2018 AUDI A8 ESP

Drivin g saf ety
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
The individua l safety features of your vehicle can
work together as a system to help protect you
and your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if they
are not always correctly adjusted and correctly
used .
This chapter contains important informat ion,
tips, instruct ions and warn ings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of you r passengers and others . We have summar­
ized here w hat you need to know about safety
be lts, a irbags, child restra ints as well as child
safety. Yo ur safety is for us
priority number 1. Al ­
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section -for your own safety as we ll as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the fea­
tures described in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equ ipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your author ized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in th is
Manua l.
It is in your interest and in the in­
te rest of your passengers .
-
-Always keep the complete Owner's Litera­
tu re in you r A udi when you lend or se ll you r
vehicle so that this import ant information
will always be available to the d river and
passengers.
- Always keep the Owner 's lite rature h andy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
tions .
208
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care­
ful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
bef ore dri ving alw ays:
.. Make sure that a ll lights and signals are operat­
ing correctly .
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.. Sec ure all luggage and othe r items ca refully
¢ page 65, ¢page 63 .
.. Make sure tha t noth ing ca n interfere wi th the
peda ls .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their he ight.
.. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rectly to protect
children ¢ page 249, Child
safety .
• Sit proper ly in yo ur seat a nd make sure t hat
your passenge rs do the same
¢ page 54, Seats
and storage.
.. Fasten your sa fety belt and wear it p roperly . Al ­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty be lts properly
¢ page 219 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili­
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is responsib le for the safety of the ve ­
hicle and a ll of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impa ired, safety risks for everybody in the
vehicle increase and you a lso become a hazard to
everyone else on the road
¢ _&. . Therefore:
.. Do not let yourse lf be distracted by passenge rs
or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (by med ications, alcohol, drugs, etc .) .
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and
speed lim its and plain common sense .
.,.

Drivin g saf ety
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restra int so the upper edge is as
even as possib le w ith the top of your head.
If that is not possible, try to adjust the head
restra int so that it is as close to th is position
as possib le.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint wh ile driving.
If you have dr iven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, fi rst s top the vehicle safely before at­
tempting to ad just the head restra int.
- Children must always be p roperly restrained
in a chi ld restrain t that is appropria te fo r
their age and size
q page 249.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
sea ted.
I mp roper seating posit ions can cause se rious in­
ju ry or deat h. Safety belts can only wo rk when
t hey are p roper ly posit ioned o n the body . Im ­
p roper seating posi tions reduce t he effect iveness
of safety belts and wi ll even increase the risk of
inj ury and death by moving the safety be lt to crit­
ical areas of the body. Improper seating posit ions
also increase the risk of ser ious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and str ikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seat ing position . A driver
is responsible for the safety of a ll vehicle occu­
pants and especially fo r ch ildre n. Therefo re :
"' Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition w hen the ve hicle is being used
q& .
The fo llow ing bulletins list only some sample po­
sitions that wi ll increase the risk of ser ious injury
a nd death . Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seat ing pos it ions that
are dangero us.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
- never stand up in the ve hicle
- never stand on the seats
212 -
neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride w it h the sea tback re clined
- neve r lie down on the seats
- never lean up aga inst the instrument panel
- never s it on the edge of the seat
- never s it sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- neve r put your feet on the instr ument panel
- neve r rest you r feet on the seat c ushion or bac k
of t he se at
- neve r ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imp roper seating posi tions inc rease the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
s tay in a proper sea ting posit ion and a re
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used .
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
A lways make su re that the knee airbag can in­
flate w ithout interference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can inc rease the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag dep loys o r by being pushed in­
to you as the airbag dep loys .
- No persons (ch ild ren) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat . If the airbag deploys, this can res ult in
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's se at. Bu lky objects (shopping
bags, for examp le) can ham per or prevent
proper dep loymen t of the airbag . Sma ll ob ­
jects can be thrown thro ugh the vehicle if
the air bag deploys and in jure you or your
passengers.

Drivin g saf ety
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­ sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down hooks and
suitable straps .
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of control leading to serious pe rsonal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a change in the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distribute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as poss ible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
o r the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
doo r jamb. Exceed ing permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
hand le differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
c> page 208.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being d rawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed whi le driving.
- Never transport objec ts larger than those
fi tt ing complete ly into the luggage a rea be­
ca use the rear l id cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely mus t drive w ith the rea r lid
open, obse rve the follow ing notes to reduce
t h e risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
214
-
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan­
el,
- Switch off the air reci rculat ion
'
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING -
Always make su re that the doo rs, all win ­
dows, the powe r roof and the rear lid are se­
curely closed and locked to re duce the risk of
in jury when the veh icle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always ma ke sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your veh icle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open . A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rea r lid be­
coming trapped and unab le to get o ut. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to ser ious
pe rsonal injury.
- Never let ch ildren play in o r around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment . Vehicle occupants mus t al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­ hicle's seat ing pos itions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce w indow fog­
ging . Stale ai r esca pes to the outs ide
through vents in the trim panel, on the left
side of the luggage compartment. Be sure
to keep t hese s lo ts free and open.
- T he tire p ressure must correspond to the
load. The t ire pressure is shown on t he tire
press ure label. The ti re pre ssure label is lo­
c ated on the drive r's side B- pilla r. The tire
pressu re label lists the recommen ded cold
t ire inflation pressures fo r the veh icle at its
maximum capac ity we ight and the tires that
we re on your veh icle at the time it was man­
ufactured . For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load conditions, p lease see chap­
ter
c> page 294.

