2011 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET ESP

________________________________________________ D_ r_ i_ v _i_n ""'g "-- S_a_ f_ e_ l _,,y'-- __
Adjusting head restraints=> page 82.
& WARNING
Driving without head rest raints or with head restraint s that are
not properl y adju sted increa se s the risk of seriou s or fatal neck
injuriy dram atically. To help reduce the risk of injury :
• Always drive w ith the h ead restraints in place and properly
adjusted.
• Every person in the vehicle must have a prope rly adju sted head
restraint.
• Always make sure each person in the vehicle properly ad justs
their head restraint. Adju st the head restraints so the upper edge
i s as even a s pos sible with th e top of your head . If that i s not
possible, try to adjust the head re straint so that it is as close to
this position as po ssible.
• Never attempt to adjust head restraint while driving. If you
have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any reason ,
first stop the vehicle safely before attempting to adju st the head
restraint.
• Children must alwa ys be properly restrained in a child re straint
that is appropriate for their age and size
=> page 221 . •
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant res traint sy stem can o nly redu ce the risk of
injury i f veh icle occup ants are properly sea ted .
Im proper seati ng positio ns can caus e ser ious inju ry o r death .
Safety belts can on ly work w hen t hey are pro perly posi tio ned
on t he body. Impro per sea tin g posit io ns re duce the effect ive­
ness of safety belts and w ill even increase the risk of i njury
and deat h by moving the s afety belt to crit ic a l areas of the
body. Imp roper seati ng positions also increase the r is k of
serious injury and death when an airbag deploys and str ikes
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
an occ
upan t who is not in th e proper s eati ng pos ition . A
d river is respons ib le f or t he safe ty o f all vehic le occu pants
a nd especial ly for children . Therefore:
- Never allow anyone to a ssum e an in correc t sea ting pos i-
t ion whe n the v ehic le is bei ng us ed::::;, &.
The follow ing b ulletins list only some sample positions that will
increase the risk of serious in ju ry and death. O ur hope is that these
examples will ma ke you mo re awa re of seat ing posi tions t hat are
dangero us.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving :
• never stand up in the vehicle
• never stand on the seats
• never knee l on t he se ats
• never ride with the seatback reclined
• never lie down on the rear seat
• never le an up agains t th e ins tru ment panel
• never sit on the edge of the seat
• neve r sit s ideways
• never lean o ut the win dow
• never put your feet out the window
• never p ut yo ur feet on the ins trumen t panel
• never rest your feet on the seat c ush ion or back of the seat
• never ride in the footwell
• never ride in the cargo area
& WARNING
Improper seating position s in crease the ri sk of seriou s personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

• ....__D_ r_iv _i_ n_, g=-- S_ a _ f_e _,Ly _ ______________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can fly through the
vehicle causing serious personal injury in the event of hard braking
or an accident. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
• Always put objects, for example, luggage or other heavy items
in the luggage compartment .
• Always secure objects in the luggage compartment using the
tie-down eyelets and suitable straps.
& WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle handles. To help
reduce the risk of a loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
• Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a
change in the center of gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
-Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compart-
ment as possible.
• Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating specified on the safety compliance sticker on the
left door jamb . Exceeding permissible weight standards can cause
the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
• Please observe information on safe driving=>
page 176.
in. WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
& WARNING (continued)
• If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open , observe the
following notes to reduce the risk of poisoning:
-Close all windows,
- Close the power top,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
in. WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows, the power top and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
injury when the vehicle is not being used.
• After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly
closed and locked.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open. A child could crawl into the vehicle through the luggage
compartment and close the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicle
occupants must always be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle's seating positions .
(I) Tips
• Air circulation helps to re du ce win dow fogging. Stale air escap es
to the outside th rough vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep t hese
slots free and open.
• Th e tire pressure must correspond to the load . The tire pressure is
shown on the tir e pressure label. The tire pressure label is located on .,_

_____________________________________________ S_a _f _e _t _y _b_ e_lt _ s __ _
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how
they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instructions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of your passengers, always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions: two in the front and
two in the rear . Each seating position has a safety belt .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Not wearing
safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride
in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint. •
Safety belt warning light t
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver and (on
USA models only) front seat passenger to remind you
about the importance of buckling-up.
Before driving off, always:
Fig. 185 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster -
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly .
IJ,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

