light AUDI S8 2010 Owners Manual

-Safety belts -----=-----------------------------------------
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every sa fe ty be lt is equipped wi th an au toma tic be lt r etrac tor on the
shoulder be lt. This feat ure locks t he belt whe n the belt is pull ed out
fast, during ha rd bra king an d in an acc ident . The belt may also loc k
w hen you dr ive up or dow n a s te ep h ill or throug h a sharp curve .
Dur ing norma l driv ing the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
Th e safety belts are e quipped w ith a belt p retensioner that hel ps to
t igh ten the saf ety be lt and remove slac k w he n the p re tensioner is
act ivated . The f unction of t he p retens ioner is monitore d by a warn ing
light=>
pag e 17.
Switchable locking feature
Every safety be lt except the one on the driver sea t is equipped with a
switchab le locking feature that
must b e used when the safety belt is
us ed to attach a c hild se at. B e s ure to rea d the i mporta nt info rmation
about th is feature =>
page 241.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious injury in an
accident =>
page 202, "Safety belt position ".
• Safety belt s offer optimum protection only when the seat back
is upright and belts are properly positioned on the body.
• Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat.
Attaching the belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effe ctivene ss and can cause seriou s per sonal injury.
• A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously
injured by the safety belt itself when it moves from the stronger
parts of the body into critical areas like the abdomen.
• Always lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
securing a child seat in the vehicle=>
page 243. •
Safety belt position
Corre ct b elt posi tion is the key t o getting maximum
p ro tec tion fro m sa fety belts .
Fig. 208 Head
restraint a nd safety
belt po sit ion as s een
from the side
Use the height adjustment to change the pos it io n of the s houl de r
be lt of the fron t sa fety be lts.
& WARNING
Improperly po sitioned safety belts can cau se serious per sonal
injury in an accident.
• The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body => fig. 208. Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned a s
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen . Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug => fig. 208. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary .
• A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner-
able , soft tissue and cause serious injury .
~

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important information and heed the WARNINGS for important details about children and Advanced Airbags =:>
page 231.
Even though your veh icle is eq uipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially those
12 years and
younger, a lways r ide in the back seat properly rest rained for the ir age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a
potentially dangerous place fo r a child to r ide. The front seat is not
the safest p lace for a child in a forward-facing c hild seat . It can be a
very d angerous pla ce fo r an in fant or a ch ild in a rearwa rd-faci ng sea t.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been cert ified to
comply with the req uirements of United States Federa l Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manu­
factured .
T he S ta n dard requi res the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a child up to about one year of age
restra ined in o ne of the rea r-facing or forward -fa cing in fant
restra ints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with
w hich the Advanced Airbag System in your ve hicl e was ce rtified has
been installed o n the front passenger seat . For a listing of the ch ild
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard=>
page 233 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
w hen the front Advanced Ai rbag on the passenge r side has been
turned off by the electronic control unit .
Eac h time you t urn on the ign ition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child rest rai nt on the front
passenger seat, •
will go off if the front passenger seat is occup ied by an adult as
registe red by t he weigh t-sens ing ma t:::::>
page 217, "Moni toring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a tota l we igh t on the front passenger seat t hat req uires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total we ight on the front passenge r sea t is more than that of a
typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight of a small adu lt, the
front ai rbag on the passenger side can dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht does not come on). If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the fro nt airbag on the passenger side has
not been tu rned off by the e lectro nic cont rol u nit and can deploy if
the cont rol unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
Fo r example , the a irbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year-old child is on the
front passenge r seat (regard less of whet her the child is in one of the
child seats listed:::::>
page 233), or
• a chi ld who has outgrown ch ild restra ints is o n the front passenger
seat.
If the fron t passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on.
Th e front a irbag on the passenger side may
not dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not illum inate and stay lit) even
if a small ad ult o r teenage r, or a passenger who is not sitting upright
w it h th e ir back against a non-recli ned backrest w it h their feet on the
veh icle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=>
page 188, "Prope r seat ing pos ition for the dr ive r".
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
t he airbag to meet the " low risk" deployment criteria to red uce the
r isk of injury through interaction with the airbag. "Low risk" deploy­
ment occurs in those crashes that ta ke place a t lower decelerations as
defined in the elec tronic control unit:::::>
page 218, "PASS ENGER AIR
BAG O FF light".
liJ,

