instrument panel AUDI A8 2018 User Guide

Airbag syste m
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 A irbag for the
front passenger seat from doing its job in a
crash .
The front Ad vanced Airb ag S ystem con sist s
o f the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/decelerat ion to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electron ic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides " whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The contro l unit also "de ­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
sho uld be activated.
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub .
-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A weight -sensing mat unde r th e upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that meas ures the tota l weight on the seat . T he
information registered is sent continuously to
the e lec tronic control unit to regu la te dep loy­
ment of the front Adva need A irbag on the pas ­
senger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
c> page 23 7 .
- A sensor in each front sea t registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation reg istered is sent continuously to the
electronic cont rol u nit to regulate deployment
of the fro nt Advanced A irbags.
- T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instr ument
pane l
c> page 23 7, fig. 232 and tells you w hen
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off.
-A sensor be low the safety belt latch fo r the
front seat passenger to meas ure the tension on
234
the sa fety be lt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight registered by the weight -sens­
ing mat he lp the contro l unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not c> page 228, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know .
-A sensor 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 informat ion to the e lectronic
cont rol u nit.
_&, WARNING
Da mage to the front passenge r seat can pre ­
vent the front airbag from work ing prope rly .
- I mp roper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning
proper ly.
-Repairs to the front passenger seat mus t be
performed by qualified and proper ly trained
workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the vehicle.
-Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
-N ever d is a ssemble o r remove pa rts from the
seat or disconnect wi res from it.
- N ever carry sharp objects in your pocke ts or
p lace them on the seat. If the weight-sens ­
ing mat in the passenger seat is p unctured
it ca nnot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase t he weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­ formation to the a irbag control u nit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat cou ld be dam­
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from worki ng p roperly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by A ud i on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from recognizi ng ch ild

the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself . These objects
cou ld cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate .
-Never recline the front passenge r's seat to
transport objects. Items ca n also move into
the area of the side airbag o r the front air­
bag during bra king or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause in jury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
T he fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions.
-To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those w ith asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
gett ing out of the veh icle or opening w in­
dows or doo rs.
-If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eat ing .
-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
~ ( USA models )/!{ (Canada models )
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the elec­
tron ic control unit, sensor c ircuits and system
~ wir ing) is monitored continuously to make sure
;:::: that it is funct ion ing prope rly whenever the igni-
" ~ tion is on. Each time you switch on the ignition,
~ the airbag monitoring indicator light fl (USA ' Airbag system
models)/EI (Canada models) w ill come on for a
few seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II (USA models)tE,I (Canada
models) :
-does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
-does not go out a few seconds after you have
sw itched on the ignition, or
-comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detec ted, the
indica tor light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately .
If a malfu nction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot prov ide supplemental protect ion
i n a fronta l crash.
-If the airbag indicator light ¢ page 23
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is poss ible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fi g. 232 Sect io n from th e instrument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF lig ht
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument
panel ¢ fig. 232. Ill>
237

u. co ..... N
" N ..... 0 0 :c ' his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined ¢
page 209, Correct
passenger seating positions,
- the adult is not taking weig ht off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
th ings that may cause an incorrect read ing or
impression on the weight-sens ing mat under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenge r seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in the
safety belt latch for the front passenger seat.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF or PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
w ill br iefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster display . T his is to inform the dr iver
of the curre nt front passenge r airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator l ight¢
page 23
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by yo ur
au thori zed Au di dealer. It is possible that
the a irbag will in flate when it is not s up­
posed to, or will not inflate when it shou ld .
A 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
w ill be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certain
that all ch ild ren, especially 12 years and
Airbag syste m
younger, always ride on the bac k seat prop­
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize.
- Always install forward or rea r-facing child
seats on the rea r seat
-even w ith an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rea rward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because o f
except ional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
s tay on, immed iate ly ins tall the rea r-facing
child sea t in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing ch ild restraint attached to the front
p a ssenger se at c an put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat . The heav ier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adu lt
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serio us or even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the airbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjusted to an upr igh t position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A 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 is p roperly sea ted and restra ined a t one of the
rear sea ting posit ions.
- Have the ai rbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r before transpo rting anyone on
the front passenge r seat.
239

Airbag system
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do
so c:> page 219, Gener ­
al information .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents
-your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
example when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Th erefore , always wear your
safety belts correctly.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental knee air bag system is des igned to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates .
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
- The electronic control module
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollove rs
242
-in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is
on) ¢ page 23 .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
r::;> page 235 .
- If the airbag indicator light c:> page 23
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 234 Inflated a irbags protec ting in a fronta l co llis io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l collisions.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a
prope llant gas, and inflate between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
c:> page 235 , fig. 231.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of inj ury to the lower ex­
tremities.
All of this takes pla ce in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
.,,.

