2010 AUDI A5 COUPE seats

Because the passengers of this vehicle are not using safety belts
=:> page 180, fig. 185, they will keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, until something stops
them -here, the wall
=:> page 180, fig. 186.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph
(30 to 50 km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or more . At greater speeds, these forces are
even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was travelling just before the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they
determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions. •
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Safety first
Fig . 187 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Safety belts
Fig . 188 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the
driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the way=:> fig. 187. This impact with the vehicle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not
supposed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver,
must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of
severe injury or death in a crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and that your
safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accidents
in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have
already deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the
vehicle where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly . Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other passengers=:> fig. 188. In a
frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently, where they can hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
Vehicle care I I Technical data

__ __::S~a ~f ~e ~ty ~ b~ e~ l~ t ~s ____________________________________________ _
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to brace the
body in a minor collision. It's simply not true!
Fi g. 189 Driver is
co rrec tly res trai ned in
a sudden braking
m an euver
Safety belts used properly can make a big difference . Safety belts
help to keep passengers in their seats, gradually reduce energy
levels applied to the body in an accident , and help prevent the
uncontrolled
movement that can cause serious injuries. In addition,
safety be lts reduce the danger of being thrown out of the vehic le.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and g ive them the benefit
of being s lowed down more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety features engineered
into today's vehicles . By "absorbing" the kinetic energy
over a
longer period of time, the safety belts make the forces on the body
more "tolerable" and less like ly to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision , safety
belts can also substantially reduce the risk of injury in other kinds
of crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to the
corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Acci ­
dent statistics show that vehicle occupants proper ly wearing safety
bel ts have a lower risk of being injured and a much better chance o f
surviving an accident . Proper ly using safety belts also greatly
increases the abi lity of the supplementa l airbags to do their job in a
collision. For this reason, wearing a safety be lt is legally required in
most countries including much of the United States and Canada . Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you sti
ll have to wear
the safety belts provided . Fron t airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions . T he front airbags are not activated in
all frontal col lisions, in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough dece leration through impact to the
front of the vehicle . The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt and make sure
every ­
body in your vehic le is properly restrained! •
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned across
t he strongest bones of your body.
Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
this chapter.
Make sure tha t your safe ty belts are a lways ready for use
and are not damaged .
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or w earing them improperl y increas es
the ri sk of s eriou s pers onal inj ury an d death . S afe ty belt s can work
onl y w hen used corre ctl y.
• Alway s fas te n yo ur sa fe ty belt s corre ctl y befo re dri ving off and
mak e sure all p assenger s ar e correctly re strain ed.
• For m aximum protect ion , safet y belt s mu st alway s be p osi­
ti oned properly on the body .
• Never strap more th an one person , includi ng sm all child ren ,
into any belt.
• Never pla ce a sa fety belt ove r a child sitting on your l ap .
• Alway s keep feet in t he foot well
in front of the seat while t he
vehi cle is being dri ven .
~

___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
-Insert t he tongue into the correct b uckle of y our seat
unt il you h ea r it la tc h securely~ fig. 190.
Pull on t he belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
Aut om ati c sa fe ty belt re tra cto rs
Eve ry safety be lt is equipped with an automatic belt retractor on the
shoulder belt. This feature locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may a lso lock
when you drive up or down a steep hill or through a sharp curve .
During normal driving the belt lets you move free ly.
Safety belt prete nsi oners
The safety belts are equipped with a be lt pretensioner that he lps to
tighten the sa fety be lt and remove slack when the pretensioner is
activated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a
warning light=>
page 14 .
Swit chable locking fe ature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver sea t is equipped with
a switchab le locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt
is used to a ttach a chi ld safe ty sea t. Be sure to read the important
information about this feature=>
page 223.
& WARNING
Improper ly positioned safet y belts can cause seriou s inj ury in an
accident =>
page 184 , "Safety belt po sitio n".
• Safet y belts offer opt imum protection on ly when the seat back
i s upright and belt s are properly po sition ed on t he bod y.
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to whi ch the
c enter r ear sa fet y belt i s atta ched i s sec ure ly lat ched whe nev er
the rear center saf ety belt i s being us ed. If the ba ckrest is not
s ecu rely lat ched, the pas senge r will mo ve fo rward with the back ­
rest dur ing sudden braking , in a sudden maneu ver and e spec iall y
in a cra sh.
& W AR N ING (continu ed )
• Never attach the safety belt to the buck le for anothe r seat .
Atta ch ing th e be lt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
e ffe ctivenes s and can ca use seriou s per son al injur y.
• A p assenger who i s not prope rly re str ained can be s eriousl y
injured by the saf ety belt it self wh en it m ove s from the stronger
p art s of the body into criti ca l area s like the abd omen .
• Alway s lock the convert ible lo ck ing retractor when you are
s ecu ring a ch ild safety se at in the v ehi cle
=> page 2 25. •
Safety belt position
Correct belt posi ti o n is the key to getting maximum
protecti on f rom safety be lts.
Fig . 191 He ad r est ra in t
an d sa fe ty b elt p osi­
tion a s seen from th e
sid e
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust the position of
the safety belt to match your body size .
• height -adjustable front seats.
& WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety belts can cau se seriou s pe rsonal
injury in an a ccident .

