2011 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET warning

Airbag system Ill
----------------=--=---
& WARNING (co ntinued )
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• A tight tether o r other strap on a rearward -facing child
restraint attached to the front pa ssenger 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 heavier weight regi stered
can make the system work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advan ced Airbag when it mu st be suppre ssed
causing serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If , in exceptional circumstanc es, you must install a forward­
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat, always move
the seat into its rearmost 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 doe s not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is 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
em pty seat, the front airbag on the passenge r side will be t urne d off,
and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.•
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system a
re insta lled at many different places on
your Audi. I nstall ing, remov ing, serv icing o r rep airi ng a pa rt in an
area of the vehicle ca n damage a part of a n airbag system and prevent
t ha t sys tem from working prope rly in a coll is io n.
Th ere are some importa nt things you have to know to ma ke sure t hat
the effectiveness of the system will not be impai red and that
dis ca rded compo nents do not cause injury or po llute t he e nvir on­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , serv icing 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 units .
• 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 has the training and special equip­ ment necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system, we strongly recommend
that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body . ..,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Airbag system ------=-~-----------------------------------
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Always make sure that the side a irbag can inflate without
interference :
- Never in stall seat covers or replacement uphol stery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use addit ional se at cushions that cover the areas
where the side ai rbags 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 author ized Audi dealer.
• The airbag system can be activated only on ce. After an airbag
has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the techni cal information, t raining
and special equipment necessary.
• The airbag sy stem can be deploy ed only once. After an airbag
has been dep loyed , it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved e specially for your Audi model
version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or a irbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops onl y.
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your 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 reason s with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupte r.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is sc rapped , all appli ­
cable safety precautions must be followed.
W For the sake of the environment
Un deployed ai rbag modu les and p retensione rs might be class ified as
Perch lorate Materia l -special handling may ap ply, see
www.dts c.ca.gov/ha za rdouswas te/pe rchlorate. When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing a irbag modu les safety belts
w it h pretensioners are s crapped, all appli cable laws and regula tions
must be observed. Your author ized Aud i dealer is familiar with these
req uiremen ts and we recommen d that you have your dealer perfo rm
this serv ice for you. •
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the vehicle's suspension system can change the way that
t h e Advan ced Airbag System pe rforms in a cr ash . For e xamp le, usi ng
tire-rim combinations not app roved by Audi, lowering the vehicle,
c hang ing the stiffness o f th e suspension, incl uding the sp rings,
suspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the forces that
are meas ure d by the a irba g sensors and sent to the ele ct ronic contro l
unit . Some suspension changes can, fo r exam ple, increase the force
levels measured by the senso rs and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which i t would not deploy if the changes had no t been
ma de . Other kinds of changes may reduce the force levels meas ured
by the sensors and p revent the airbag from dep loying when it should.
T he sensors in the safety belt b uckle for the drive r and front
p as senge r se at tell the e lectroni c cont rol mo dule if the sa fe ty belt is
latched or not . If the safety belt is being used, t he front a irbag w ill
dep loy a t a s lightly h igher r ate o f vehicle decele ration t han if t he
safety belt is not be ing used . Therefo re, in a par ticular collis io n, it is
possible that an a irba g w ill not dep loy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but w ill inflate at the posit ion where the
safety belt is not be ing use d. It is im portant that nothing interfere
w it h t he safety belt bu ckles so that the sensors can se nd the co rrect
info rmation about safety be lt use to the electronic contro l unit.
~

& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's susp ension including use of unapproved
tire -rim combination s can change Advan ced Airbag performance
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash .
• Never install suspension component s that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle.
• Ne ver use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the electronic control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly.
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they a re not obstructed .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be class ified as
P erch lo rate Mate rial -special handling m ay app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts o f th e re st ra int system includin g airb ag modu les s afety belts
with pretens io ners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regulat ions
must be observed . Your authorized Aud i dealer is fam iliar with these
req uirements and we recommend that you have your dealer perform
this service for yo u.•
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
Knee airbags
App lies to ve hi cle s: w ith K nee air b ags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system can provid e su pplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants .
....
! 00 m
Fig . 2 00 Driv er' s knee
a ir bag
T he kne e airbag fo r the driver is located in the instrument panel
undernea th the s teer ing whee l~ fig. 20 0, the knee airbag for the
passenge r is at about the same height in the instr ument pane l u n de r­
neath the g love compa rtment.
Th e knee air bag offers ad diti onal protec tion t o th e driver's and
passenger 's knees and upper and lower thigh areas as a supplement
t o the sa fety belts .
If the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags also deploy i n frontal
co llisions above a certain severity ~
pag e 208, "M ore important
things to know about front airbags" .
Bes ides the ir no rmal safety function, safety be lts work to help keep
t he drive r o r fro nt pa ssenger i n posi tion in cas e o f a fr ontal coll isio n
so that the airbags can prov ide p rotect io n.
Th e a irbag system is not a substitute for your safety be lt. Rather, it is
part o f the ove rall occ upant rest rai nt system in your veh icle . Always
r emember t hat the airbag system can only help to protect you if you •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