.. Safety belts PJWI _______________ _
-Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=> fig. 194, => & .
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely=>
page 194, fig. 192.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• Expectant mothers must always wear the lap portion of the
safety belt as low as possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information =:-
& in "Fastening safety belts" on page 194. •
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 195 Releasing
the tongue from the
buckle
-Push the red release button on the buckle=> fig. 195. The
belt tongue will spring out of the buckle=>& .
- Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you guide the belt
tongue to its stowed position .
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so
will increase your risk of being injured or killed.•
Improperly worn safety belts .
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
ries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly
positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and w ill even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body. Improper seating positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and strikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children . Therefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi­
tion in the vehicle while traveling=>,& .
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
IJI,

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g '--- s.:.y _s _t_ e _ m ___ _
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
=>
page 178,
- Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 78,
-Wear safety belts properly=> page 192,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children=>
page 221.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. Therefore in
order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a driver
and as a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions =:,
page 178, "Proper occupant seating positions" . For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 78.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=:,
page 221.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
There
is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system .
Proper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If you have a physical impairment or condi­
tion that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat with
the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, special
modifications to your vehicle may be necessary .
Contact your authorized Audi dealer, or call Audi Customer Relations
at 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator will fill the airbags, break open the padded covers, and inflate between the steering
wheel and the driver and between the instrument panel and the front
passenger. The airbags will deflate immediately after deployment so
that the front occupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people
don 't even realize that the airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy . Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement.
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside the vehicle while reducing the forces
acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help to
reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal collisions . The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration rate
caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control unit.
If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control
unit , the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage , repair .._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_________________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,g :;..__ s-=y '"- s_ t_ e_ m __ _
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be su re to re ad t he i mpo rt a nt i nfo rmation a nd head the
WA RNINGS fo r i mporta nt details about chil dre n and
Advanced Airbags ~
page 221.
Even t hough your ve hicle is eq uipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, ma ke ce rtain that a ll chi ld ren, especia lly those 12 years an d
younger, always r ide in the back seat prope rly rest rained fo r th eir age
and si ze. The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a
po tentially da ngerous place fo r a child to r ide. The fro nt seat is not
the safest place for a ch ild in a forward-facing child safety seat. It can
be a very dange rous place fo r an i nfan t or a child in a rearward-fac ing
seat.
Th e Advanced Ai rbag System in your vehicle has been cer tified to
comply with the Req uirements of Uni ted States Federa l Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your veh icle
was ma nufact ured .
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be tu rne d off ("s uppressed") if a c hild up to abou t one ye ar of age
restra ined in o ne of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant
restra ints listed in Fed era l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
whic h the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle was cert ified has
been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the ch ild
restra in ts that were used to certify compliance with the US Saf ety
Standard =>
page 223.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t in th e in st rume nt p anel t ells you
when the front Advanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
tur ned off by the ele ct ronic con trol uni t.
Each time you t urn on the ignition, t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if th e front passenger se at is no t oc cupie d,
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child restra int on the front
p assenge r se at,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occup ied by an adult as
reg iste red by t he weight -sens ing mat =>
page 210, "M oni tor ing t he
Advanced Airbag System" .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes o n when t he control unit
de tects a total weight on t he front passenger seat that req uires the
front airbag to be t urned off .
If th e total weight o n the front passenger seat is more than th at of a
typical 1 year-o ld child but less than the weight of a small adult, the
fr on t a ir bag on the passenge r si de c an deploy (t he
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on) . 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 electronic co ntrol unit and can deploy if
the control unit senses an impact t hat meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
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 (rega rd less of whether the chi ld is in one of the
child safety seats listed =>
page 223), or
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenger
sea t.
If the fro nt passenger a irbag is tur ned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht comes on in the instr ument cluster an d stays on.
Th e fron t airbag on t he pa sse nger side may
not de ploy ( the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not illum inate and stay lit) even
if a small a dult or teenager, o r a passenger who is no t sitti ng upright
with their back against a non-reclined backrest w ith the ir feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=>
page 178, " P roper seat ing pos itio n for the dr iver".
If the front passenger ai rbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
t he a irbag to mee t the "low risk" deployme nt cr iter ia to reduce the
risk of inj ury through interaction with the a irbag. "Low r isk" deploy­
me nt o ccurs in those cras hes t hat tak e pla ce a t lower decelerat io ns as
I),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNIN G (con tinued )
• Imprope r in stall ation of child re straints can redu ce their effec·
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection.
• An improperl y installed child re straint c an interfere with the
airbag a s it deploy s and seriously injure or even kill the child - even
with an Advanced Airbag Sy stem.
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer 's instruct ions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
• Ne ver place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight regi stered by the weight-sen sing mat and can cause
injury in a crash .•
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
T he airbag system can p rovide supplemental protection
to properly r estrained front se at oc cupants .
Safety first
Fig . 19 6 Locatio n of
drive r airb ag : in
s tee ring whee l
Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
Fig. 19 7 Locati on of
fr on t pass enge r's
a ir bag: in the instru ­
me nt pa nel
Yo ur vehicle is equi pped with an "Advanced A irbag Syst em" in compli ·
ance with United States Fe dera l Moto r Vehicle Safety Sta ndard
(FMVSS) 2 08 as a pplicable at t he time your vehi cle was manufac­
t u red . The system senses the position of the front seats and controls
front a irbag infl ation w ith a va lv e , dep ending on th e distanc e
between the respective seat and the stee ring wheel or instrument
pane l. The safe ty belts fo r the seats have "prete ns ione rs" t hat he lp to
take slack out of the belt system. The p retensioners are also activated
by the elec tron ic control u nit for the air bag sys tem.
T he front s afe ty belts also have load limiters to help red uce the forces
applied to the body in a cras h.
Th e airbag for the driver is in the stee ring whee l hub::::> fig. 196 and
the ai rbag for the front passenger is in the inst rument panel
::::> fig. 19 7. T he ge neral lo cat io n of the air bags is m ark e d "A IRBAG".
Th ere is a lot you need to know about the a irbags in your vehicle. We
urge yo u to read the det ailed in forma tion abou t air bags, sa fety be lts
and child safety in this and the other chap ters tha t make u p the
owner's literature. Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
e xtremely importa nt f or your safety and the saf ety of your pas se n­
gers, especially infants and sma ll ch ildren.
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

