2020 AUDI R8 COUPE seats

4S1012721BA
Safe driving


— Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
— Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilt-
ed far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted
back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
— Children must always ride in child seats
= page 211. Special precautions apply when
installing a child seat on the front passenger
seat > page 187.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.

For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in-
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
> Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
> Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
> Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
=> page 183.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see > page 50.

ZA WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious per-
sonal injury:
— Passengers must always sit in an upright po-
sition and never lean against or place any
part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
— Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi-
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri-
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.

— Always make sure that there are at least
10 in (25 cm) between the front passenger‘s
breastbone and the instrument panel.
— Always make sure that there are at least 4 in
(10 cm) between the front passenger‘s
knees and the lower part of the instrument
panel.
— Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
— Before driving, always adjust the front pas-
senger seat properly.
— Always keep your feet on the floor in front of
the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in-
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in-
crease the risk of injury in a crash.
— Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilt-
ed far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted
back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
— Children must always ride in child seats
= page 211. Special precautions apply when
installing a child seat on the front passenger
seat > page 187.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated.

Improper seating positions can cause serious in-
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body. Im-
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit-
ical areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu-
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
175
>

Safe driving

> Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
>/\.
The following bulletins list only some sample po-
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
— never stand up in the vehicle
— never stand on the seats
— never kneel on the seats
— never ride with the seatback reclined
— never lie down on the seats
— never lean up against the instrument panel
— never sit on the edge of the seat
— never sit sideways
— never lean out the window
— never put your feet out the window
— never put your feet on the instrument panel
— never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
— never ride in the footwell
— never ride in the cargo area

ZA\ WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
— Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.


Driver and passenger
side footwell
acetic a mee soary
ZA\ WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can in-
flate without interference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the



176

way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in-
to you as the airbag deploys.
— No persons (children) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat. If the airbag deploys, this can result in
serious or fatal injuries.
— No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag. Small ob-
jects can be thrown through the vehicle if
the airbag deploys and injure you or your
passengers.

Pedal area
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without in-
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav-
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop.

ZA\ WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri-
ous injury.
— Never place any objects in the driver's foot-
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would
not be able to brake or accelerate!
— Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver's footwell.

Safety belts

offer protection in those accidents in which air-
bags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have already deployed. Unbelted occupants can
also be thrown out of the vehicle where even
more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Ss
S d z a

Fig. 152 Driver is correctly restrained in a sudden braking
maneuver.
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ-
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri-
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being slowed down more
gently or “softly” through the “give” in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi-
neered into today's vehicles. By “absorbing” the
kinetic energy over a Longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
“tolerable” and less likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety belts can also substantially re-
duce the risk of injury in other kinds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure
others do, too. Accident statistics show that vehi-
cle occupants properly wearing safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident. Properly using
182
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supplemental airbags to do their job in a col-
lision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le-
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not acti-
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col-
lisions, in rollovers or in cases where there is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
ee Celia Llaly
Praha)
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
> Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de-
scribed in this chapter.
> Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.

ZX WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im-
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death. Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
— Always fasten your safety belts correctly be-
fore driving off and make sure all passen-
gers are correctly restrained.
— For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
— Never strap more than one person, including
small children, into any belt.
— Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap.
— Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven.
— Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.

4S1012721BA
Safety belts



— Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving. Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed.
— Never wear belts twisted.
— Never wear belts over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing, such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
— Never allow safety belts to become dam-
aged by being caught in door or seat hard-
ware.
— Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position.
— Several layers of heavy clothing may inter-
fere with correct positioning of belts and re-
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
— Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely.
— Never use comfort clips or devices that cre-
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe-
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
— Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci-
dent. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
— Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au-
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary even if damage cannot be clearly
seen. Anchorages that were loaded must al-
so be inspected.
— Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself.
— Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may
not work properly and can impair the func-
tion of the inertia reel > table Interior
cleaning on page 267.

Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first - everybody buckle up!

|
B4H-0462



Fig. 153 Belt buckle and tongue on the driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear-
er's body.
> Adjust the front seat properly > page 50, Front
seats.
> Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis > fig. 153, > A\.
> Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely.
> Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic
belt retractor on the shoulder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv-
ing the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
Safety belts with pretensioners help to tighten
the safety belt and remove slack when the pre-
tensioners are activated > page 185. The func-
tion of the pretensioner is monitored by a warn-
ing light > page 17.
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac-
tor that must be used when the safety belt is
183
>

Safety belts

used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
=> page 220.

ZA\ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious injury in an accident > page 184,
Safety belt position.
— Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
— Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effec-
tiveness and can cause serious personal in-
jury.
— A passenger who is not properly restrained
can be seriously injured by the safety belt it-
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo-
men.
— Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child seat in the ve-
hicle > page 221.
G@) Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
refer to > page 185.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi-
mum protection from safety belts.


