warning AUDI S8 2008 Owners Manual

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• A s ensor in the safety belt latch for the driver and for the front
s eat pass enger tha t sen ses wheth er that safe ty bel t i s la tc hed or not
and transm its this information to t he el ectron ic control unit .
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly .
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from func ­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified 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 place them on the
seat .
If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the
passenger seat . Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight-sensing mat and send the wrong information 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 damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved 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.
& WARNING (continued)
• Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer'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
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 , immediately install child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advanc ed Airba g Syst em and th e side airba gs supplement
t h e p rotection offered by the fro nt three -point safety belt s with
pretens ioners and load limiters and t he adjustab le head restraints
to help reduce the risk of in jury in a w ide range of acc ident and
cras h situat ions. Be sure to read the im por tant in form ation abo ut
safety and heed the WAR NINGS in this chapter.
Depl oyment of the Adva nced Airb ag Sys tem and the activa tio n of
the safety be lt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured
b y th e c ra sh sen so rs and regi stere d by the elec tro nic c ontro l u nit.
C rash severity d epends on speed and dece leration as w ell as the
m ass a nd stiffness of t he vehicle o r object i nvo lve d in the c ra s h .
When t he elec tron ic contro l unit regist er s a lo w seve rity c rash a nd
the safety belt is be ing used, the a irbag wi ll not deploy . If the safety
b elt is not being u se d, the first s ta ge de ploys, f ollow ed by the
second stage after a much later time in t he crash sequence .
.,,_

If the electronic control unit registers a crash of medium severity,
the first s tage of the airbag deploys followed by the second stage at
a much later time in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety be lt is being used or not . In higher severity crashes as regis ­
tered by the e lectronic control unit , both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of sa fety belt use, the airbag w ill
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
a m ount program med in the e lectronic control unit . The front airbag
on the passenger side w ill also be turned off if one of the chi ld seats
that has been cer tified unde r Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 has been recogni zed on the seat . The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell you when the front Adva nced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned
off~ page 220 ,
"Child restraints on the front seat -some important things to
know ".
& WARNING
T o reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflate s, alwa ys w ear
safety belts properly.
• If you are u nrestra ined , leaning forward , sitting sideway s or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury is much higher .
• You
will also re ce ive serious injur ie s and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflate s -
ev en with a n Advan ced
Airbag ~ page 218. •
Airbag syst em
More Important things to know about front
airbags
Fi g. 2 32 In fl ated front
airba gs
Safety be lts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so tha t airbags can unfold properly and
provide supplementa l protection in a fronta l collision.
The front air bags are designed to provide addi tional p rotecti on for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when :
• safety belts are worn properly ,
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as possi ble fr om the a irbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with grea t force , things
you have on your lap or have p laced on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles , and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dus t is released . This is norma l and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powde r used to lubrica te the airbags as they d eploy . It could irri tate
skin .
I t is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likel ihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example swelling , bruising and minor abrasions, can
a lso happen when ai rbags inflate . Airbags do no t pro tect the arms
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Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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or the low er parts of the body . Front airbags only supplement th e
th re e po int safe ty b elts in som e front al c ollis ions in which the
vehic le dece lerat ion is h igh enou gh to deploy the a irba gs.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• i n sid e coll is io ns,
• in r ear- e nd collisi ons ,
• in ro llovers,
• when th e cras h de cele ration meas ured b y th e a irba g sys tem is
less than the mini mum threshold needed for a irbag deployme nt as
r egi stere d by th e ele ctr on ic con trol uni t.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy :
• when th e front p asseng er seat is not occ upi ed ,
• when the weight on the front pas senge r seat a s sensed by the
A dvance d Airb ag Syste m indicates t hat th e fr on t airb ag on the
passenger side has to be t urned off b y the e lectronic control unit
(the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li g ht come s on and s tays o nl.
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the risk of serious injury
in crashes .
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate , the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position , must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Oc cupants who are unbelted , out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye
=> page 220.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag 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 arm rest , door or roof .
• Always install rear-facing child seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front
passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child seat in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will increase the risk of injury
in a crash by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate.
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup
holders, telephone brackets, large , heavy or bulky objects) on the
doors , over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG " on the steering
wheel , instrument panel , seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself . These objects could cause injury in a crash, espe­
cially when the airbags inflate .
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects .
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the .,_

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& WARNING (continued )
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury , part icularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
conditions.
