2010 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET light

-L___:_A~ i r'....: b~ a ::::: gL:: s~y -=s ::..:t :.:e :..: m..:..:.. ______________________________________________ _
lower parts of the body. Front airbags only supplement the three
point s afety be lts i n some fro ntal c ollisions in which t he vehicle de ce l­
eratio n is h igh enough to dep loy the a irbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is sw itched off when a cras h occu rs,
• in s ide collisions,
• in rea r-end collisions,
• in rollovers,
• when the cras h deceleration me asured by the ai rbag syste m is less
than t he m in imum threshold needed for airbag dep loyment as regis­
t ere d by the e lectro nic cont rol unit.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy:
• when the fron t pa sse nger sea t is not o ccupied,
• when the we ight on the front passenge r seat as sense d by the
Advanced Airbag Sys tem in dicates t hat the front airbag on the
passenger side has to be turned off by t he e lectron ic control un it (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and st ay s on).
& WARNING
Sitt ing in the wrong posit ion can increa se 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 ar ea
where the airbags are located.
• Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be ser iously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye=>
page 202.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety 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.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest , door or roof.
• Always install rear-f acing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front p assenger seat because of e xceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
i mmediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airb ag wilt 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.
• N ever hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never tran sport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat . Object s could move into the area of the front airbag s during
brak ing or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate.
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders , telephone bra ckets , large, heavy o r 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 . The se obj ect s could cause injury in a crash , especially
when the airbags inflate .
• Never recl ine the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front ..,

Airbag system -----------------=--=---
& WARNING (co ntinued )
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can b ecome projectiles and cause injury , particularly when
the seat is reclined.
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can c ause breathing
problems
for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
conditions.
• To
reduce the risk of breathing probl ems, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a colli sion 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~~
Two sep ara te i ndic a to rs mo nit o r the func tio n of the
A dvan ced Ai rb ag Sy stem: th e airbag mo nito ring i ndic ator
lig ht and th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The A dvanced A irbag System ( includ ing the elect ronic contro l unit,
senso r circu it s and system wir ing) is mon it or ed co ntinuous ly to make
sure that it is function ing p roperly whenever the ignition is on. Eac h
tim e you turn on the igni tion, the airba g mo nitoring indicat or ligh t
t:.
will come o n for a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
The system must be inspected when the indicator
light ~:
• does not come o n when the ignit io n i s switched on,
• does not go o ut a few se conds a fter you h ave switche d on t he ig ni­
tion, or
• co mes on whil e dr iving.
If a n airbag system malfunction is detected, the ind icator light will
fi rst start flashing to catc h the dr iver 's attention and t hen stay on
cont inuo usly to s erve as a constan t rem inder to have the system
inspected immediately .
If a ma lf u ncti on oc curs that tur ns th e fron t air bag on the passe nger
side off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
w henever the ignition is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental p rotect ion 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 autho­
rized Audi dealer. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Airbag system
,._____
~--------------
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 200 Sec tion from
the in strume nt panel :
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center of t he
ins trumen t panel => fig.
200.
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
ign ition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht will flas h fo r a few
se co nds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will s tay on if t here i s a small ch ild or child re str ain t on the fron t
passenger seat,
• will go out if t he fron t passenger seat is oc cupied by a n adul t as
registered by the weight-sensing mat .
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come on and stay on if the
ign ition 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-fac
ing 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 occ upied, 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 kin d of child re stra in t is a t one o f th e
seating pos it ions on t he rear seat::::;,
page 202, "Child restra ints on
t he fro nt sea t - so me im port an t things to kno w" and ::::;,
page 222,
"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 li ght stays on
c ont inuous ly whenever the ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear and not stay on all the t ime , stop as soon
as 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 insta lled and that the sa fety belt for the fron t
passenger seat has been correctly ro uted around the child restraint as
described in the child res trai nt ma nufactu rer's instr uctions;
• 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 232 .
• make s ure tha t things tha t may in crease the weight o f the chi ld
and child safety seat are not be ing transported on t he front
passenge r seat;
• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked .
Shake the sa fety belt la tch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
• If a st rap o r tether i s be ing u sed t o tie the c hild safety sea t to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tig ht that it causes .,_

