2010 AUDI A5 COUPE service

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& W ARNING (continued )
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
p rotect ion .
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore , always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehi cle 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 a irbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to tu rn 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 cond itions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehi cle .
• The Advanced Airbag System 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
passenger seat and the other conditions 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 , espec ially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size . •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag Syste
m in
compl ia nce w it h Un ited States Federal M oto r Ve hicle Sa fe ty S tan ­
dard 208 as appl icab le at the time your vehic le was manufactured.
The fro nt Advanced Ai rbag System supplemen ts the safety bel ts to
provide additional protection for the driver's and front passenger's
heads and upper bodies in fronta l cras hes. The ai rbags inflate o nly
i n fronta l im pac ts when the vehic le dece leratio n is h ig h enou gh.
T he front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is
n ot a su bstit ute fo r y ou r sa fety belts. Ra ther, i t is par t of th e overa ll
occupant restraint system in you r vehicle . A lways remember that
t he ai rbag sys te m can o nly h elp to pro tec t yo u, if y ou are sit ting
upright, wearing your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This is why
yo u an d your pas senge rs mu st always be p rope rly restrai ned, not
j us t because th e law requ ire s you to be.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
m ee t the " low r is k" requ ireme nts fo r 3 a nd 6 year -o ld c hildr en o n the
passenger s ide and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
de ploym ent cr iteria a re inte nd ed t o he lp reduc e th e risk of in jury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for
e xam ple, by be ing to o cl ose to the stee rin g wh eel and i nstru men t
panel w hen th e airbag inflates .
I n addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppressio n" r eq uirem ents of t he Sa fety Standard , to tu rn off th e
front airbag for infants 12 months old and younger who a re
r es train ed o n th e fr ont p assenger sea t i n c hild re strai nts that a re
listed in the Standard ~
page 215, "Child restraints and Advanced
A irb ags" .
"Suppression" requires the front airba g on the passenger side to be
turned off if :
• a child up to abo ut on e year o f age is res traine d on the fr ont
passenger seat in one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant
res traints l is te d in Federal Moto r Ve hicle Safe ty Standar d 208 wit h
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certifi ed . For ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WA RN ING (co ntinued)
• Th e inflating airb ag will hit th e child safety sea t o r inf ant
ca rrier with g re at f orc e and will sm ash th e child safety sea t a nd
c hild again st t he backre st, c enter armre st, doo r, or roof .
• Alway s in sta ll re arwa rd-f acing child re str aints i n the ba ck seat.
• If you mu st in stall a rearw ard facing child safety seat on the
fro nt pa ssenger seat be cau se of e xceptional cir cumstance s and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not come on and stay on ,
imm edi ately in sta ll the re ar- fa cing child safe ty s eat in a rea r
seating p osition and h ave th e airbag system in spected by your
autho riz e d Audi de aler.
& WARNING
If, in e xceptional circum sta n ce s, y ou mu st in stall a forw ard -f aci ng
c hild restraint on the front pa ssenger' s seat:
• Alway s make sure the forw ard -fa cing seat has b een de signed
and cert ified by it s manufa cturer for use on a front seat with a
pa ssenge r fr ont and side airb ag .
• Never put the forward -facing child re straint up again st or very
near the instrum ent p anel .
• Alway s move the p assenger seat into it s rearmo st po sition in
the seat's fore and aft adju stme nt r ange , as far aw ay from the
a irb ag as pos sible , before in stalling the forward -fac ing child
r e stra int . The b ackrest must be adjusted to an upright po sition .
• Make sure that the PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light come s on
a nd stay s on all the time whe never the ign it ion i s sw itch ed on . •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it. These parts inc lude the
weight -sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func -
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by
the elec­
tronic contro l unit when the ignition is on . The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the a irbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected . The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail below. Because the front passenger seat conta ins important parts
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it
from being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash.
T he front Ad van ced Airbag System consi sts of th e
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acce leration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
A irbag System about the sever ity of the crash .
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impac ts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the information received from the crash sensors . The control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag w ith gas generator and contro l valve for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and contro l valve inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger .
• A weight -sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat .
The information registered is sent continuously to the e lectronic
control unit to regu late dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger s ide.
• An airbag monito ring system and indicator light in the instru ­
ment cluster=> page
199.
• A sensor in each front sea t registers t he distance between the
respective seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel. The
information registered is sen t continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate dep loyment of the front Advanced Airbags. ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& W ARNING (continued )
airbag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneuver . Objects ne ar the
airbags can become proje ctile s and cau se injury , particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
p roblems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
c onditions .