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the s ingle most effective
means ava ilable to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobi le accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always co rrect ly wea r safety be lts
w hen the veh icle is mov ing.
- Pregnant wome n, in ju red, o r physically im­
paired persons mus t also use safety be lts.
Lik e al l vehicle oc cupan ts, they are mo re
li kely to be serio usly injured i f th ey do no t
wear safety be lts . The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mothe r -throug hout
the ent ire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Aud i has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in t he rear. In some
veh icles, there are four seat ing positions: two in
the fro nt and two in the rear . Each seati ng posi­
tion has a safety belt.
A WARNING
N ot we aring safety bel ts or wear ing them im­
pro perly in cre ases the risk of ser io us pe rsonal
inju ry and dea th.
- Never st rap more th an one pe rso n, includ ­
ing sm all c hildr en, in to any be lt.
It is espe ­
c ially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap .
Safet y be lts
- Never let more peop le r ide in the vehicle
than there are safety be lts available.
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
proper ly restrained w ith a separate safety
be lt or ch ild restraint.
,ff. Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about
the importance of buckling-up.
F ig. 21 9 Safety belt warnin g lig ht in t he inst rument clus·
te r -en larged
Befor e dr ivi ng off , always :
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
"' 0 N
~
~ Make sure that your passengers a lso buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect ch ildren with a c hild restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age .
The warning lig ht . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts . In addition, you will hear
a war ning tone for a certai n period of time .
Fasten your safet y belt and make su re that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
b e lts .
A WARNING
-
-Safety bel ts are the sing le m ost effec tive
means available to red uce the risk of ser io u s
i njur y and death in a utomob ile accidents.
F or your p rotection and that of yo ur passen ­
ge rs, always correc tly wear safety bel ts
when the vehicle is moving .
~
219

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­er important
i nformation¢ page 221.
(D Tips
You can a lso adjust the height of the front
seats to change the position of the safety
be lts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se ­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety be lts improperly can cause seri ­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can on ly work
when they are correctly pos itioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
ness of safety belts and will even increase the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Improper seating
positions also increase the r isk of serious i njur y
a n d death when an airbag deploys a nd str ikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating pos i­
tion . A driver is responsible for the safety of a ll
ve hicle occupants and especia lly for children.
Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to ass ume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle w hil e trave ling
¢A .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety be lts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is be ing used.
- Always ma ke sure that a ll vehicle occupants
are correctly restra ined and stay i n a correct
sea ting pos it ion whenever the ve hicle is be­
ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
ot her important information
¢ page 221.
Safet y be lts
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
Rev ersible safety belt tension ers
T he following fu nctions a re available when safety
belts w it h reversib le safety belt tensione rs a re
faste ned:
- Automatic tens ioners: at the start of a drive,
the safety belts automatically ad just to the
passenger after a certain time period or veh icle
speed. To switch the a utomat ic tens ioners off,
select the following in t he M MI:
!CARI fu nction
button
> Car systems > Vehicle settings >
Seat s > Driver 's seat or Passenger 's seat > Au­
tomatic belt tensioner
> Off .
- In ce rtain driving situations, the safety belts
may tighten wit h a reve rsib le tensioning func ­
tion
r=;, page 217.
- The safety be lts may also tighten with this re -
versible tensioning function in minor collisions.
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
Seat be lts wi th py ro technic s afety be lt preten ­
s io ners are tensioned au toma tically i n seve re col ­
li sions, depending on t he circumstances . This
helps to reduce the forward motion of the occu ­
pants .
A WARNING
= -
- It is poss ib le for the pretensioners to dep loy
incor rectly.
- Any work on the tens ioner system or remov­
al and installation of system components
for other repairs m ust be performed by a
qualified workshop.
- The pyrotechnic system can only p rovide
protection fo r one collision. If the py rotech­
n ic pretens ioners deploy, the pretensioning
system must be rep laced.
(D Tips
- A fine dust is re leased when the pyrotechnic
safety belt pretensioners dep loy. Th is is no r­
ma l and is not caused by a f ire in t he ve hi­
cle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or componen ts
225