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g ::...-- s~y _s _t_ e _ m ___ _
Always remember, a child seat or infant carrier insta lled on the front
sea t m ay be s truck and kno cked o ut o f p osition by the rapidl y
inflating passenge r's airbag in a frontal coll is io n. The a irbag cou ld
great ly reduce the effect iveness of the c hild restraint and even seri­
ously i njure the child dur ing inflat io n.
For this reason, and because the back seat is the safest place for chil­
dren -whe n pro perly restra ined a ccording to their age an d siz e -we
strongly recommend that childre n always sit in the back seat
=> page 23 1, "Child S afety".
& 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 armrest, 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
position 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-f acing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• 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 aga inst 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 ad justed 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 seriou s injury, make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child re straint is installed on the front pas senger seat and the ignition
is switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on, perform
the checks described=>
page 217, "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System ".
• Take the child restra int 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 th e 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
----
--=----------------
When a perso n is detected on the fro nt passenger seat, we ig hi ng
mo re t han t he total we ight of a chi ld t hat i s ab out 1 year old
restra ined in o ne of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant
restraints (listed in Fed eral Moto r Vehicle Safety Sta ndard
208 with
w hich the Advanced A irbag System in you r veh icle was cert ified), the
front airbag on the passenge r side may or may not dep loy.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t co mes on when the ele ct ronic
control un it detects a tota l weight on t he front passenger seat t hat
re qu ires the fron t air bag to be turned of f. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
li ght does not come on, the front a irbag on the passenger
side has not been tu rned of f by the con trol unit and can dep loy i f the
cont rol un it senses an impact that meets the cond itions stored in its
memory.
If the tota l weig ht o n th e fron t passenger seat is more than that of a
typical
1 year-old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the front
a ir bag o n the p assenge r sid e m ay deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht does not come on).
For example , the airbag may deploy if:
• a small ch ild that is heav ie r th an a typ ica l 1 year-o ld child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whethe r the chi ld is in one of the
c hild se ats liste d=>
page 23 3),
• a child who has outgrown chi ld rest rai nts is on t he front passenger
se at.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht in the cen ter of t he ins trume nt panel w ill come on and stay
on.
T he front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not illum inate and s tay lit) if:
• a small a dult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a passenger w ho i s not sit ting up rig ht w ith their back against a
non -reclined bac krest with the ir feet on the ve hicle floor in front of
th e seat is o n the fr ont pas senge r seat.
If the front passenge r a irbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
t he airbag to mee t the "low risk" deployment c rit er ia to help reduce the risk of in
jury t hrough interaction with the a irbag. "Low r isk"
de ploymen t oc cur s in th o se cra shes that take plac e at l owe r de celer ­
ations as defined in the elect ronic contro l unit=>
page 217 .
Always remember: Even t hough your ve hicle is eq uipped with
Adv anced Airbags, the safes t pla ce for child ren is prope rly re st rai ned
on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important in formation in
th e sections t hat foll ow and be su re t o hee d all of the WA RNINGS .
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflate s, always wear
safety belts properly.
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting 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 206.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat installed on the front
pa ssenger seat will be seriou sly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag 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
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat, nobody
can absolutely guarantee that deployment is impossible in all
conceivable situation s 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 armre st, door , or roof .
• Always install rearward-facing child restraints on the rea r seat .
• If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front
passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and the