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes , or into any cuts or
scratches .
• If the residue should get into your eyes , flush them with
water. •
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light :~
Two s epa rate i ndic a tors mon itor the fu nction of the
Adv anc ed A irbag S ystem: the airbag monitor ing indi cator
light and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l igh t.
The Adva nce d A irbag S yst em ( includ ing t he e lec tronic co ntrol un it,
se nsor circuits and system wiring) is monitored continuously to
ma ke sure t hat it is fu nctio nin g properl y whene ver th e ig niti on i s on.
E ach time you t urn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring in dicator
lig ht ~ will co me on f or a few s econ ds (se lf diagnos tics).
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
The system must be inspected when the indicator
light
:l t
• does not come on when the i gnition is switched on,
• do es no t go out a few se conds after you have sw itch ed o n the
ign it ion, or
• comes on while d riv in g.
I f an airbag syst em malfunction is d etected, the indicator light will
fi rs t sta rt fl ash ing to catch the d rive r's a tten tion an d th en s tay on
cont in uousl y to serve as a constant rem inder to have the system
i nspec ted i mm ed ia tely.
If a ma lfunction o ccurs that turns t he fro nt a irbag o n th e passe nger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
w heneve r the ig nit io n is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System . It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to , or
will not inflate when it should .
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the
seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ign ition is switched on) ,
• t ake the chil d re stra int off th e front passeng er seat and i nstall it
proper ly at one of the rear seat pos it ions . Have the a irbag system
i nspec ted by y our Audi d ealer im mediately.
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
c h ild is pro perl y restrai ned i n a c hild rest ra in t t ha t is ap prop ria te fo r
its s ize and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light s hou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sittin g in a proper seating position on
the fro nt passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
co me s on a nd stays o n or flas hes fo r abou t 5 s econds whi le d rivin g,
under these ci rcumstances , ma ke su re that :
• th e adult on the front passeng er sea t is pro pe rly s eate d on the
cent er of the seat cushion with his or her back up again st th e back ­
res t and the bac kres t is no t recl ined => page 20 0, "Pr oper o ccupa nt
seating positions",
• the adult i s not ta king w eight off the se at b y ho ld in g on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
su ppo rtin g th eir we ig ht on t he ar mrest,
• the safety belt is being p roper ly worn and that there is not a lot
o f slac k in th e safety bel t webb ing,
• accessory seat covers or c ushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect r ead ing o r impre ss io n on th e w eight-s en sin g m at
unde r the upho lste ry of the seat have been removed from the front
p ass enger sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in t he safety be lt latc h for
the fr ont pass enge r se at.
I n addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of th e
in stru men t p ane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF o r
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appe ar in the instrum ent c luster
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Airbag system
d
isplay . This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a irb ag stat us.•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System . It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to , or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflates , a child without a child restraint , in a
rearward-facing child seat or in a forward-facing child restraint
that has not been properly installed will be seriously injured and can be killed.
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System , make certain that all children , especially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size .
• Always install forward or rear -facing child seats on the rear
seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• If you must install a rearward-facing child seat on the front
passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on , imme ­
diately install the rear-facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer .
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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&, W ARNING (continued )
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pres sure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adult were on the seat and
deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• 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 adjust­
ment range , as far away from the a irbag 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 .
& WARNING
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after tak ing the steps
described above, make sure the adult i s properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating positions .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer before
transporting anyone on the front passenger seat .
[ i] Tips
If the we ight -sens ing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
e mp ty s eat, th e front air bag o n the pass enge r sid e wil l be tur ned
off, and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are insta lled at many different places o n
yo ur Au di. In stal li n g, r emo vin g, s ervic ing or rep airi ng a part i n an area of the vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and
p re vent that sys tem from wor king pr operly in a c ollis ion.
Th ere are some important th ings you hav e to know to ma ke sure
that t he effectivenes s of the system will not be impai red and that
discar ded co mponents do not ca use injury o r po llut e the enviro n­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from
deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
• Never cover , obstruct , or change the steering wheel horn pad
or airbag cover or the instrument panel or modify them in any way .
• Never atta ch any objects su ch as cup holders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units .
• For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft,
dry cloth or one moistened 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 prop­
erly .
• Never repair , adjust, or change any parts of the airbag system .
• All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel , front seats or
electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment ,
cellular telephones and CB radios , etc .I 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 authorized 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 inter-
ference :
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Airbag system -
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& WARNING (continued )
-Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi ­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag
has inflated , it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical information , training
and special equipment necessary .