Airbag system Ill
----------------=--=---
the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight t han is act ua lly on
t he sea t.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and
does not stay on cont in uou sly (when the ignition is sw itched on),
• t ake the child re st raint o ff the fr ont pa ssenge r seat and in stall it
prope rly at one of t he rear seat pos itions. Have t he a irbag system
i n sp ec ted by y ou r au thorized A udi dea ler im medi ately.
• move the child to a rear seat posit io n and make sure that the child
i s prop erly re stra ined in a chi ld restr aint t hat is a ppr opr iate for i ts
size and age.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light sho uld NOT come on when t he
ign ition is on and an adult is si tting in a proper seating pos it io n on the
front passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and st ays o n or flashes for abou t 5 seco nds w hile drivi ng, under these
circumstances, make sure that:
• t he adult on t he fr on t p asse nger sea t is pro pe rly se ate d on the
center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the backrest
and the bac kres t is not recli ned => page 178, "Proper occ upant
seating posit ions",
• t he adult is n ot tak ing weig ht off t he se at by h olding on to t he
passenger assist handle above the fro nt passenger doo r or
s up po rting their weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is be ing properly worn and th at there is not a lot of
s la ck in t he safe ty be lt webb in g,
• accessory seat cove rs or cushions o r othe r th ings that may cause
an in cor rect readin g or i mpress io n o n the weight -sen sing m at under
the upholstery of the seat have been removed from the front
pas senge r sea t,
• a safety be lt extender has not been left in the safety belt latch fo r
t he fr ont p asse n ge r se at.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in t he center of the
instrument pa nel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill b riefly appear in th e inst rume nt clus ter
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
display.
This is to inform the dr iver of the current front passenger
a ir bag s tatus. •
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
& 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 autho­
rized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a child restraint, in a
rearward-facing child safety seat or in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially 12 years and
younger , always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size .
• Always install forward or rear-facing child safety seats on the
rear seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• If you must install a rearward-facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of e xceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
• A tight tether or othe r strap on a rearward-facing child
restraint attached to the front passenger seat can put too much
pressure on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and register more
weight than i s actually on the seat. The heav ier weight registered
can make the system work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed
causing serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in ex ceptional circumstances, you must install a forward·
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat, always move
the seat into i ts rearmo st po sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust ·
ment range, as far away from the airbag as possible . 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
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps
de scribed above, make sure the adult i s properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating positions.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on the front passenger seat.
[ i ] Tips
If the we ight-sens ing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
empty seat, the front a irbag on the passenger side w ill be t urne d off,
and PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system a re installed at many different p laces on
your Audi. Inst all in g, remov ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an
area of the ve hicle can damage a part of an airbag system and preve nt
t ha t system from working pro perl y in a coll is ion.
T here are some important thi ngs you have to know to make sure that
the effectiveness of the system will not be impa ired an d that
discarded components do no t cause injury or poll ute the enviro n­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from
deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
• Never cover, obstruct , or change the steering wheel horn pad or
airbag cover or the instrument panel or modify them in any way.
• Never attach any objects such as cupholders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag unit s.
• For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft,
dry cloth or one moistened with plain water. Solvent s or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change the stiffness or strength
of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect prop·
erly .
• Never repair, adjust, or change any part s of the airbag system .
• All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel , front seats
or electrical sy stem (including the installation of audio equip·
ment , cellular telephones and CB radios, etc .) must be performed
by a qualified technician who ha s the training and special equip ·
ment necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system, we strongly re commend
that you see your autho rized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body.
liJ,,

