2020 AUDI R8 COUPE warning light

4S1012721BA
Safe driving

Safe driving
Basics
SER Nails mali
Please remember - safety first!
The individual 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 information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others. We have summar-
ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us priority number 1. Al-
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section - for your own safety as well 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
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.

ZA WARNING
— Always make sure that you follow the in-
structions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the in-
terest of your passengers.
— Always keep the complete Owner's Litera-
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the driver and
passengers.
— Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques-
tions.

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 passenger,
before driving always:
> Make sure that all 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 visibility to the outside.
> Secure all luggage and other items carefully
=> page 54, > page 54.
> Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals.
> Adjust seat and mirrors correctly for your
height.
> Make sure to use the right child restraint cor-
rectly to protect children > page 211, Child
safety.
> Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passenger do the same © page 50, Front
seats.
> Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly. Al-
so instruct your passenger to fasten his safety
belt properly > page 180.
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 responsible for the safety of the ve-
hicle and all of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody in the
vehicle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road > /\. Therefore:
> Do not let yourself be distracted by passenger
or by using a cellular telephone.
> NEVER drive when your driving ability is im-
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
> Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense.
> ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions.
173
>

Safe driving

> Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch.
> Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres-
sure or when you are stressed.

Z\ WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.

> Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
> Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
> page 183.
> Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you
are in control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see > page 50, Front seats.


Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.

BFV-0183


Fig. 143 Correct seating position
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in-
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver's seat to the following
position:
> Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent > A\.
> Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact with it when you drive.
> Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis-
tance of at least 10 in (25 cm) between the
steering wheel and your breast bone > fig. 143.
If not possible, see your authorized Audi deal-
ership about adaptive equipment.
> Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face.
174
Z\ WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously injured
by an airbag as it unfolds. To help reduce the
risk of serious personal injury:
— Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 in (25 cm) between your breastbone and
the steering wheel.
— Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least 4 in
(10 cm) between the knees and the lower
part of the instrument panel.
— Always hold the steering wheel on the out-
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi-
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in-
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
— Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the driver's airbag inflates
— Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen-
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli-
sion.
— Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
— Before driving, always adjust the front seats
properly and make sure that all passengers

are properly restrained.

Safety belts

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts 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.

ZA\ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im-
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
— Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen-
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
— Pregnant women, injured, or physically im-
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear Safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
the entire pregnancy.
NT tet)
Your vehicle has two seating positions. Each seat-
ing position has a safety belt.


ZA\ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im-
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
— Never strap more than one person, including
small children, into any belt. It is especially
dangerous to place a safety belt over a child
sitting on your lap.
— Never let more people ride in the vehicle

than there are safety belts available.

180

— Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
yr ae Caen Chi
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about
the importance of buckling-up.



BFV-0297


Fig. 148 Safety belt warning light in the instrument clus-
ter - enlarged
Before driving off, always:
> Fasten your safety belt and make sure you wear
it properly.
> Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts.
> Protect children with a child restraint system
appropriate for the size and age.
The warning light in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is switched on as a re-
minder to fasten the safety belts. In addition,
you will hear a warning tone for a certain period
of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.

Z\ WARNING
— Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen-
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
— Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.

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

4S1012721BA
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