• The airbag system can be deployed only once . After an airbag
has been deployed , it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for your Audi model
version . Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• For safety reasons in severe accidents , the alternator and
starter are separated from the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter .
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer
-risk of an accident!
- If the vehi cle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all appli ­
cable safety precautions must be followed .
<i> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed ai rbag mod ule s and pr etensione rs mi ght b e cla ssi fied
as Perchlorate Material -sp ecial handling may ap ply, s ee
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
parts of th
e restraint syst em incl uding airbag modules saf ety be lts
w ith preten sio ne rs a re sc rapped, a ll a pp lic ab le laws a nd re g ul a­
tions must be observ ed. Your authorized Audi deale r is fam iliar with
t hese req uir e m ents a nd we rec ommend tha t yo u have yo ur dea ler
perfor m this service for you .•
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
C han ging the vehic le 's suspens ion system can change the way that
t h e Ad va n ce d Ai rbag Sys tem perfo rm s in a crash. F or e xam ple,
using ti re -r im comb inations not app rov ed by Audi, lower ing the
ve hic le , ch angi ng th e st iff ne ss of the su sp en sion , in cludin g the
springs, suspension struts, shock absorbers etc . can cha nge the
forc es that are measu re d b y th e a irbag sens ors a nd sen t to the e lec ­
t ronic con trol un it. Some suspens ion chan ges can, for exa mple,
i nc rea se the force le v e ls mea sured by the sen so rs and make the
a irb ag sys tem de plo y i n cras hes in whi ch it wo uld not de plo y if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of changes may reduce
t h e force leve ls m easured by t he se nso rs a nd p reve nt t he a irba g
from deploy ing when it should .
T he se nsor s in th e safe ty bel t buc kle for th e dr ive r a nd fr ont
passen ger seat te ll th e electron ic control module if t he safety belt is
l a tc h e d or n ot. If t he safety belt is b ein g use d, th e fr ont ai rbag will
dep loy at a s lig htly h igher rate of veh ic le dece lerat ion t han if t he
safety belt is not being use d. Therefore, in a partic ular collision, it is
poss ible t hat an airba g w ill not deplo y at a s eat ing pos itio n where
the safety be lt is being used but wi ll inflate at the position where t he
sa fe ty be lt is no t bein g used. It i s im por ta nt th at n othi ng i nterfe re
with t he safety belt buc kles so that the sensors can send the correct
info rm ati on abou t sa fet y bel t use to th e ele ctr on ic co ntrol unit.
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's su spension includ ing use of un approved
tire -rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the ris k of serious pe rsonal injury in a crash .
• Never install suspen sion components that do not have the
same performance chara cteristi cs as the components or iginally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-r im combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
c onsole can cause the sensors in the buc kle to send the wrong
information to the electroni c control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly .
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they are not obstructed .
W For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be c lassified
as Pe rchlora te Mat erial -s pecia l handling may a pply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
par ts o f the res train t syst em inclu ding airbag mod ules sa fety be lts
with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regu la ­
tions must be o bse rved. You r au thor ize d A udi d ealer is fami liar wi th
these requirements and we recommend that you have you r dea ler
perfo rm this service for you. •
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Th e a irba g sys tem ca n prov id e suppl emen tal prot ect ion
t o pro perly res tra ined front s eat occ upa nts.
0
Fig . 2 34 Dri ver' s
airba g
The airbag for the driver is located in the instrument panel under ­
neath the steering
whee l=> fig . 234 , the airbag for the passenger is
at about the same height in th e instrument panel und erneath the
glove compartment.
T he k nee air bag offer s addi tio nal pr otec tion to the driver 's a nd
passenger 's knees and upper and lower thi gh areas as a supple ­
me nt to t he safet y belts.
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags also deploy in frontal
collisions above a certain
se verity => page 227, "M ore important
thi ngs to know about fron t a irba gs" .
B esides their normal safety function, safety be lts wor k to help keep
th e drive r o r fr on t pas seng er in pos itio n in case of a fro ntal co llis io n
so that the airbags can provide protection .
T he airbag system is not a su bstitute for your safety belt . Rathe r, it
i s part o f the overa ll occupa nt res traint system i n yo ur veh icl e.
