service AUDI S8 2009 Owner's Manual

Airbag system -----------------=--=--------
as defined in the electronic control unit~ page 232 , "PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF l igh t" .
A lways remember, a ch ild seat or infant carrier installed on the front
seat may be st ruck and knocked out of position by the rap idly
i n fl ating pass enger 's airbag in a fro nta l co llision . Th e airb ag co uld
g reatly reduce the effectiveness of the chi ld restraint and even seri ­
ousl y injure t he c hild duri ng i nflati on .
F or this reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest place for
ch ildr en -w he n prop erly res trained acc ording t o th eir age an d size
- we stro ngly recomm end that c hild ren a lwa ys sit in th e back seat
~ page 24 5, "C hil d Safe ty" .
& 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.
• Forward -facing child seats installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag and cause
serious personal injury to the child .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel .
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. 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
To reduce the risk of serious injury , make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF 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 light does not stay on , perform
the checks described
~ page 231 , "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer immedi ­
ately .
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu ­
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat :
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Airbag system -----------------=~-
& WARNING (continued )
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts.
• Therefore , always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained.
& WARNING
A pe rson on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
children , will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these spe cial conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with
the "low risk" option under the U .S . Federal Standard if a child that
is heavier than the typical one -year old child is on the front
passenger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position .
• For their own safety , all children , especially 12 years and
younger , should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your ve hicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
c o mp lia nce wi th United States Fede ral Moto r Vehicle Sa fety Stan ­
dard 208 as appl icab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
T
he front Advanced Airbag System supplements the safety bel ts to
p ro v id e ad ditional p rotecti on for t he dr iver's an d fro nt p assenger's
heads and upper bodies in fronta l cras hes . The ai rbags inflate only
in fro ntal im pac ts whe n the vehic le dece le ra tio n is h igh enoug h.
T he fron t Adva nced Airbag System for the fron t seat occ upa nts is
not a substitute for your safety belts . Rather, it is part of the overa ll
occupa nt rest rai nt syste m in you r veh icle. A lways r em emb er that
the ai rbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
u pr igh t, w ear ing yo ur safety b elt and w earin g it p ro perly . This is w hy
you and your passeng ers must a lways be prop erly r estrained, not
ju st beca use the law req uires y ou to be .
The Ad va nced A irbag System in you r ve hicle has been certi fied t o
meet the " low risk" req uirements f or 3 a nd 6 yea r-o ld child ren on the
p asse nger sid e and very s mall adu lts on t he dr iver s ide. The l ow risk
dep loyment crite ria are intended to he lp reduce t he ris k of in jury
th rough interac tion w ith the front a irb ag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the stee ring whee l and instrument
p a nel wh en the a irbag i nflates.
I n add ition, the s yst em has been cert if ied to comply with the
"su ppressio n" re quir emen ts of the Sa fe ty Standa rd, to tu rn off th e
fr ont a irba g for in fa nts 12 months old and youn ger who a re
rest rained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
li ste d i n the Sta ndard:::::,
page 247 , "Child r estrai nts and Adva nced
A irbags".
"S upp ression" req uires the fron t airb ag on th e pas se nger s ide to be
turned off if:
• a child up to a bout one yea r of age is restrained on the front
passen ger seat in on e of the re ar -faci ng or forward -fac in g i nfa nt
restra ints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safe ty Standard 208 with
whi ch the A dvanc ed A irbag Sys tem in your vehic le w as c ertifi ed. For
a listing of the child rest raints that were used to cert ify your
v ehi cle's c om plia nce w ith the US S afet y Standar d:::::,
pag e 24 7,
• weight le ss than a threshold leve l stored in the cont ro l u nit is
d etected on the fr ont passe ng er sea t. .._
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__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ lll
& W ARNING (continued )
• If you must in stall 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 deale r.
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install 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 manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
• Never put the forward -facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range , as far away from the
airbag as possible , before installing the forward -facing child
restraint. 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 . •
Advanced Airbag System components
T he front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very i mporta nt
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it . T hese parts inc lude the
we ig ht -sens ing mat, se nso rs, w iring, bra cke ts, and more . The func ­
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the e lec­
tr onic con trol uni t w hen the ig nit io n i s on. T he co ntro l u nit mo nitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the a irbag indicator li ght on
w he n a mal fu ncti on in th e sy ste m com ponen ts is de tec ted . Th e
function of the airba g indicator lig ht is desc ribed in greater detail
below . Because the front passenge r seat contains important parts
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation of the Advanced Airbag System, you must
take care to prevent it
fro m being damaged. Damage to the sea t may prevent t he
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a cra sh.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following: • C rash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehic le
acce lera tion/dece lera tio n to p rovide i nfo rm ati on to the A dva nce d
Airbag System about the severity of the crash .
• An ele ctro nic c ontrol unit , with integ ra te d crash se nsors f or front
and side impacts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
fr ont airbags based on the info rmati on receive d from the cras h
sensors. The control unit also "decides" whethe r th e safety belt
p retens ione rs sh ould be activated .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driv er inside th e
stee ring w hee l hub .
• A n Advanced Airbag with gas gene rator inside the instrument
p a nel for the fr ont pa ssen ger.
• A weight -sens ing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
pa ssenge r sea t cush io n th a t m eas ures the tot al w eig ht on the se at .
T he info rmation registered is sent continuously to the e lect ron ic
c on tro l unit t o reg ulate de plo ym en t of th e fr ont A dva nce d Ai rbag on
th e passenger sid e.
• An airbag monito rin g syst em and indicator lig ht in the instru­
ment cluster => page
231 .