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems , those with asthma or
other respir atory cond itions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a collision 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 t~
Tw o separate indicators monitor th e funct ion of the
Adva nced A irbag Syst em : the a ir b ag mon itor in g i ndicator
l ig ht an d the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the electronic control unit,
s en sor cir cu its a nd sys tem wiring) is mon itored co ntinuous ly to
make sure that it is functioning properly whenever the ignition is on.
E ac h tim e you turn on th e ig niti on, the ai rbag monito ring ind icator
light
t~ w ill come on for a few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
The system must be inspected wh en the indicator
light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go ou t a few sec ond s a fter you have swi tc hed on the
ignition, or
• comes on while d riv in g.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light will
fi rst sta rt fla sh ing to catch the d rive r's atten tion an d t hen stay on
cont inuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the syst em
inspected i mmedia tely.
If a mal funct ion occurs that tu rns the fro nt a irbag o n th e passe nger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whe neve r the ig nit ion is on.
& 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 . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on
the seat .
If th e PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still d oes not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer immediately.
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is proper ly restrained in a child restraint that is appropria te for
its size and age.
The
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds whi le driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that:
• the adu lt on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the
center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the back­
res t and the backrest is not reclined => page 170, "Proper occupant
seating positions",
• the adult is not taking weight of f the sea t by holding on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
supporting thei r weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
of slack in the safety belt webbing,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect reading or impression on the weight -sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger sea t,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for
t he front passenger seat .
In addition to the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light in the center of the
instrument panel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF or
PAS SEN GER AIR BA G ON wi ll briefly appear in the instrument c luster
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
a
irbag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag sy stem that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al cra sh .
• If the airb ag ind ica tor li ght come s on , it me ans that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Ai rbag S ystem. It is
po ssible that the airbag will inflate when it is not suppo sed to , or
w ill not infl ate wh en it should .
• Have the airb ag sys tem in spe cted i mmediatel y by y our autho ­
rized Aud i dealer .
& WARNING
If the front airb ag infl ate s, a child without a child re straint , in a
rear ward -fa cing ch ild safet y se at or i n a forwa rd-fa cing child
r e str aint that has not been properly in stalled will be seriously
inj ured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle i s equipped with an Adv anced Airbag
Sy stem , m ake cert ain that all children , e speci ally 1 2 year s and
younger , alway s ride on the bac k seat prope rly re strain ed for their
a ge and siz e .
• Alway s install forward or rear -facin g child safety seat s on the
re ar seat - even with an Ad vanced Airb ag System .
• If you must in stall a rearwa rd -fa cing child safety seat on the
fron t pa sse nger seat be cau se of exc eptional circu mstan ce s a nd
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not appe ar and st ay o n,
immedi atel y insta ll the r ear -f ac ing child safet y seat in a re ar ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (continued )
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter­
ference :
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi ­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag
has inf lated , it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical information , training
and special equipment necessary .
• The airbag system can be deployed only once . After an airbag
has been deployed, it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for your Audi model
version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in you r Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• In accidents when an airbag is deployed , the vehicle battery
separates the alternator and the starter from the vehicle electrical
system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehi cle or the circuit interrupter is scrapped, all appli ­
c able safety precautions must be followed .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
<£' For the sake of the environment
U
ndep loyed airbag modu les a nd p retens ioners mi ght be c lassified
as Perch lorate Mate rial -sp ecia l handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/ haza rdous waste/perc hlorate. W hen the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules safety be lts
w it h pre ten sio ne rs are scrapped, a ll appl ica ble l aws and re gula ­
tions must be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar with
t hese re qu irements and we rec om men d th at you h ave yo ur dealer
perform this service for you. •
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
Changing the vehicle 's suspension system can change the way that
t he Adva nced Airb ag Sys te m per form s in a crash . For e xamp le,
u sing ti re -rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
ve hicle , c hangi ng th e s tif fness of the sus pension , in cluding the
springs, suspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the
forc es that are meas ured by the ai rbag se nso rs a nd se nt to t he ele c­
tronic control unit. Some suspension chan ges can, for examp le,
i nc rea se t he for ce le v e ls mea sur ed by the se nso rs and make th e
ai rbag system dep lo y in cras hes in w hich it wou ld not d ep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kind s of changes may reduce
th e force l eve ls measured by t he sensors and prevent t he airba g
from deploy ing when it should .