__ ....!:.A~i~r ~b ~a ~g;L: s~y '...:s~ t~ e~ m'...!.!. ____________________________________________ _
are wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is why you
should always wear your safety belt, not just because the law requires
you to do so:::::,
page 189, "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
deploy at a slightly higher rate of deceleration than if the belt is not
being used. Therefore, in a particular collision, it is possible that an
airbag will not deploy at a seat ing position where the safety belt is
being used but will inflate at the position where the safety belt 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
those 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 works most effectively 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 designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions can
also be associated with airbags.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
• The electronic control module
• T wo inflatable airbags (airbag and gas generator), one for the
dr iver 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 collisions when the deceleration measured by the
control unit is too low
• in s ide collisions •
in rear-end collisions
• in rollovers
• in the event of a system ma lfunction (warning/indicator light illu­
m ina ted):::::,
page 14.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system can only provide protection
when occupants are in the proper seating position :::::,
page 208.
• 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. •
Applies to veh icles: w ith Knee a irbags
How knee airbags work
The risk of injury to the leg area is reduced by fully
deployed knee airbags .
Fig. 201 Inflated
airbags protecting in a
frontal collision
The knee ai rbag system has been designed so that the airbags for the
driver and front passenger are deployed in certain but not all frontal
collisions. ..,

----------------------------------------------~A....::..:.... ir:....: b.::..:;; a..::g ~ s~y -=s:....: t:...: e:...: m...:....:.. __ lffll
If the front air bags deploy, th e knee a irbags also dep loy i n fronta l
coll is ions ab ove a c ertain s everity.
When the sys tem is d epl oyed , the ai rb a gs s ta rt to fill wi th a propel­
lant gas, a nd inflate between the lowe r pa rt of t he instr ument pane l
and th e drive r an d th e l owe r part of the in strum ent pan el a nd t he
front passenger ~
page 208, fig. 198.
Al th ou gh they are no t a soft pil low, they can cus hion th e impact and
in t his way th ey can help to red uce the risk of in jury to t he lower
extremities.
A ll thi s t akes pla ce in stan tan eously , so fas t th at ma ny pe opl e don 't
even rea lize that t he airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
w ith a g reat d eal o f for ce and it is im portant for o ccupa nt saf ety th at
nothing sh ould be in their way when t hey deploy .
F ully in flated airba gs i n com binatio n with pr ope rly wo rn safety belts
slow dow n and limit the occ upant's forwa rd movement a nd he lp to
re duce the risk. •
Applies to veh icles : w it h Kn ee air ba gs
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags ar e only supp lem en tal r estra ints . Alw ays wear
s a fe ty be lts cor re ctly and ride in a proper seating pos i­
ti on .
Th ere is a lot that you an d yo ur passe ngers m ust know an d do to help
the sa fet y b elts and airbags to p rov id e su pp lemen tal protec tio n.
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious injury. Wearing safety
belts incorrectly and improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(cont inued )
• The airbag system cannot protect you properly if you are seated
too close to any of the airbag locations. When adjusting their seat positions, it is important that both the driver and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances:
- 10 inches (25 cm) between the chest and the steering
wheel/instrument panel.
-4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of
the instrument panel.
• The risk of personal injury increases if you lean forward or to
the side, or if the seat is improperly positioned and you are not
wearing your safety belt. The risk increases even more should the
airbag deploy .
• Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without
interference. Objects between yourself and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by interfering with the way the
airbag deploys or by being pushed into you as the airbag deploys.
-No persons (children) or animals should ride in the footwell
in front of the passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this can
result in serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in the footwell area
in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can hamper or prevent proper deploy­
ment of the airbag. Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers.
• Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratches or other damage
in the area of the instrument panel where the knee airbags are
located.
• If children are incorrectly seated, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident~
page 221, "Child Safety". •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ i_ r_b _ a_ g=- s_, y"-- s_t _e _m ______________________________________________ _
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 202 S ide airbag
l o cat ion
in the d rive r's
s e at
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
~ page 218 , fig. 202. They are identified by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag sy stem basicall y consists of :
• the electronic control module and external s ide impact sensors
• t he two side airbags located in t he sides o f the front backrests
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
T he airbag sys tem is moni tore d ele ct ronically to make certa in that it
is funct ioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
t ion , the airbag system indicator light w ill come o n for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The side airbag system supp lements the safety belts and can he lp to
red uce the risk of injury to the drive r's an d front passenge r's upper
torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision . The
a irbag dep loys o nly in side impac ts an d only when the veh icle acceler ­
ation registered by the contro l unit is h igh eno ugh. If this rate is
below the refe rence val ue p rogrammed into the control u nit, t he side
airbags will not be triggered, eve n thoug h the car may be badly damaged as a resu
lt of the collision. It is not possib le to define an
air bag trigger ing range tha t w ill cove r eve ry poss ible an gle o f imp act,
since the circumsta nces will vary considerab ly between one collision
and another . Important factors incl ude, for example, the nature
(hard or soft) of the impact ing object, the a ngle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.~
page 219, "Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system" .
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safety be lts work to he lp
keep the driver or fron t passenger in po sit io n in t he event of a side
collision so that the side airbags ca n provide p rotect ion.
T he a irbag system is
not a substitute for your safety be lt. Rather, it is
pa rt of the ove rall occupant res trai nt system in your veh icle. Always
remember that the side airbag system can only help to protect you if
you a re wear ing yo ur safety belt and wea ring it properly. This is
another reason why you shou ld always wear your safety belts, not just
bec ause t he law requires you to do so~
page 189, '' Genera l no tes ".
It is important to remember that while the supp lemental s ide airbag
system is designed to red uce the lik elihood o f serious injuries, other
injuries, fo r example, swe lli ng, br uis ing , and minor abras io ns can
also be assoc iated w ith deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will de ploy only once and only in cert ain kinds of acc idents -
your safety belts are a lways there to offer protection.
Vehicle dam age, re pair costs o r even the la ck of vehicle dam age are
not necessarily an ind ication of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t ion. In some collisions, both front and side airbags may infla te .
Remember too , tha t airbags will de ploy only once and only in certa in
kinds of collisions -yo ur sa fety bel ts are a lways the re to offe r protec ­
tion i n those accide nts in which airbags ar e not s upposed to deploy o r
when they have already dep loyed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
• when the ign ition is turned off
• in side co llisi ons when the accelerat ion measured by the sensor is
t oo low
• in front -end col lisions ._

