2020 AUDI R8 COUPE child restraint

Airbag system


these areas and you or any other person in
the vehicle.
— Never attach objects to the windshield
above the passenger front airbag, such as
accessory GPS navigation units or music
players. Such objects could cause serious in-
jury in a collision, especially when the air-
bags inflate.
— Never recline the front passenger seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the deployment area of the side airbags or
the front airbag during breaking or in a sud-
den maneuver. Objects near the airbags can
fly dangerously through the passenger com-
partment and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in-
flate.

ZA\ 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 special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
— The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the “Low risk” option 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.
— For its own safety, a child should always ride

properly restrained for its age and size.
PN NE Te te Miceli alia es-le Rea)
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag 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.

192
The front Advanced Airbag System supplements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the driver's and front passenger's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags in-
flate only in frontal impacts when the vehicle de-
celeration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety
belts. Rather, it is part of the overall occupant re-
straint system in your vehicle. Always remember
that the airbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitting upright, wearing your safe-
ty belt and wearing it properly. This is why you
and
your passengers must always be properly re-
strained, not just because the law requires you to
be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the “low risk” require-
ments for 3 and 6 year-old children on the pas-
senger side and very small adults on the driver
side. The low risk deployment criteria are intend-
ed to help reduce the risk of injury through inter-
action with the front airbag that can occur, for
example, by being too close to the steering wheel
and instrument panel when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to
comply with the “suppression” requirements of
the Safety Standard, to turn off the front airbag
for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child re-
straints that are listed in the Standard
=> page 213, Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system.
“Suppression” requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
—a child up to about one year of age is restrained
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear-
facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed
in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208
with which the Advanced Airbag System in your
vehicle was certified. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify your vehi-
cle's compliance with the US Safety Standard
=> page 213,
—a person is detected on the front passenger
seat that has an electrical capacitance that is >

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Airbag system

more than the total electrical capacitance of a
child that is about 1 year old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant re-
straints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified), the front
airbag on the passenger side may or may not
deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light comes on
when the electronic control unit detects a total
electrical capacitance on the front passenger seat
that requires the front airbag to be turned off. If
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the control unit and
can deploy if the control unit senses an impact
that meets the conditions stored in its memory.
If the total electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is more than that of a
typical 1 year-old, but less than the weight of a
small adult, the front airbag on the passenger
side may deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
Bw. light does not come on).
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
—asmall child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (re-
gardless of whether the child is in one of the
child seats listed > page 213),
—a child who has outgrown child restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #%; light in the head-
liner will come on and stay on.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
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” deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined
in the electronic control unit > page 198.
Always remember: Please be sure to read the im-
portant information in the sections that follow
and be sure to heed all of the WARNINGS.

ZA WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in-
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
— If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit-
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
— You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag > page 187.

Z\ WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal-
led on the front passenger seat will be seri-
ously injured and can be killed if the front air-
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
— Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re-
straint has been installed on the front pas-
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran-
tee that deployment is impossible in all con-
ceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door, or roof.
— If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be-
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light does not
come on and stay on have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.


Z\ WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in-
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
— Always make sure the forward-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.
— Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan-
el.

193

Airbag system


— Always move the front passenger seat to the
highest position in the up and down adjust-
ment range and move it back to the rear-
most position in the seat's fore and aft ad-
justment range, as far away from the airbag
as possible, before installing the forward-
facing child restraint.
— Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi-
tioned.
— Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some-
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of addi-
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it should
be off, or could cause the airbag to work ina
way that is different from the way it would
have worked without the object on the seat.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF %; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot
of very important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System in it. These parts include the capacitive
passenger detection system, wiring, brackets,
and more. The control unit monitors the system
on the front passenger seat when the ignition is
switched on and turns the airbag indicator light
on when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is detected > page 199. Because the
front passenger seat contains important parts of
the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care
to prevent it from being damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem for the front passenger seat from doing its
job ina crash.

194
The front Advanced Airbag System consists
of the following:
— Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash.
—An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control unit “decides” whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also “de-
cides” whether the safety belt pretensioners
should be activated.
— An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
— An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger.
— A capacitive passenger detection system under-
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys-
tem measures the electrical capacitance of the
person in the seat. The information registered
is sent continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad-
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
— An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light ka in the instrument cluster.
—Asensor in each front seat registers the dis-
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor-
mation registered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
— The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3%; light comes
on and stays on in the headliner > page 199,
fig. 160 and tells you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned
off.
—Asensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the electronic
control unit.

ZA\ WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre-
vent the front airbag from working properly.
— Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the >

4S1012721BA
Airbag system



Advanced Airbag System from functioning
properly.
— Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personnel.
— Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
— Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger Seat.
— Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
— Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacitive passen-
ger detection mat in the front passenger
seat will not function properly if it is punc-
tured.
— Never carry things on your lap or carry ob-
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob-
jects can
influence the capacitance regis-
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro-
vided to the airbag control unit.
— Never store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam-
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys-
tem from working properly.
— Never place seat covers or replacement up-
holstery that have not been specifically ap-
proved by Audi on the front seats.
— Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag
System from recognizing child restraints or
occupants on the front passenger seat and
prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest
from deploying properly.
— If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth-
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
— Never use cushions, pillows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional layers prevent the capacitive
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capacitance of the child safe-
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working properly.
— Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can influence the capacitance regis-
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro-
vided to the airbag control unit.
— If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man-
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to
properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
3%; light comes on and stays on whenever
the child restraint is installed on the front
passenger Seat.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #; light
does not come on and stay on, have the air-
bag system inspected by your Audi dealer.



