have laws requi r­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -3 5 mp h
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the
child would sudden ly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg) . Under these condit ions, only an appro­
priate ch ild restraint properly used can reduce
the r isk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used imp roperly, they can increase the
risk of ser ious injury in an acc ident .
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must a lways r ide in the back seat properly re­
stra ined fo r their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restra int on t he front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and h eed the important information and warnings
c> page 228. Infants and other chi ldren who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re ­
stra int that is for their size and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental s ide air­
bags provide in some kinds of crashes.
For more information please see information
provided by the:
Ch ild saf ety
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http ://
www .safercar .gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www .tc .gc .ca (for Canada)
Cons ult the ch ild safety seat manuf acture r's in­
structions in order to be sure t he seat is right for
yo ur chi ld's size
c> page 252, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
format ion and WARNINGS about ch ild safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restra ints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your veh icle and how they work
whe n infants and children in child restraints are
on the fro nt passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion, we cannot re­
peat it all he re . We u rge you to read the detailed
i nformat ion in this owner 's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag Sys tem in yo ur veh icle
and the very important information about trans ­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small ch ildren .
A WARNING
-
-Accide nt statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
i n the front seat ing pos it ion. Always restrain
a ny child age 12 and unde r in t he rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restra ined prope rly whe never r id ing
i n a vehicle. An u nres tra ined o r improperly
rest rained chi ld cou ld be inju red by st riking
the interio r or by being ejected from the ve ­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater r isk of injury or death
through contact w it h an inflating a irbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
prov ides the h ighest degree of protect io n
for infants and small children in most acc i­
dent situat ions .
249

Child sa fety
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
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 child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, o r
doo r.
- 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
exceptional c ircumstances and the
PASSEN­
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-facing seat
has been designed and cert ified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side a irbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
t ions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
earner.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest 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
adjus tment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward- facing child restraint .
- Always make sure tha t the s afety belt upper
anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
250
- Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ign it ion is switched on.
(D Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during 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
Your vehicle is equ ipped with a front "Advanced
A irbag System" in compl iance with U nited States
Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as we ll as Canada Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standa rd ( CMVSS) 208 as applicab le a t the t ime
you r vehicle was manufactured.
The Adva nced A irbag system in yo ur vehicle has
been certified to mee t the "low- risk" require­
ments fo r
3-and 6 -yea r old chi ld ren on the pas ­
senger side and sma ll adu lts on the driver s ide.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of inj ury t hrough interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by be ing
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel whe n the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
a rd, to tur n off the front a irbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on t he fro nt pas ­
senger seat in c hild restraints t hat are lis ted in
t h e Standard.
E ven thoug h your veh icle is eq uipped w it h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
t h ose 12 yea rs and younger, sho uld always ride
i n the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
t h e front seat a potentially dange rous p lace for a
ch ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-facing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' 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 be low 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 ch ild and the child safety seat and a ch ild
blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
sign of the ch ild restraint and its "footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of t he chi ld re­
str aint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for d ifferent
kinds o f child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of­
fered by child restraint manufact urers.
The weight ranges for the individua l 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-o ld child have been stored in
the control unit of the Advanced A irbag System.
When a child restraint is being used on the front passenger seat with a typ ical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced A irbag System compares the we ight
measured by the we ight sensi ng mat w ith the in ­
formation stored in the electronic contro l uni t.
The electron ic control u nit also registers the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenge r
seat will be d iffe ren t fo r an ad ult who is p roperly
using the safety belt as compared to t he tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a c hild re ­
straint to the seat . The sensor below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tens ion on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used w ith the weight to "de­
cide", whether there is a child restra int w ith a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenge r
seat and w hethe r or not the airbag must be
turned off.
Ch ild saf ety
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the c hild restraint t hat yo u use,
make s ure tha t it has been ce rt ified to mee t Safe ­
ty Standards an d has been cert ified by its man u­
f act urer for use with an airbag. A lways be sure
t h at the c hild 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, careful ly read all of the informa­
t ion on child safety and Advanced A irbags and
heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
ta in that the ch ild restraint is co rrectly recog­
nized by the weight-sensing mat ins ide the front
passenge r seat, that the front passenge r airbag
is turned off and that the a irbag sta tus is always
correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light .
M any types and models of child restra in ts h ave
been avai lab le over the years, new models are in ­
t roduced regu larly incorporating new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restra ints of the same type typically have
different weights and sizes and different 'foot­
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
ch ild rest raint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These d iffe rences
make it v irtu a lly imposs ib le to cert ify comp lian ce
wi th t he requi rements for adv anced airbags w it h
each and every child restra int tha t has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be so ld over the course of
the usef ul life of your vehicle .
F o r thi s reason, the Uni ted Sta tes N ation al High ­
way Traffic Sa fety Admin istrat ion has published a
li st of specific type, makes and mode ls of chi ld
restraints that must be used to certify compli ­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your ve hi­
cle w it h the suppress ion requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These chi ld
restra ints are:
Subpart A - Car b ed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 2S, 2007 Ride AA2403FOF
251