• in rear-end collisions
• in rollover s.
In some types of accide nts the front a irbags a nd side a irbags may be
t rig gere d together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide prote ction
when occupants are in the proper seating position=> page
219 .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on 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 activate the
airbag. •
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy ins tan tly an d can help reduce the risk
o f upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly
restrained.
Fig . 203 I nflated side
a ir ba gs on left side of
v eh icle
Wh en the system is trigge red, the airbag is filled w ith prop ellan t gas
and breaks through a seam in the seat s urface area marked
" AIR BAG".
It expand s between the side trim panel and the pa ssenger.
In order to he lp provide this additional protection, the s ide airbag
Safety
first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
must inflate w ith in a fract ion of a seco nd at ve ry high speed and w it h
great for ce. T he supp lemen tal side air bag cou ld injure you if yo ur
seating position is not proper or upr ight o r if items ar e located in the
area w here the s upplementa l side ai rbag expands. This applies espe­
cially to children=>
page 221, ''Child Safety" . S upplementa l side
air bags inflate between the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the ve hicl e that is st ruck in certain side collision=> fig. 203 .
Altho ugh they are not a soft pillow, they can "cushion" the impact
and in this way they ca n help to re duc e the ris k of injury to the u pper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develo p when the airbag deploys. This is normal an d
does not mea n the re is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbag s are o nly su pplemen tal rest raints . A lway s pr op ­
e rl y wear safety b elts and ride i n a pr op er se ating p osi­
tion .
There is a lot that you and yo ur passengers must k now and act accord­
ingly to help t he safety be lts and a irbags do t he ir job to provide
supplementa l protection.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cau se serious or fatal injury. Improp­
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating position s increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is
being used .
• In order to redu ce the risk of injury when the supplemental
side airbag inflate s:
- Alway s sit
in an upright position and never lean against the
area where the supplemental side airbag is located . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
- 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 interference.
- 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 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 .
• Always prevent the side airbags from being damaged by heavy
objects knocking against or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• 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.) 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 221, "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 . •