B4H-0751

Fig. 154 Safety belt position

Z\ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause



serious personal injury in an accident.

184

— The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos-
sible on the pelvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should always fit
snugly > fig. 154. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
—A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
injuries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious injury.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information > page 182.
cer aU aM Le Co lel acral a
ee Xe)
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
correctly - throughout the pregnancy.

el
hs
Fig. 155 Safety belt position during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear-
er's body > page 184.
> Adjust the front seat properly > page 50, Front
seats.
> Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest so
that it sits as low as possible on the pelvis and
there is no pressure on the abdomen
> fig. 155,> /\.
> Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
=> page 183, fig. 153.
> Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.

Airbag system

also not inflate in side or rear collisions, or in roll-
overs.
Always remember: Airbags will deploy only once,
and only in certain kinds of collisions. Your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
example, when your vehicle strikes 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 airbag system works most
effectively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
=> page 180.

ZA WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or in-
strument panel will decrease the effective-
ness of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
— Never sit closer than 10 in (25 cm) to the
steering wheel or instrument panel.
— If you cannot sit more than 10 in (25 cm)
from the steering wheel, investigate wheth-
er adaptive equipment may be available to
held you 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 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.
— To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
=> page 183, Safety belts.
— If children are not properly restrained, they
may be severely injured or killed when an
airbag inflates.
— Never let children ride unrestrained or im-
properly restrained in the vehicle. Adjust the
front seats properly.
— Never ride with the backrest reclined.

188

— Always sit as far as possible from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
=> page 174.
— Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
— Never place 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 injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.

ZA WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be
replaced.
— Use only original equipment airbags ap-
proved by Audi and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace
any airbag in your vehicle and assure system
effectiveness ina crash.
— Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
aa) ela emaemken ale
> Be sure to read the important information and
head the WARNINGS for important details
about children and Advanced Airbags
> page 211.


The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It can
be a very dangerous place for an infant or a child
in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has
been certified to comply with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applica-
ble at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
According to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger side has been
certified for “suppression” for infants of about >

4S1012721BA
Airbag system

12 month old and younger and for “low risk de-
ployment” for children aged 3 to 6 years old (as
defined in the standard).
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light in the
headliner tells you when the front Advanced Air-
bag on the passenger side has been turned off by
the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF 3; ON @ light will come on
for a few seconds and:
— PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; will come on if
the front passenger seat is not occupied,
— PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; will come on if
the electrical capacitance measured by the ca-
pacitive passenger detection system for the
front passenger seat equals the combined ca-
pacitance of an infant up to about one year of
age and one of the rearward-facing or forward-
facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad-
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certi-
fied. For a listing of the child restraints that
were used to certify your vehicle's compliance
with the U.S. Safety Standard > page 213.
— PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF #; will come on if
there is a small child or child restraint on the
front passenger seat,
— PASSENGER AIR BAG ON @ will go off if the
front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the capacitive passenger detec-
tion system > page 198, Monitoring the Ad-
vanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light comes on
when electrical capacitance registered on the
front passenger seat is equal to or less than the
combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-old in-
fant and one of the rearward-facing or forward-
facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor Ve-
hicle Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad-
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certi-
fied.
If the total electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is more than that of a
typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight
of a small adult, the front airbag on the passen-
ger side can deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF 3¥; light does not come on).
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3%; light does
not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the electronic
control unit and can deploy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the conditions stor-
ed in its memory.
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 safety seats listed > page 213), or
—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 comes on in
the headliner and stays on.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
Standard requires the airbag to meet the “low
risk” deployment criteria to reduce the risk of in-
jury 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 199, PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF $¥; ON ® light.
Always remember, a child seat or infant carrier
installed on the front seat may be struck and
knocked out of position by the rapidly inflating
passenger's airbag in a frontal collision. The air-
bag could greatly reduce the effectiveness of the
child restraint and even seriously injure the child
during inflation.

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.
— 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. >

189

Airbag system


— Forward-facing child seats installed on the
front passenger's seat may interfere with
the deployment of the airbag and cause seri-
ous personal injury to the child.

ZA 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.
— 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.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF 7%; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.

Z\ WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in-
stall a forward or rearward-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger's seat:
— Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
— An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously
injure or even kill the child - even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
— Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat or
carrier.
— 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.


ZA WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light
will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the
ignition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light
does not stay on, perform the checks descri-
bed > page 198, Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System.
— Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer immediately.
— Always carefully follow instructions from
child restraint manufacturers when instal-
ling child restraints.

190