Airbag system Ill
----------------=--=---
& WARNING (co ntinued )
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
imm ediately ins tall the rear-facing child seat in a rear seating
position and have the a irbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you mu st install a forward-facing
c hild restraint on the front passenger 's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and cert ified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
pa ssenger front and side airbag .
• Never put the forward-facing child re straint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Alway s move the passenger seat into it s rearmost po sition in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible , befo re installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright pos ition.
• 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 i n your veh icle has a lot of very important
parts o f th e A dva nced A irbag System in it. These parts include t he
we ight-sens ing mat, sensors, wiring, bracke ts, and more . The func­
ti on of the system in the front p assenger seat is chec ke d by the e lec ­
tr on ic contro l u ni t whe n the ig ni tion is on . T he contro l unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
when a mal function in the system compone nts is detected. The func­
tion of the a irbag indicator light is described in g reater detail be low.
Be ca u se the fron t passenge r seat con tains import ant parts of the
Advanced Ai rbag System, you must take care to prevent it from being
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
damaged
. Damage to the seat may prevent t he Adva nced A irbag for
t he fro nt pa ssenge r se at from d oin g its jo b in a cra sh.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Cras h sensors in the front of the vehicle t hat measure vehicle
acc ele rat ion/d ece le rat ion to prov ide info rma tion t o the Adv anced
Airbag System about t he severity of the crash .
• An e lec tron ic con trol uni t, w ith i ntegr ated cr ash sen sors fo r front
and side impacts. The contro l unit "dec ides" w het her to fire the front
air bag s base d on th e inf ormati on re ceived from t he cr ash sensors.
T he control unit also "decides" whether the saf ety b elt pret ensio ners
sh ould be ac tiva ted.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the dr ive r inside the
stee ring w hee l hub .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the inst rument
p ane l for the fron t passenge r.
• A weig ht-sensing mat under the upholste ry padd ing of the front
passenge r seat cushi on th at m easures the tota l we ig ht on t he seat.
The informat ion registe red is se nt co ntinuo us ly to the electronic
contr ol un it to r egulat e dep lo ym en t of th e fr ont Adv anced A irbag on
the passenger side .
• An a irbag moni to ring system a nd ind icator light in the inst rume nt
cl uster =>
page 217.
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on an d stays o n in the
center o f the instr ument panel =>
page 218, fig. 215 an d tells you
whe n the fr ont Ad van ced Air bag on the p assenge r sid e has bee n
t ur ned off.
• A senso r bel ow th e saf ety b elt la tch fo r the front s eat pa ss e ng er
to meas ure the tension on the safety be lt . Th e tens io n on the safety
bel t an d t he we ight regi stered by the we ig ht- se ns ing mat he lp t he
cont rol un it "dec ide" whether the front airbag fo r th e front
pa ssenger se at sh o uld be tur ned o ff o r no t =>
p age 20 8, "Ch ild
restraints on t he front seat -some important thi ngs to know". ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ ir_ b_ a-=g :..- s.:o.y _s _t _e_ m _______________________________________________ _
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for t he driver and for the front
sea t passenge r that senses w hether t hat s afe ty bel t is la tc h ed or not
and transmits this information to the electron ic cont rol un it .
& 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 Sy stem from func ­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat mu st be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained wo rkshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the uphol stery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disas semble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it.
• Never carry sharp object s in your pockets or place them on th e
seat.
If the weight -sens ing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
s eat. Such items can in crease the weight regi stered 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
Advan ced Airbag Sy stem under the pass enger seat could be
damaged, prevent ing 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 seat s.
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child re straints or occupants on the front pas senger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Never u se cushions , pillow s, blankets or s imilar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advan ced
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 po sition
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stay s on whenever the child re straint is
i nstalled 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 posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
Th e front Advanced A irbag System and the side airbags sup plement
the protect ion offered by the fro nt three -po int safety belts with
pretens ioners and load lim iters a nd the adjustable head restra ints to
he lp red uce the risk of i nju ry in a wide range of accident and crash
si tua tions. Be su re to re ad the impo rtan t info rmat ion about safe ty
and heed the WARNINGS in this c hapter.
Deploy ment o f the Advan ced Air bag Sys tem and t he activ ation o f the
safety belt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured by
the crash sensors and registered by the electronic contro l u ni t. Crash
sever ity depe nds on speed and decelerat ion as well as the mass a nd
st iffness of the ve hicle or object invo lve d in the crash.
W hen the elect ronic contro l uni t reg isters a low sever ity cras h and
the safety belt is being used, the airbag will not dep loy . If the safety
be lt i s no t being used , the fi rs t sta ge dep loy s, followed by t he second
stage after a much later time in the crash sequence. ..

If the electronic control unit reg isters a crash of medium severity, the
first stage of the airbag deploys follo wed by the second stage at a
much later t ime in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety belt is being used or not. In higher severity crashes as regis­
tered by the electronic control unit, both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag will
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control unit. The front airbag
on the passenger side w ill also be turned off if one of the child seats
that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 has been recognized on the seat . The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off~
page 208, "Child
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts properly .
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting 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 206. •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 214 Inflated
front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so that airbags can unfold properly and
prov ide supplemental protection in a frontal collision.
Th e front airbags are designed to provide additiona l protection 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 possible from the airbag ,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force, things
you have on your lap o r have placed on the seat could become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy . It could irritate
skin .
It is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is desig ned to reduce the likelihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swell ing, bruising and m inor abrasions, can also
happen when airbags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms or the •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-L___:_A~ i r'....: b~ a ::::: gL:: s~y -=s ::..:t :.:e :..: m..:..:.. ______________________________________________ _
lower parts of the body . Front airbags supplement the th ree-point
sa fety belts o nly in some fron tal co llis io ns in whi ch the vehicl e decel­
eratio n is h igh enough to d eploy the a irbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is sw itched off when a cras h occ urs,
• in s ide collisions,
• in rea r-end collisions,
• in rollovers,
• when the cras h deceler ati on me asured by t he airba g sy st em is le ss
than t he m in imum thres hold needed for airbag dep loyment as regis­
t ere d by the e lectro nic cont rol uni t.
The front passenger airbag also will not deploy:
• when the front pas se ng er s eat is not occupi ed,
• when the we ight on the front passenge r seat as sense d by the
Adv anced Air bag Sy stem indicat es th at t he fron t a irbag on the
passenger s ide has to be turned off by the e lec tron ic cont rol u nit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t com es o n an d st ay s on ).
& 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.
• Occupants 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 208 .
& 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 armrest, 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 ch ild seat in a rear seating
position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer .
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airb ag 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 maneuvers and become dangerous
projectiles that can cause se rious 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 , especially
when the airbags inflate. ..,.