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Airbag system Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only suppl em ental restraints . For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop­
er seating position .
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
ge rs, before dr iving off, always:
.,. Adjust the dr iver's seat and steer ing wheel
prope rly~ page 209,
.,. Adjust the fro nt passenge r's seat prope rly
~page 54,
.,. We ar safety bel ts p roperly~ page 221,
.. Always properly use the proper c hild restraint
to protect chi ld ren
r=>page 249.
In a coll is io n, a irbags mus t infla te wi thin t he
b link of an eye and with consi derab le force . The
supp lemental airbags can cause injuries if the
d river or the front seat passenger is not seated
properly. Therefore in order to he lp the airbag to
do its job, it is important, both as a dr iver and as
a passenger to sit properly at a ll times.
By keeping room between yo ur body and t he
steer ing whee l and the front of the passenger
compa rtment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp lete ly and prov ide supplemental protect io n
in certa in frontal coll is ions
r=> page 209, Correct
passenger seating positions.
Fo r de tails on the
operat ion of the seat ad justment cont rols
r=>page5 4.
It's especially important that children a re proper­
ly restra ined
r=>page 249.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the ind ividual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work togethe r as a
sys tem.
Proper seating posit ion is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment o r cond it ion that
p revents yo u from s itting properly on the driver
seat with the safety be lt prope rly fastened and
Airbag syste m
reaching the peda ls, o r if yo u have concerns w it h
r egard to the functio n or operatio n of the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System, please co ntact you r au­
thorized Audi dea le r or q ua lified workshop, or
ca ll Audi Customer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834
for poss ible modifications to your vehicle .
When the a irbag system dep loys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov­ ers, and inflate betwee n the stee ring wheel and
the driver and between the inst rument panel and
the fron t passenger . The a irbags w il l deflate im­
med iate ly after deployment so that the front oc­
c u pants can see t hrough the winds hield aga in
wi thou t interru ption.
All of t his takes place in the bl ink of an eye, so
fast that many peop le don't even real ize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso infla te
wi th a g re at deal of for ce and n othing should be
i n the ir way when t hey dep loy . Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and limit the occupant's forward move ­
ment. Together they he lp to prevent t he driver
and front seat passenger from hitting pa rts of
the ins ide of the vehicle whi le red ucing the forces
acting on the occupa nt dur ing the crash. In th is
way they help to red uce the risk of in jury to the
head and uppe r body in the crash. Airbags do no t
pro te ct the arms or the lower pa rts of t he bo dy.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions. The t rigge ring of t he a irbag system de­
pends on the veh icle decelerat ion rate caused by
t h e coll is io n an d regis tered by the ele ct ronic con ­
t ro l unit. If this rate is be low the refe re nc e v alue
programmed in to the co ntro l unit, t he a irbags
will not be t riggered, even tho ugh t he car may be
badly damaged as a res ult of the co llision. Vehi ­
cle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack of vehi­
cle damage is not necessari ly an indication of
whethe r an a irbag should inflate o r not.
S ince the circumstances will vary cons iderably
between one co llision and another, it is not possi ­
ble to define a range of ve hicle speeds that will
cove r every poss ible kind and angle of impact
t h at w ill always trigge r th e a irbags. Importa nt
factors include, for examp le, the nat ure (hard or
soft) of the object which t he ca r hits, t he angle of
im pact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags will
.,.
227

Airbag syste m
also not inflate in side or rear co llisions, or in
ro ll- overs.
Alwa ys rem ember : Airbags will deploy only once,
and on ly in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions. Yo ur safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another vehicle after the first collision.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supplementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The a irbag system works most
effect ively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
r;:;, page 219 .
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel o r in­
st rument panel will decrease the effective­
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
of personal injury in a co llision.
- Never sit closer than 1 0 inches ( 25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit mo re than 10 inches
( 2 5 cm) from the steering wheel, invest i­
gate whether adap tive equipment may be
available to help yo u reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of in jury is much h igher.
- Yo u will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates
-
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly
c> page 222, Safety belts .
- Always make certain that chi ldren age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil­ dren are not properly restra ined, they may
be severe ly injured or k illed when an airbag
inflates.
- Never let children ride unrestrained or im­ prope rly restrained in the vehicle . Adjust the
front seats properly.
228
-
- Never ride with the back rest recl ined .
-Always sit as far as possible from the steer -
ing wheel or the instrument panel
c>page209.
- Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent serious injur ies to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recl ine the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the s ide a irbag or the front air­
bag during brak ing or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects nea r the airbags can become
pro jecti les and cause injury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags tha t have deployed in a cr ash m ust be
replaced.
- Use on ly orig inal equipment airbags ap­
proved by Audi and insta lled by
a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to prope rly replace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assure system
effectiveness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle .
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
"' Be sure to read the important informat ion and
heed the WARNINGS fo r important deta ils
about ch ild ren and Advanced A irbags
r;:;, page 249 .
Even thoug h your veh icle is equ ipped w it h an Ad ­
vanced Airbag Sys tem, make certa in that a ll chil­
dre n, espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and younger, al­
ways ride i n the b ack seat prope rly res train ed fo r
t h eir age and size. The ai rbag on the passenger
s ide makes t he front seat a potentia lly dange rous
place for a child to ride . The front seat is not the
safest p lace for a c hild in a forward-fac ing c hild
.,.

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