are wearing your safety belt and wear ing it properly . This is why you
should always wear your safety belt, not just because the law requires
you to do so::::>
page 190, "General notes".
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front seat passenger have
switches that tell the airbag control module if the safety belt is being
used or not. If the safety belt is being used, the knee airbag will
dep loy at a slightly higher rate of deceleration than if the belt is not
being used. Therefore, in a particular collision, it is poss ible that an
airbag will not deploy at a seating position where the safety belt is
being used but will inflate at the position whe re the safety be lt is not
being used.
Remember too, airbags w ill deploy only once and only in certa in kinds
of accidents -your safety belts are always there to offer protection in
t hose accidents in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when
they have already deployed, for example when your vehicle strikes or
is struck by another after the first collision.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is not a substitute for the
safety belt. The airbag system wo rks most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is desig ned to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swe lling, bruis ing, and minor abrasions can
also be associated with airbags.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
• Th e electronic control module
• T wo inflatable airbags (airbag and gas generator), one for the
driver and one for the front passenger
• The airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
• when the ignition is turned off
• in front-end collis ions when the decelerat ion measured by the
control unit is too low
• in s ide collisions
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
• in rear-end collisions
• in rollovers
• in the event of a system ma lfunction (warning/indicator light illu­
minated)
=> page 14 .
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system can only provide protection
when occupants are in the proper seating position =>
page 209.
• If the airbag indicator light comes when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer. The airbag may not work properly when the vehicle
acceleration in a side collision is high enough to deploy the airbag.
See also =>
page 14. •
A pp lies to vehi cles: w ith K nee airb ags
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area is reduced by fully
deployed knee airbags.
Fig . 202 Inflated
airbags protecting
in a
frontal collision
The knee air bag system has been designed so that the airbags for the
dr iver and front passenger are deployed in certa in but not all frontal
co llisions .
ti-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 203 Side airbag
location in the driver's
seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
=>
page 219, fig. 203. They are identified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
• the electronic control module and external side impact sensors
• the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it
is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to the driver's and front passenger's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision. The
airbag deploys only in side impacts and only when the vehicle acceler­
ation registered by the control unit is high enough . If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the control unit, the side
airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may be badly
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not possible to define an
airbag triggering range that will cover every possible angle of impact,
since the circumstances will vary considerably between one collision
and another. Important factors include, for example, the nature
(hard or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
=> page 220, "Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system" .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety belts work to help keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is
part of the overall occupant restraint system in your vehicle. Always
remember that the side airbag system can only help to protect you if
you are wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is
another reason why you should always wear your safety belts, not just
because the law requires you to do so=>
page 190, "General notes".
It is important to remember that while the supplemental side airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions can
also be associated with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will deploy only once and only in certain kinds of accidents -
your safety belts are always there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage are
not necessarily an indication of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion. In some collisions, both front and side airbags may inflate.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and only in certain
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
• when the ignition is turned off
• in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor is
too low
• in front-end collisions
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

__________________________________________ ___:C~ h~il ~d ~ S~a ~f ~e ~t ¥_Y __ _
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Always install rearward-facing child safety seat s on the rear
seat .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in e xceptional circumstance s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and sta y on,
immediately install the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immedi ·
ately by your authorized Audi dealer .
_& 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.
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• 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 po ssible before in stalling the child restraint. The back­
rest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Alway s make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time whenever the ign ition is
switched on .•
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped wi th a fron t "Adva nced Airbag Syste m" in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 20 8 as app licable at t he time your ve hicle w as m anufa c­
tured.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
T
he Advanced A irbag system in your veh icle has been ce rtified to
meet the "low-r isk" re quiremen ts fo r 3-and 6-ye ar old c hildre n on
t he passenger side and small ad ults o n the dr ive r side . The low r isk
deployme nt c riteria are intende d to reduce the risk of injury t hrough
in teraction with the airbag that can occ ur, for example, by being too
close to the steering w heel and i nstr ument panel when the ai rbag
inflates . In addi tion, the system has bee n certified to comp ly with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Sta ndard, to turn
off the
fr ont ai rbag for infan ts up to 12 month s w ho are rest rai ned on the
front passenger seat in child restraints t hat are listed in the Stan­
d ard .
Even thoug h your veh icle is eq uipped with an Advanced Airbag
system, a ll child ren, es pecially those 12 years and yo unger, should
always ride in the back seat pro perly r estra ined for the ir age and s ize.
T he airbag on the passenger si de makes the fro nt seat a potentially
dange rous place fo r a child to ride. The front seat is not the s afest
place for a c hild in a forward-facing c hild safety seat. It can be a very
dange rous place for a n infant or a larger ch ild in a rearward-fa cing
seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
Th e Advance d Airbag System i n your vehicle detects the p resence o f
an in fant o r chil d in a c hild rest raint o n the front passenger seat using
the weight-sens ing mat in the seat cushion and the sensor be low the
safety belt latc h on t he fro nt passeng er seat that meas ures t he
tension on the sa fety belt.
Th e weigh t-sens ing m at me asures to tal weight of the ch il d and t he
child saf ety seat a nd a child blanket on the front passenge r seat . T he
we ight on t he front passenger seat is re lated to t he desi gn of the
child res traint and i ts "foot print", the size and shape of the bo ttom
of the chi ld restraint as it sits on the seat . The weight of a child
restra int a nd its " foo tprint" va ry for diffe re nt k inds of child res tra ints
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data