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht co mes o n an d stays on in th e
center of the instrument panel=> page
232 , fig. 235 and tells you
w hen th e front A dv anced Air b ag o n the p asseng er s ide h as been
turned off .
• A se nso r be low t he safety belt l atc h for the fro nt sea t pass enger
to measure the tension on the safety be lt . T he tension on the safety
belt and the w eigh t re giste red by the wei ght-s en sing mat h elp t he
control unit "decide" whether the front airbag for the front
p asse nge r seat shou ld be t urned off or not => pag e
222, "Child
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know". _,.
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Airbag system -----------------=~-
& WARNING (continued )
airbag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneuver . Objects ne ar the
airbags can become proje ctile s and cau se injury , particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
p roblems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
c onditions .
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems , those with asthma or
other respir atory cond itions 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 t~
Tw o separate indicators monitor th e funct ion of the
Adva nced A irbag Syst em : the a ir b ag mon itor in g i ndicator
l ig ht an d the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the electronic control unit,
s en sor cir cu its a nd sys tem wiring) is mon itored co ntinuous ly to
make sure that it is functioning properly whenever the ignition is on.
E ac h tim e you turn on th e ig niti on, the ai rbag monito ring ind icator
light
t~ w ill come on for a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
The system must be inspected wh
en the indicator
light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go ou t a few sec ond s a fter you have swi tc hed on the
ignition, or
• comes on while d riv in g.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light will
fi rst sta rt fla sh ing to catch the d rive r's atten tion an d t hen stay on
cont inuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the syst em
inspected i mmedia tely.
If a mal funct ion occurs that tu rns the fro nt a irbag o n th e passe nger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whe neve r the ig nit ion 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

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the
seat .
If th e PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still d oes not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child r estraint off the front passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immediately.
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is proper ly restrained in a child restraint that is appropria te for
its size and age .
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating posi tion on
the front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds whi le driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that :
• the adu lt on the front passenger sea t is properly seated on the
center of the seat cushion w ith his or her back up against the back­
res t and the backrest is not reclined => page 202, "Proper occupant
sea ting positions" ,
• the adult is not taking weight of f the sea t by holding on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
supporting their we ight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
of slack in the safety belt webbing,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect reading or impression on the weight -sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for
t he front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of the
instrument pane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF o r
PAS SEN GER AIR BA G ON will briefly appear in the instrument c luster
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a
irbag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag sy stem that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al cra sh .
• If the airbag ind icator li ght come s on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag S ystem . It is
po ssible that the airbag will inflate when it is not suppo sed to , or
w ill not infl ate when it should .
• Have the airb ag system inspe cted immediatel y by you r Audi
dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airba g inflates , a child with out a child re straint , or in a
re arw ard -fa cing chi ld safety seat , or
in a forward-fa cing child
r e str aint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
inj ured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle i s equipped with an Adv anced Airbag
Sy stem , m ake cert ain that all children , e speci ally 12 year s and
younger , always ride on the bac k seat prope rly re strain ed for their
a ge and siz e .
• Alway s install forw ard or rear -facing child seat s on the rear
se at - ev en with an Ad vanced Airbag Sy stem .
• If you mu st install a rearward -fa cing child se at o n th e front
p ass enger sea t be cau se of e xceptional circumstan ce s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not appear and stay on , imme ­
diately in stall the rear -fac ing child seat in a r ear sea ting pos itio n
and have the airbag system inspect ed b y your Audi dealer . .,,
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Airbag system -----------------=~-
& WARNING (continued )
-Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that ha ve not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cush ions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the s ide 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 nece ssary .
• 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 you r 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
c ircuit 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 .
For the sake of the environment
Undepl oyed airbag m odu les a nd preten sioners m ig ht b e class if ied
as Perchlorate Material -specia l handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
parts of the restraint system inc
luding a irbag modules and safety
be lts with p re tensione rs are sc rapped, a ll a ppl icable laws an d regu ­
lations must be observed . Your authorized Audi dea ler is fami liar
wi th the se requi rements and we recomme nd that you have y our
dea ler perform this service for you. •
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
Changing the veh ic le 's suspens ion s ystem can change th e way that
t he Adva nced Air bag Sys tem perfo rm s in a crash. F or e xam ple,
using tire -r im combinations not approv ed by Audi, lower ing the
ve hic le, c hangi ng th e st iffne ss of the su spen sion , inclu ding the
springs, suspension struts, shock absorbers e tc . can change the
forc es that are measu re d b y th e a irbag sens ors and sent to the elec ­
t ron ic control u nit. Some sus pensio n chan ges can , for examp le ,
inc rea se the f orce le v els mea sured by the senso rs and make the
a irb ag sys te m de plo y in cras hes in whi ch it wo uld not de p loy i f the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of changes may reduce
t he force le v e ls measured by t he se nso rs a nd preve nt t he a irba g
from deploying when it should .
T he se nsor s in th e safe ty bel t buckl e f or th e d river a nd front
passen ger seat te ll the e lectronic control module if the safety belt is
l a tc h e d or n ot. If t he safety belt i s being use d, th e fr ont ai rbag w ill
dep loy at a s lightly h ig her rate of v eh ic le dec elerat ion t han if the
safet y belt is not being used . Ther efore, in a partic ular collision, it is
poss ible that an airba g w ill not deplo y at a seati ng pos itio n wh ere
the safety be lt is be ing used but wi ll inflate at the position where the
sa fe ty be lt is no t being used . It i s im porta nt that n othi ng i nterfe re
with the safety belt b uckles so that the sensors can send the correct
i n fo rm ati on about sa fety belt use t o th e el ectronic con trol unit. _..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data