2010 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET Owners Manual

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
c hild against the backrest, center arm rest , door, or roof .
• Always install rearwa rd-facing child restraints in the back seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of except ional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child re straint on the front pa ssenger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for us e on a front seat with a
passenger front and s ide airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up again st 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 a s po ssible, before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on .•
Advanced Airbag System components
Th e front passenger seat i n your ve hicle has a lot of very im portant
parts o f th e Ad van ced A irbag System in it. These parts include t he
we ight-sens ing mat, sensors, wir ing, brackets, and mo re . The func-
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
tion of the system
in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec­
t ronic contro l unit whe n t he ignit io n is on. The con tro l u nit mon itors
t he Advanced A irbag System and tu rns th e airbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected. The func­
tion of the a irbag indicator light is descr ibed in greater deta il below.
Beca use the front passen ger seat contains importa nt parts of the
Advance d Ai rbag System, you mus t take care to p revent i t fro m be ing
dama ged. Damage to the seat may prevent t he Advance d Airbag for
t he front p assenge r seat fro m d oin g its job 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 ra tio n/d ecele ration to prov ide info rmat io n t o the Adva nced
Airbag System about t he severity of the crash.
• An elec tron ic con tro l unit, w it h i nteg rated crash senso rs fo r front
and side impacts . The contro l unit " dec ides" w het her to fire the front
a irbag s base d on th e informa tion re ceived from t he cr ash sensors.
The control unit also "decides" whether the safety be lt pretens ioners
s ho uld b e activa ted.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and cont rol va lve for the
dr ive r inside t he st eer ing whee l hub .
• An Advanced Air ba g with gas gene rator and control valve inside
t he inst rume nt pan el for the front pass enger.
• A weig ht-sensing mat unde r the upholste ry paddin g of the front
passenger seat c ushi on that measures the tota l weigh t on the seat .
T he information registe red is se nt co ntin u ously to the electronic
cont rol uni t t o reg ulate deployment of t he front Advanc ed A irbag o n
the passenger side .
• An a irbag mon itoring system and ind icator light in the inst rume nt
cluster =>
page 211.
• A sensor in each fro nt seat reg isters the distance between t he
res pective seat and the s teer ing whee l o r i nst rume nt pane l. The
information reg iste red is sent co ntin uously to the e lectro nic cont rol
uni t to reg ulate dep loyment o f the front Advanced Airbags . .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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• The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
c en ter o f the inst rument panel ~
page 212, fig. 200 and tells you
w hen the front Adva nced Airbag on th e passenge r side has been
t u rne d
off.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
t o meas ure the tension o n th e safety be lt. T he tens ion on the s afe ty
belt a nd the we ight registered by the we ight -sensing mat help the
cont rol un it " dec ide" w hether the front airbag fo r the front
passenger seat sho uld be turned
off o r not~ page 202 , "Chil d
restra ints on the front seat -some impo rtant things to know".
• A senso r in the safety belt latch for the d river and for the fro nt
seat passenger that senses w hether that safety belt is latched or not
and transmits this in formation to the e lec tron 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 must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the uphol stery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it.
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat. If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
seat . Such items can increase the weight registered by the weight·
sensing mat and send the wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Never store item s under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the pa ssenger seat could be
damaged, p reventing 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 seats .
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
se at and prevent the side airbag in the seat backre st from
deploying properly .
• Never use cushions , pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight- sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
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 cu shion or something else to properly po sition
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
installed 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 authorized Audi dealer .•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
Th e fron t Advan ced A irb ag System and t he side airbags supp lement
t he protect ion offered by the front three-po int safety bel ts w ith
pretens ioners and load limiters and the adjustable head restra ints to
help red uce the risk of i njury in a w ide range of acciden t and crash .,_

situations. Be sure to read the important information about safety
and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and the activation of the
safety belt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured by
the crash sensors and registered by the electron ic control unit. T he
amount of inflation of the front airbags can a lso be adapted to the
front seat position, depending on the distance between the respec­
tive front seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel as regis­
tered by sensors in the seats. Crash severity depends on speed and
deceleration as well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle or object
involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt use, the air bag w ill
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programm ed in the electronic control unit . The front airbag
on the passenger side will also be turned off if one of the chi ld safety
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 202, "Child rest raints 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 200. •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 199 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

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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,,