Th e sen so rs in the s afet y b elt buckle fo r the driv er and front
passen ger seat tell the electronic control module if the safety belt is
l a tc h e d or n ot. If the safet y b elt i s bei ng use d, th e fr ont ai rb ag will
dep loy at a s lightly hi gher rate of vehic le dece leration than if the
safet y belt is not be ing u sed . The refo re, in a partic ular coll isi on, it i s
poss ible t hat an airbag will not deploy at a s eati ng position where
the safety be lt i s being used b ut wi ll inf late at the pos ition where the
sa fety belt is not being used. I t is im porta nt t hat nothi ng i nterf ere
with the safety belt b uckles so that the sens ors can send the correct
i n fo rm ati on about sa fety belt use to the elect ron ic contro l u nit. .,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's su spension includ ing use of un approved
tire -rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the ris k of serious personal injury in a crash .
• Never install suspen sion component s that do not have the
same performance chara cteristics as the components or iginally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-r im comb inations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt bu ckle and the center
c onsole can cause the sensors in the buc kle to send the wrong
information to the electroni c control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly .
• Alway s make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they are not obstructed .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified
as Perchlora te Mater ial -specia l handling may a pply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
par ts o f the res traint system inclu ding airbag modules sa fe ty be lts
with pretensioners are scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regu la ­
tions mu st be o bserved. You r aut hor ize d Au di d eale r is fami liar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dea ler
perform this service for you. •
Knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee air bags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system c an provide supplemental pr otection
to pr operly res traine d fron t sea t occupan ts .
....
! 00 m
F ig . 19 8 Drive r's kne e
airba g
The knee a irbag for the driver is located in the instrument panel
underneath the stee ring wheel => fig. 19 8, the knee air bag for the
passeng er is at about the same height in th e instrument pane l
underneath the glove compartment .
Th e kn ee ai rbag offers addi tional pr otec tion to the d river's a nd
passenger 's knees and upper and lower thigh a reas as a supple ­
me nt to t he sa fety be lts .
I f the front airbags deploy , th e knee airbags also deploy in frontal
collisions above a certain severity=>
page 197, "M ore important
things to know about front airbags".
Besides their normal safety function, safety belts wor k to help keep
th e dri ver o r fr on t passeng er in pos itio n in case of a fro ntal col lis io n
so that the airbags can provide protection .
T he airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt . Rathe r, it
is part of the overall occupant restra int system in your vehicle .
A lwa ys remember that the airbag system can only help to protect .,,_

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& WARNING (continued)
-Always sit in an upright position and never lean against the
area where the supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their head against the
side trim panel in the area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat put their hand or
any other parts of their body out of the window.
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter ­
ference .
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seat backs that have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• Objects between you and the airbag can increase the risk of
injury in an accident by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders, telephone brackets, or even large, bulky objects)
on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the
seat backrests .
- Such objects and accessories can become dangerous projec­
tiles and cause injury when the supplemental side airbag
deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the deployment space
between them and the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• Always use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight
clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
• Always prevent the side airbags from being damaged by heavy
objects knocking against or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
• The airbag system can only be triggered once. If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
• Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.I to the original seat covers
or to the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• If children are seated improperly, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident
~ page 213 , "Child Safety" .
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in any way .
• In a side collision, side airbags will not function properly if
sensors cannot correctly measure increasing air pressure inside
the doors when air escapes through larger, unclosed openings in
the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels removed.
-Never drive when parts have been removed from the inside
door panel and the openings they leave have not been properly
closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the doors have been
removed unless the speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are covered or filled if
additional speakers or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Airbag system -----------------=~-
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protection
when occupants are in the proper seating position
~ page 69,
"General recommendations" .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer. The side curtain airbag may not work properly even
when the vehicle acceleration in a side collision is high enough to
activate the airbag. •
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side airbags
to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for
occupants who are properly restrained.
..
Fig . 203 Illustration of
principle: Inflated side
curtain airbags on the
left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the occupant and the
windows on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision
~ fig. 203.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks through a seam above the front and rear
side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order to help
provide this additional protection, the side curtain airbag must
inflate within the blink of an eye at very high speed and with great
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation force. The side curtain airbag could injure you if your seating posi­
tion
is not proper or upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies espe­
cially to children ~ page 213.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain airbags can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can help to reduce the risk
of injury to the head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys. This is quite
normal and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always prop­
erly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating posi ­
tion.
ihere is a lot that you and your passengers must know and do to
help the safety belts and airbags do their job to provide supple­
mental protection .
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions
increase the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
• Never let occupants place any parts of their bodies in the area
from which the side curtain airbags inflate.
• Always make sure that the side curtain airbags can inflate
without interference. Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a head airbag can dangerously interfere with
its function. A deploying head airbag develops enough force to
catapult any piece of add-on component out of its path of inflation
and into the passenger compartment. An occupant hit by such a _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data