Child safety
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 2S, 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 84S7 December 1 , 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 2S, 2007
gio S IP IMUN00US
Subpart C -Forward -facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 2S, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02S19 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summ it Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos-
September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injur y, make sur e
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ig ht
co mes on and stays on whenever a chi ld re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
252
-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
author ized Audi dealer immed iately.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories 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 dr iver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especia lly children:
.,. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly
q page 255 .
.,. Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the ch ild safe ­
ty seat .
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
qpage 259.
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with your 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
weigh t-sens ing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
,=;,page 254.
Always remembe r: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag sys tem, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
shou ld always ride in the back seat proper ly re -
strained for their age and size.
.,,.

& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restra int increases the r isk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must a lways be restrained properly whenev­
er r iding in a vehicle.
- An unrest rained or imprope rly restrained
child can be injured or killed by being
thrown against the ins ide of the vehicle or
by being ejected from it during a s udden
maneuver or impact .
-An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air­ bag.
-Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S . Federa l
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
-When buying a ch ild rest raint, se lect one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush­ ion. The child restrain t must no t tip or
lean to eithe r side. Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro­
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed a ll legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in­
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using .
- Never allow ch ildren under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
They must always be restrained by a proper child restraint system . Otherwise, they
cou ld sustain injur ies to the abdomen and
neck a reas during sudden bra king maneu­
vers or ac ciden ts.
-Never let mo re than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
~ -Never let babies or older chi ld ren ride in a
~ vehicle while sitting on the lap of ano ther ......
g p assenge r.
:c ' Ch ild s af ety
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute for a chi ld restraint system.
- The strongest person cou ld not ho ld the
ch ild with the forces that exist in an acci­
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger .
- The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat . A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger a irbag in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat o r infant ca rr ier with great force and
will sm ash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, cente r arm res t, door
or roof .
-Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
-Make sure the re is enough sp ace in front of
the child in the child seat . If ne cessary, ad­
just the angle and position of the sea t in
front of the chi ld seat.
-Forward-fa cing child safety seats insta lled
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serio us injury to the chi ld. Always install for­
ward-facing ch ild safety seats on the rear
seat .
- If exceptional c ircumstances requ ire the use
of a fo rward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the ch ild's safety
and well-being requ ire that the following
specia l precautions be taken:
- Make su re the forwa rd -facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
-Always carefully follow the man ufacturer's
instruct ions prov ided with the ch ild safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
~
253

Child safety
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward- facing child restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly positioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from be ing
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
-Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::> page 219, Safety belts,
c::> page 22 7 , Airbag system and
c::> page 249, Child safety.
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.
- 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 immediately.
254
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fig. 239 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from children in child safety seats. @· ou ter rear
safety belt,® -center rear safety belt
If a ch ild safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> .&. .
-Guide the safety belt webbing behind the head
restraint of the adjacent seat
c::> fig. 239 . When
doing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking "
sound when winding up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
-Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convertible lock ing re­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.