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& WARNING (co nti nued )
• Never recline the front p assenger 's seat to transport objects.
It em s can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbag s can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined.
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbag s deploy can cause breathing
problem s for people with a hi story of asthma or other breathing
conditions .
• To reduce the risk of br eathing problems, those with asthma or
other re spiratory conditions should get fre sh air right away b y
getting out of the vehicle
or opening windows or doors .
• If you are
in a collision in which airbags deploy , wa sh 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 sep arate indic ato rs m onito r the fu nctio n of the
Adva nce d A irbag Syst em: the ai rbag monito ring in di cator
light and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced A irbag System ( including the elect ronic contro l unit,
senso r cir cuits and syst em wi ring) is monitored co ntinu ously to make
sure that it is f unction ing p roperly w henever the ignition is on. Eac h
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
time you t
urn on the ign ition , the airbag mo nitoring ind icator lig ht ti
w ill come on fo r a few seconds (se lf di agnos tics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light ~:
• does not come on when t he ignit ion is switched on,
• does not go out a few seconds after you hav e switched on the igni­
tion, or
• comes o n wh ile d riving.
If an a irbag system malfunction is detected, the ind icator light will
fir st s tar t flashing to ca tch t he dr ive r's a tten tion and then st ay on
cont inuous ly to serve as a constant rem inder to have the system
inspec ted immed ia tely .
If a ma lfunct io n occ urs t hat t urns the front a irbag on the passenger
side o ff, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght will come on and stay on
w henever the igni tion is on .
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag ind icator 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

_,___A_ i_rb _ a_,g=-- s_, y:;.. s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
( ~ I :."!l.t.~A I ~
1~ J,
i
)
Fig . 215 Section from
the in strume nt panel :
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t is located in the center of t he
ins trumen t panel => fig. 2 15 .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t will com e on and stay on to te ll
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t u rn ed off by the ele ct ronic contro l uni t. Each t ime you t urn on t he
ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will flash fo r a few
se conds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will s tay on if t here is a small ch ild or child res trai nt on the fron t
passenger seat,
• will go out if t he front passenger seat is oc cupied by a n ad ult as
registered by the weight-sensing mat .
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come on and stay on if the
ignition is o n and
• a ca r bed has been installed o n the front seat, or
• a rearward -facing child restraint has been insta lled on t he front
passenger seat, o r
• a forward-fac ing ch ild restraint has bee n installed on the front
passenge r seat, o r
• the weight registered on t he front passe nger seat is equal to o r
less th a n the co mb ined we ight of a typic al 1 year-o ld rest rained in one of the rear-faci
ng or forward-facing infant restraints listed in
F e d era l Mo tor Ve hicle Safe ty St anda rd 2 08 w ith which th e Adv anced
Airbag System in your vehicle was cert ified.
If the front passen ger seat is not occupied, the front airbag will not
dep loy, and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t will stay on. Never
install a rearward -facing c hild rest raint on the f ront passenger seat,
t he s afest pl ace fo r a child in any k ind of child re stra in t is a t one o f th e
seating pos it ions on the rear seat::::;,
page 208, "Child restraints on
t he fro nt sea t - so me im port an t things to kno w" and =>
page 231,
"Ch ild Safety" .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
c onditions lis ted above is met, be sure to check the lig ht reg ularly to
ma ke certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht stays on
c ont inuo usly whenever the ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear on and does not stay on all the t ime, stop
as so on a s it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turn ing the ig nition off and then tur ning
it on again ;
• remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make sure that the c hild
restrain t is properly inst alled and that the sa fety belt for the fron t
passenger seat has been correct ly routed th rough the chi ld restra int
as desc ribe d in the ch ild restrain t manufacture r's ins tructions;
• make su re that the convertib le lock ing feature on t he safety belt
f or the front passenger sea t has been act ivate d an d that the safe ty
belt has bee n pulled tight. The belt m ust not be loose or have loops
of slac k so that t he senso r be low the safety belt latc h on the seat can
do its job::::;,
page 241.
• make s ure tha t things tha t may in crease the weight o f the chi ld
and c hild seat a re not be ing transported o n the front passe nger seat;
• mak e s ure th at th e s afety bel t tension se nso r is not blocked.
Shake the safety belt latch o n the front passenger seat back and
f orth;
• If a strap or tether is being used to t ie the child seat to the front
pass en ge r sea t, mak e sure that it is not s o tight t hat it cau ses t he ...