111,___A_ i_rb _ a_,g=-- s_, y:;.. s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
protection.
• Airbag work most effectivel y when used with properly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained.
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
c hildren, 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 turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child i s on the front pa ssenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these spec ial conditions is
impos sible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in a ccordance 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 po sition .
• For their own safety , all children , especially 12 years and
younger, should alway s ride in the back properly re strained for
the ir age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced A irbag System in
comp li a nce wi th Unit ed State s F edera l Motor Vehicle Sa fety Sta ndar d
208 as applicable at t he time your veh icle was manufactured.
Th e front A dvanced A irbag System s upplements the safety belts to
prov ide addit ional p rotect ion fo r the driver's a nd front passenger's
hea ds and uppe r bodies in fronta l crashes . The airbags inflate only in
fronta l impa cts when the vehicle dece leration is high enoug h.
T he front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is not
a subs titu te for your s afe ty be lts. R athe r, it is part o f the ove rall occu­
pant restra int system in your ve hicle. Always remember t hat the
airbag sys tem ca n on ly hel p to protect you, if yo u are sitting upr igh t,
wearing your safety be lt and wear ing it prope rly . T his is why you and
your passengers must always be p roperly restra ined, not just beca use
t he law requires you to be .
The Advanced A irbag System in your veh icle has been cert ified to
meet the " low r isk " req uirem ents fo r 3 a nd 6 year-old childre n on the
passenger s ide and very small adu lts on the driver s ide. T he low r isk
dep loyme nt crite ria are in tende d to hel p r educe t he ris k of injury
throug h interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for example,
by being too close to the steering wheel and instr ume nt pane l whe n
t he airbag i nflates.
In addit ion, the system has been cert ified to comply with t he
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand ard, to turn off the
front airbag for infants 12 mont hs old and younger who are
res trained on the fron t passenger sea t in child re strai nts th at ar e
listed in the Standard~
page 223, "Child restraints and Advanced
Air bags".
" Sup pression" requ ires the front a irbag on the passenger side to be
turned off if:
• a chi ld up to about one year o f age is restra ined on the fron t
passenge r seat in one of t he rear-faci ng or forward-facing infant
res train ts lis ted in F eder al Motor Vehicle S afety Stand ard 208 wit h
w hich the Advanced A irbag System in yo ur vehicle was ce rtified . Fo r a .,_