ZA WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im-
mediately.
— If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work-
ing properly and may, for instance, deacti-
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3;
light will come on and stay on together with
the airbag indicator light ka in the instru-
ment cluster.
— If liquid is pooled on the seat, but has not
soaked in, this may also keep the airbag sys-
tem from working properly and cause the
passenger frontal airbag to be enabled
(turned on), even though there is a properly
installed child restraint system on the seat.
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger frontal airbag is turned on,
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #; light will
turn off.


195

4S1012721BA
Airbag system

PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ACR hits

Fig. 160 Section from the headliner: PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF 3%; ON @ light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; ON @ light is
located in the headliner > fig. 160.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad-
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electronic control unit. If the
bulb for the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; ON @
light burns out, the airbag indicator light ka will
come on to signal a malfunction in the Advanced
Airbag System. Although the burned-out bulb
will not change the way the front passenger's
frontal airbag works, it will no longer be possible
to use the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #7; ON ®
light to make sure that the airbag on/off status is
correct for the occupant on the front passenger
seat. Have the airbag system inspected immedi-
ately by your authorized Audi dealer.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; ON @ light
will blink for about 5 seconds when:
— the capacitive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron-
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #¥; ON
® light stops blinking, always make sure that the
airbag status (on or off) as shown by the light is
proper for the age, size and electrical capacitance
of the person occupying the front passenger seat.
Always make sure that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat is properly fastened.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3%; / PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON ® light will show the status of the
front seat passenger's frontal Advanced Airbag.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3%; light:
— will come on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
— will come on if the electrical capacitance meas-
ured by the capacitive passenger detection sys-
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed-
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi-
cle was certified; For a listing of the child re-
straints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
=> page 213.
— will go out if the front passenger seat is occu-
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system.
— The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #; light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on and...
—a-car bed has been installed on the front pas-
senger seat, or
—arearward-facing child restraint has been in-
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
—a forward-facing child restraint has been instal-
led on the front passenger seat,
—and if the electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-
old infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF 8; light will stay on.
Never install a rearward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat > page 188, Child re-
straints on the front seat - some important
things to know and > page 211, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF &; light
comes on...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3¥; light comes
on when one of the conditions listed above is
199
>

Airbag system

met, be sure to check the light regularly to make
certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3;
light stays on continuously whenever the ignition
is on. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light
does not appear on and does not stay on all the
time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
— reactivate the system by turning the ignition off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
again;
— remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions;
— make sure that the convertible locking retractor
on the safety belt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight.
— make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the cigarette lighter socket;
— make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit-
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
seat;
— make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob-
structed;
— make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light still
does not come on...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3%; light still
does not come on and does not stay on continu-
ously (when the ignition is switched on),
— take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer immediately.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light
should NOT come on...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light should
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an adult
200
is sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
#; light comes on and stays on while driving, un-
der these circumstances, make sure that:
— the adult on the front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
— the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the armrest,
— the safety belt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web-
bing,
— there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush-
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca-
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal-
culate electrical capacitance.
Me eT eae toleol g)
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
ZX WARNING
— If the status of the Advanced Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 7; ON @ light
blinks for about 5 seconds to catch the driv-
er's attention. If this happens, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and check the
steps described above.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is sitting on the front passenger
seat after taking the steps described above,
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.

ZA WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
— If the airbag indicator light > page 17
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your

4S1012721BA
Airbag system


authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup-
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.

ZA 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
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
— If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF #%; light does not appear
and stay on, have the airbag system inspect-
ed by your Audi dealer.
— If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF %; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.

Z\ WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, have the airbag system in-
spected by your Audi dealer before transport-
ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
@) Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF 3%; light will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov-
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the

vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in acollision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.

Z\ WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce-
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de-
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
— Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer-
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in-
strument panel or modify them in any way.
— Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov-
ering the airbag units.
— For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois-
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect
properly.
— Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
— All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in-
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
— For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au-
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
— Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
— Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
— Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that

201

Airbag system


Although they are not a soft pillow, they can ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
“cushion” the impact and in this way they can more should the airbag deploy.
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex- — Always make sure that the knee airbag can
tremities. inflate without interference. Objects be-
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so tween you and the airbag can increase the
fast that many people don't even realize that the risk of injury in an accident by interfering
airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate with the way the airbag deploys or by being
with a great deal of force and it is important for pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
occupant safety that nothing should be in their — Never let anybody, especially children or
way when they deploy. animals ride 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
ALS Made ad tle eel mW a1) prevent proper deployment of the airbag.
lL Ty Small objects can be thrown through the
Fully inflated airbags in combination with proper-
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc-
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper or your passenger.
seating position. — 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.
There is a lot that you and your passenger must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection. —If children are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a collision > page 211,
Child safety.

Z\ WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in-
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im- Side ai rbags
proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a Description of side airbags
vehicle is being used.


The airbag system can provide supplemental
— The knee airbag system cannot protect you ; 2
protection to properly restrained occupants.
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 in (25 cm) between the chest
and
the steering wheel/instrument panel.
—at least 4 in (10 cm) between the knees
and the lower part of the instrument pan-
© 8 3
iT o + aS


el Fig. 163 Side airbag location in the driver's seat
— The risk of personal injury increases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is The side airbags are located in the sides of the
improperly positioned and you are not wear- front seat backrests > fig. 163 facing the doors.

They are identified by the word “AIRBAG”.
204