lL t:0 ....
'"" ......
'"" .... 0 0 :c ' airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy .
Full y inflated airbags in comb ination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in­
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you
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 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment 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 wear­
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy.
-Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the risk of injury in an accident by interfering
Airbag system
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
animals r ide 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
prevent proper deployment 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 scratch­
es or other damage in the area of the instru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a collision
<=> page 249, Child safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 235 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
<=> fig . 235 and the rear back­
r est facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
.,..
243

lL t:0 ....
'"" " '"" .... 0 0 :c ' the circumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
c> page 247, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curta in airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re ­
member t hat the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wea ring your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . T his is anothe r reason
why you should always wear your safety be lts,
not just because the law requi res you to do so
¢ page 219, General information.
It is important to remember that while the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injur ies, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and minor abra ­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags
upon dep loyment. Remember too, these airbags
will deploy only once and only in certa in kinds of
accidents
-your safety belts are a lways there to
offer protect ion.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic contro l module and external side
impact senso rs
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear s ide windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to
make certain it is funct ioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain a irbag is not a ctivated:
- if the ignition is switched off,
Airbag system
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas­
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear -end co llisions .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c> page 54,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag ind icator light i=> page 23
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should .
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
F ig . 2 38 Illus trat io n of pr incip le: Inflated side curta in a ir­
bags o n the left s ide
T he side cu rtain airbags inflate between the oc­
c u pant and the w indows in a side coll is ion
¢fig. 238.
When the system is triggered, the s ide curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
th rough a seam above the front a nd rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional pro tect io n, the
s ide curtain airbag must inflate w ithin the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or upright or if
247

Child sa fety
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, o r
doo r.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptional c ircumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear ­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­ sition and have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and cert ified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side a irbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
t ions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
earner.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rea rmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjus tment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward- facing child restraint .
- Always make sure tha t the s afety belt upper
anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
250
- Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ign it ion is switched on.
(D Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a c rash . Damage to
a child restraint that is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another co llision situat ion.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equ ipped with a front "Advanced
A irbag System" in compl iance with U nited States
Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as we ll as Canada Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standa rd ( CMVSS) 208 as applicab le a t the t ime
you r vehicle was manufactured.
The Adva nced A irbag system in yo ur vehicle has
been certified to mee t the "low- risk" require­
ments fo r
3-and 6 -yea r old chi ld ren on the pas ­
senger side and sma ll adu lts on the driver s ide.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of inj ury t hrough interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by be ing
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel whe n the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
a rd, to tur n off the front a irbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on t he fro nt pas ­
senger seat in c hild restraints t hat are lis ted in
t h e Standard.
E ven thoug h your veh icle is eq uipped w it h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
t h ose 12 yea rs and younger, sho uld always ride
i n the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
t h e front seat a potentially dange rous p lace for a
ch ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-facing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' Fuse panel @ (red)
3
Starter diagnosis, DC/DC converter (with
Start/Stop system)
4 DC/DC converter (with Start/Stop system)
5 Image processing
6
Right headlight (headlights with adaptive
light)
7 ESC control module
8
Sound actuator, AEM control module/
crankcase housing heater
9 Adapt ive cru ise control
10 Transmission control module
11 Climate control system sensors
Fuse panel © (brown)
No. Equipment
1 Electromechan ica l park ing brake
2 Suspension control system sensor
3 Rear Infotainment system control panel
4 Smart module ( tan k)
5 Front climate control system controls
6 Rea r climate control system control panel
7 Networking gateway
8 Refrigerator
9 Special functions interface
10 Cell phone adapter, Bluetooth handset
11 AEM control module
12 Selector lever
1 3 Inte rior lighting
14 Rear exterior lighting
15 Fue l pump
16 Electromechanica l parking brake
Fuse panel @ (black)
No. Equipment
1
Luggage compa rtment lid movement-acti-
vated opening
2 Luggage compartment sockets
3 Rear socket
4 Fro nt cigarette lighter
5 Adaptive air su spension
6 115 V socket
Fuses and bulbs
Fuse panel @ (black)
7 Electromechanical parking brake
8 Rear seat heat ing
9 Rear exterior lighting
10 Rear climate control blower
Rear sunshade, closing a id, luggage com-
11 partment lid lock, convenience key, fue l
filler door
12 L uggage compartment lid control module
Fuse panel © (red)
No. Equipment
1 Rear seat adjustment buttons
3 Left rear seat (pne umatic)
5 Tra iler hitch control module
6 Left rea r seat
7 Right rear seat
8 Trailer hitch control module
9 Trailer hitch control module
10 Right rear seat (pneumat ic)
Fuse panel ® (brown)
No. Equipment
1
Start/Stop system , radio receiver/sound
amplifier
2 Sound amplifier
3
Start/Stop system, Rear Seat Entertain -
ment, radio receiver/sound amplifier
5
Automat ic dimming interior rea rview mir-
r or (for Start-Stop system)
6 DVD changer (glove compartment)
7 TV tuner
8 Infotainment system control panel/drives
9 Instrument cluster, analog clock
10 Infotainment system d isp lay
11 Radio receiver
12
Rearview camera, perip heral cameras
(parking system)
325