AUDI S8 2010 Owners Manual

_______________________________________________ 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 --
--=------------------------------
& WARN ING (con tin ue d)
• Imp rope r installati on of child re straint s can reduc e their effec­
ti veness or ev en prevent them from providing any protection .
• An improperl y installed child restr aint can interfere with the
airbag a s it deploy s and seriou sly injure or e ven kill the child -even
with an Ad vanced Airbag System .
• Always c are fully follow the manu facturer 's instructions
provided with the child seat or carrier.
• Nev er place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight regi stered b y the weight-sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash. •
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig . 212 L ocation of
dri ver airb ag : in
stee ring wh eel
I
-
Fig. 2 13 Locati on of
fr ont pas se n ger's
a ir ba g: in the instru·
m ent pa nel
Your vehicle i s equ ipped with an "Advanced A irbag System" in compli ­
ance with United States Federal Moto r Veh icle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time you r veh icle was ma nufac­
t u red . The safety be lts for the front seats have " pretensioners" that
help to take s lack out of the be lt system. The p ret ensioners are a lso
activated by the electronic control unit for the airbag system.
T he front safe ty be lts also have load limi ters to help red uce t he forces
applied to the body in a c rash.
T he airbag for the dr iver is in the steering whee l hub => fig . 212 and
the airbag fo r the front passenger is in the instrument panel
=> fig. 213 . T he general location of the airbags is marked "AIRBAG".
T here is a lo t you need to know abou t the airbags in your vehicle. We
urge you to read the deta iled information about airbags , safety be lt s
and child safety i n this and t he o ther chapters that make up the
owner's literature . Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely importa nt fo r your safety a nd the sa fety of your passen ­
gers, especially infants a nd small children .
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
• Even when they deploy, airbag s provide only supplementa l
protection .

Airbag system -----------------=--=---
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• 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 person 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 pa ssenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag Sy stem 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
pas senger seat and the other condition s 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 alway s ride in the back properly re strained for
their age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance wi th Uni ted States Feder al Motor Vehicle Safe ty Standar d
208 as app licab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
T
he front Advanced A irbag System supp lements the safety belts to
prov ide add itional p rote ction for the dr ive r's and fr ont pa ssenge r's
heads a nd upper bodies in fro ntal crashes. The airbags inflate on ly in
fronta l im pacts w he n the vehicle dece le ration is high enoug h.
Th e front Adv anced Airbag Sys te m f or the fron t se at oc cupan ts is no t
a s ubstitute for your safety be lts. Rathe r, it is part o f the overa ll occu­
p a nt res tra in t system in y our ve hicl e. Alway s remembe r th at the
airbag system can on ly help to protect you, if yo u are s itting upr ight,
we aring yo ur sa fety be lt and wear ing it prope rly. This i s why you and
your passengers must always be p roperly restra ined, not just beca use
t he law requires you to be.
The Adva nce d A irbag System in your vehicl e has b een cert ified to
meet the " low ris k" requirements fo r 3 and 6 year-old c hildren on the
p as senge r side an d very sma ll adults on the d river side. The low r isk
deployment criter ia a re intended to he lp red uce the risk of in jury
t hroug h in ter action wi th the fr ont air bag t hat can oc cur, fo r exam ple,
by being too close to the steering wheel and instr ument panel when
t he ai rbag inf lates.
I n addit ion, the system has bee n certified to comply wi th t he
"sup pression" requirements of the Safety Sta nda rd, to turn
off the
front airbag for infants 12 mont hs old and you nger w ho are
restra ined o n the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
listed i n the Standard::::>
pag e 233, "Child restraints a nd Advanced
Airbags".
"Supp ression" re quires the fron t airb ag on the passenger side to be
t urn ed
off if:
• a ch ild up to about one yea r of age is restrained on the front
passenger s eat in one o f the re ar-fa cing o r forwar d-fac ing infant
restra ints listed i n Federal Moto r Vehicle Safety Stan dard 208 with
w hich the A dvanc ed Air bag System in y our ve hicle w as certi fied . For a
list ing of the child rest raints t hat were used to ce rtify your vehicle's
co mplia nce wi th th e US Safety St and ard
=> page 2 33,
• weight less than a thresho ld level stored in the contro l unit is
de te cted on t he fr ont passenge r sea t.
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. ..,.

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g '--- s.:.y _s _t_ e _ m ___ lffll
& 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 ...