A lwa ys re member that the airbag system can on ly help to protect
you if you a re weari ng your safe ty belt and wea ring it p roperly . T hi s
liJ,,

is why you should always wear your saf ety belt, not just because the
l a w requires you to do
so => page 209, "Genera l notes" .
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front seat passenger have switches that tell the airbag control module if the safety belt is
being used or not. If the sa fety bel t is being used, the knee airbag
will deploy at a s lightly higher rate of deceleration than if the belt is
not be ing used . Therefore, in a par ticular collision, it is possib le that
an airbag will not deploy at a seating position where the safety belt
is be ing used but will inflate at the position where the safety belt is
not being used .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and only in ce rtain
kinds o f accidents -your safety be lts are always there to o ffer
protection in those accidents in wh ich airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for examp le when you r
vehic le strikes or is struc k by another after the first collision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an ai rbag is not a subs titute for
the safety be lt. The airbag system works most effectively when used
with the safety belts. Therefore, a lways wear your safety belts
correctly.
I t is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the like lihood o f ser ious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions can
a lso be associated with airbags.
The kn ee airbag system bas ically consists of:
• T he electro nic control module
• T wo inflatable airbags (ai rbag and gas generato r), one for the
driver and one for the front passenger
• T he airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
The kn ee airbag system will not deploy :
• whe n the ignit ion is turned off
• in front -end collisions when the deceleration measured by the
control uni t is too low
• in side collisions
Airb ag syst em
• in rear -end co llisions
• in ro llovers
• in the event of a system malfunction (warning/indicator light illu ­
minated)=> page 19 .
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag sy stem ca n only provide protec tion
when oc cupants are in the proper seating po sition
=> page 227 .
• If the airbag indi cator light comes when the vehi cle is b eing
u sed , have the system in spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer . The airbag may not work properl y when the vehicle
acceleration in a side colli sion is high enough to deploy the a irbag.
See
also => page 19. •
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg are a is reduce d by fully
depl oye d knee air ba gs.
-
Fig . 235 I nfl ate d
airba gs prot ecting in a
frontal colli sio n
The knee airbag system has been designed so that the airbags for
t he drive r and front passenger a re deployed in certain but not all
frontal col lisions.
ill-
Vehicle care I I Technical data

___ A_ ir_b _ a_ g=- s-a. y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also dep loy in frontal
c oll is ions above a ce rtain sever ity.
When the system is deployed, the airbags start to fi ll with a prope l­
lant gas, and inflate between the lower part of the inst rument pane l
and t he dr iver a nd t he lowe r part o f th e instrument pane l and t he
front
passenge r=> page 227 , fig. 232 .
Al tho ug h t hey a re not a soft p illow, t hey ca n "cushion" th e im pact
and in th is way they can he lp to r educe th e ris k of injury to the lower
e xtr em it ie s.
A ll thi s takes place insta nta ne ous ly, so fast t hat m any peop le do n't
even rea lize that t he ai rbags have deployed. The ai rbags a ls o inflate
wi th a gre at de al o f fo rc e an d it is impo rta nt for occu pant safet y th at
not hing s hou ld be in t heir wa y when they dep lo y.
Fu lly in flate d ai rb ags in co mbin ati on w ith p ro perly w orn s afety b elt s
s low down and limit the occupant's for ward mov eme nt and he lp to
r e duc e th e risk .•
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
A irbags a re only s uppl emen tal rest raints. A lway s w ear
safety belts co rrectly and rid e in a p rope r seat ing po sition .
There i s a lo t th at you and yo ur pass eng ers m ust kno w and do t o
he lp th e safet y be lts and ai rbags to p rovide supp lemental protec­
ti on.
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious injury. Wearing safety
belts incorrectly and improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is being
used .
• The airbag system cannot protect you properly if you are
seated too close to any of the airbag locations . When adjusting
& WARNING (continued)
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 :
- 1
O inches (25 cm) between the chest and the steering
wheel/instrument panel .
- 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instrument panel.
• The risk of personal injury increases if you lean forward or to
the side, or if the seat is improperly positioned and you are not
wearing your safety belt . The risk increases even more should the
airbag deploy .
• Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without
interference . Objects between yourself and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed into 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 (shop­
ping bags , for example) can hamper or prevent proper deploy­
ment of the airbag . Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers .
• Make sure there are no cracks , deep scratches or other damage
in the area of the instrument panel where the knee airbags are
located.
• If children are incorrectly seated , their risk of injury increases in
the case of an accident
=> page 243 , "Child Safety". •