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_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 ch ildren and
Advanced Airbags~
page 213 .
Even though your vehic le is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that a ll children, especia lly those 12 years and
younger , always ride in the back seat proper ly restrained for 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 place for a chi ld in a forward -facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a child in a rearward ­
facing seat.
The Advanced Ai rbag 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
turned off ("suppressed") if a chi ld up to about one year of age
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant res traints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was cert ified has
been insta lled on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 215.
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition , the
PASSEN GER AIR BA G OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied, •
will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight-sensing mat=>
page 199, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a tota l weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typica l 1 year -old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PA SSE NGER
A IR BA G OFF
light does not come on). If the P ASSE NGER AIR B AG
O FF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger s ide
has not been turned off by the electronic control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi ­
tions stored in its memory.
F o r e xample , th e a ir b ag m ay dep loy if:
• a small ch ild that is heavier than a typical 1 year -o ld child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed
=> page 215), or
• a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSEN GER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on.
The fron t airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is no t sitting upright
with their back against a non -reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehic le floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=> page 170, "Proper seating position for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of injury through interact ion with the airbag. "Low risk" d eploy­
ment occu rs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations .,.

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ _
as defined in the electronic control unit~ page 200, "PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF lig ht" .
A lways remember, a chi ld safety seat or infant carrier insta lled on
the front seat may be struck and knocked out of position by the
rap id ly i nfla ting pass enger 's airbag in a frontal c olli sion . The airba g
co uld greatly reduce the effectiveness of the chi ld re straint and
e ven s eriously in ju re the chi ld dur ing infla tion.
F or this reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest place for
chi ldr en -when prop erly res traine d acc ordi ng to th eir age an d size
- w e stro ngly recom mend that c hildren a lwa ys s it in th e bac k seat
~ page 213, "Chil d Safe ty ".
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety 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 safety seat o r 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-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety 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 safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
pa ssenger'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-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 against 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 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
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on , perform
the checks described
~ page 199 , "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint 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 the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately .
• 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

___ A_ ir_b _a_ g;:::;_ s--:.. y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (con tinued )
• Improper in stallation of child re straints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from p roviding any protection .
• An improperly installed child re straint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child -
even with a n Advanced Airbag System .
• Always carefully follow the manufa cturer's instruction s
provided with the child safety seat or carrier .
• Never pl ace additional items on the seat that can in crease the
total weight regi stered by the weight -sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash .
u
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The air bag system c an pr ovi de su ppleme ntal pr otecti on
t o prop erl y re stra ined fr ont se at occu pant s.
Fig . 194 Location of
driver airbag: in
s teering wheel F
ig . 195 Locat ion of
front pa ssenger' s
airbag : in the in stru ­
ment pa nel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Airbag System" in
complia nce with United States Federal M oto r Ve hicle Sa fe ty Stan ­
dard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manu ­
f actured. The sys tem senses the posi tion o f the front sea ts a nd
co ntrols front airbag i nflat io n with a va lve, depending on the
distance between the respective seat and the steering whee l or
i nstru ment pane l. The sa fety be lts for t he seats have "pr eten­
sioners" that help to take slac k out of the belt system. The preten ­
s io n ers are als o ac tiva ted by the electronic con trol unit fo r t he
a irbag system.
T he front safe ty be lts als o have load limite rs t o h elp reduce the
fo rces applied to the body in a crash.
T he airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel hub~ fig. 194 and
t h e air bag for the fr ont passeng er is in th e in stru men t pa nel
~ fig. 195. The genera l location of the airbags is marked " AIRBAG".
T here is a lot you nee d to know ab out the airbags in y our ve hicle. We
ur ge you to read the deta iled information about airbags, safety belts
and child safety in this and the other chapters that make up the
owner's literature . P lease be sur e to heed the WARNINGS - th ey are
e xtremely important for your safety and the safety of your passen ­
gers, espec ia lly in fants a nd sma ll ch ildr en.
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _ s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your
vehicle's compliance with the US Safety Standard=>
page 215,
• weight less than a threshold level stored in the control unit is
detected on the front passenger seat.
When a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing more than the total weight of a child that is about 1 year old
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant
restraints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified),
the front airbag on the passenger side may or may not deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the electronic
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requires the front airbag to be turned off. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typical
1 year-old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on).
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year-old child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed=>
page 215!,
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel will come on and stay
on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat •
a passenger who is not sitting upright with their back against a
non -reclined backrest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to help reduce
the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag . "Low risk"
deployment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower decel­
erations as defined in the electronic control unit.=>
page 199
Always remember:
Even though your vehicle is equipped with
Advanced Airbags, the safest place for children is properly
restrained on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important
information in the sections that follow and be sure to heed all of the
WARNINGS.
& 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 188.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety 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.
• 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 situations that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle.
~

_,___A_ ir_ b_ a.::g <-- s-- • The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
c en ter of the instru ment panel =>
page 200, fig. 197 a nd tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
t urned off.
• A sensor be low the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to m easure the tension on the sa fety be lt. The tensi on on the sa fety
belt and the weight reg istered by the weight -sensing mat help the
cont rol unit "decide" whe ther the fron t ai rbag for the fr ont
passenger seat shou ld be turned off or not=>
page 190, "Child
r est raints on the front seat -some im portant t hings t o know".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iver and for the front
seat passenge r that se nses whe the r tha t safety belt is la tched or not
and transmits this information to the electronic control unit.
& 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 tra ined workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehi cle .
• 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 (continued )
• Never store items under the front passenger seat. Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from work ing
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 Sy stem from
recogn izing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
s eat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest 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 cushion or something el se to properly position
the ch ild restraint , make certa in that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes 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 in stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he fr ont Adva nced Ai rbag Sys tem a nd th e side air bag s su ppl eme nt
the protection offered by the front three -point safety be lts with
pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustab le head re straints
to help reduce the risk of in jury in a w ide ran ge of acc ident and .,_