Audi A8 2008 Owner's Manual page 222

___ A _ir_ b _a _g = - s - a. y_ s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important information and head the
WARNINGS for important details about chil dren and
Advanced Airbags=> page 243.
Even though your vehic le is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especia lly those 12 years and
younger, always ride in the back seat proper ly restrained f or their
age and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat
a potentia lly dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not
the safest p lace for a child in a forward -facing chi ld seat. It can be a
very dangerous place for an infant or a child in a rearward -fac ing
seat.
The Advanced Ai r bag System in your vehicle has been certified to
comply with the Requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
t urned off ("suppressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of age
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward -facing infant
restraints listed in Federa l Motor Vehic le Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified has
been insta ll ed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compl iance with the US Safety
Standard => page 245.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the instrument pane l te lls you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off by the electronic co ntrol unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and :
• wi ll stay on if the front passenger seat is not occup ied,
• wi ll stay on if there is a small child or chi ld restraint on the front
passenge r seat,
• wil l go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
regis t ered by t he weight-sensi ng mat => page 229, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on when the contro l unit
detects a tota l weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the t ot al weight on the front passe nger seat is more than tha t of
a typ ical 1 year -old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
t he fron t airbag on the passe nger side can dep loy (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on). If the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on t he passe nger side
has not been turned off by the electronic contro l unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact t hat meets the condi-
tions stored in its memory.
For example , the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier tha n a t yp ical 1 yea r-o ld child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child seats listed => page 245), or
• a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
If the front passe n ger airbag is t urned off , the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on t he passenger side may not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) even
if a smal l adult o r teenage r, o r a passenger wh o is not sit ting uprigh t
with their back against a non -reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehic le floor in front of the seat is o n t he front passenge r seat
=> page 200, "Proper seating pos it ion for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federa l Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment cr iteria to reduce the
risk of injury through interaction with the airbag. "Low risk" deploy-
ment occu rs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations
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