2011 AUDI A5 COUPE Owners Manual

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!
Fig. 170 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Fig. 171 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. 170. This impact with the vehicle
interio r 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
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
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 . 171. In a
frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
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!
Fig. 172 Driver is
correctly restrained in
a sudden braking
maneuver
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 belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the vehicle. .,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

___ s_a_ f_ e_ t_ y _ b_e _l_t _s ___________________________________________ _
Safety be lts attach passe ngers to t he car an d give th em the benef it of
b ei ng s lo we d d own mor e gentl y or "so ftly" throu gh th e "give" in the
sa fety bel ts, crush z ones a nd oth er safety feat ures engin eered in to
today 's vehicles . By "absor bing" the kinetic e ner gy over a lo ng er
p eriod of time, th e saf ety belts make the forces o n th e body mor e
"to lerable" and less likely to ca use inju ry .
Alt hou gh the se ex amp les a re based on a fr ontal col lis ion, safety bel ts
can a lso s ubstantially red uce the risk of in jur y in other ki nds of
cras hes. So , whe ther you 're o n a long tri p o r ju st go in g to th e co rner
sto re, a lways b uckle up a nd make sure others do, too. Accident statis­
t ics s how t hat vehi cle occupan ts properly wea rin g safety belts have a
lower risk of bei ng in jured and a muc h better cha nce of s urvivi ng an
acc ident. Properly usi ng safety belts also greatly increases the ability
of the supp lemental a irbags to do t heir job in a co llisio n. For this
reason, wea ring a safety belt is lega lly re quir ed in most countries
including muc h of th e Uni ted Stat es and Canad a.
Altho ugh your Audi is equipped with a irbags, yo u still have to wear
t he s afety bel ts provi ded. Fr ont airba gs, for ex ample, are activ ated
only in some fro nta l collisions . T he front a irbags are not activated in
all fr ont al collis ions, in side and re ar co llisions, in ro ll overs or in cases
w her e th er e is no t enough d ecelerat io n t hroug h im pac t to th e fron t
o f th e ve hicle. T he same goes for the ot he r air bag sys tems in yo ur
Audi. So, always wear your saf ety be lt and make sure eve rybody in
your vehicle is properly restrai ned! •
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
S afety bel ts m ust alw ays b e co rre ctly po sitio ned a cross
t he str ongest bones o f your bo dy.
- Al ways we ar saf ety be lts as illustra te d an d descri bed i n
this c hapter.
- M ake sure that your s afet y be lts are alw ays re a dy f or use
a nd a re n ot d amaged .
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death. Safety belts can work only when used correctly.
• Always fasten your safety belts correctly before driving off and
make sure all passengers are correctly restrained.
• For maximum protection , safety belts must always be posi ­
tioned properly on the body.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt.
• Never place a safety belt over a child sitting on your lap.
• Always keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven.
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belt s twisted .
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury .
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position.
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct
positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the
system .
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely . .._

& WARNING (continued)
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident
mu st be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
• Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself.
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel=>
page 267,
"Sa fety belts". •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Safety belts
Fig. 173 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always be
pos itioned correctly on the wearer's body.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=> page 73, "General recommendations" .
- Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in an
upr ight position and securely latched in place before using
the belt => & .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis =>& .
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely => fig. 173.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
II>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

___ s_a_ f_ e_ t_ y _ b_e _l_t _s ___________________________________________ _
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safe ty be lt is equipped with an automatic be lt retractor on the
shoulder belt . This feat ure locks t he be lt whe n the belt is pulled out
fast, d uring ha rd braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock
w hen you dr ive up or dow n a steep hill or throug h a sharp curve .
Dur ing norma l driv ing the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
T he safety belts are eq uipped w ith a belt p retensioner that helps to
tighten the safety belt and remove slac k w hen the p retensioner is
activated . The f unction of the p retens ioner is monitored by a warn ing
light=>
page 16.
Switchable locking feature
E very safety be lt except the one on the driver seat is equipped with a
switchab le locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sur e to read t he importa nt info r­
mation about this feature=>
page 225.
& WARNING
Improperly po sitioned safety belt s can cau se serious injury in an
accident =>
page 186, "Safety b elt position ".
• Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seatback
is upright and belts are properly posit ioned on the body .
• Alway s make sure that the r ear seat backre st to which the
center rear safety belt is attached is se curely latched whene ver the
rear center safety belt is being u sed . If the ba ckre st is not securely
latched, the passenger will move forwa rd with the backrest during
sudden braking, in a sudden maneuve r and e specially in a crash.
• Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat .
Attaching the belt to the wrong bu ckle will reduc e safety belt
effect iveness and can cause serious personal injury .
• A passenger who i s not properly restrained can be seriou sly
injured by the safety belt itself when it moves from the stronger
parts of the body into critical area s like the abdomen.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Alway s lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
securing a child safety seat in the vehicle=>
page 227. •
Safety belt position
Co rrect bel t posi tion is the key to get ting maximum
pro tec tion f rom safety belts .
Fig. 174 H ead
res traint a nd safety
belt po sit io n a s se en
from the side
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust th e position of the
safety belt to match your body si ze.
• height-ad justable fron t sea ts.
& WARNING
Improperly po sitioned safety belts can cau se serious per sonal
i njury in an accident.
• The shoulder belt portion of the safety be lt must b e position ed
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never acro ss the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body => fig. 174. Pull on the belt to tighten if neces sary. .,,,.

& WARNING (continued)
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen. Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug=> fig. 174. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary.
• A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner­
able, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information
=> page 184 . •
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 175 Safety belt
position during preg­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body~
page 186.
-Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
~ page 73, "General recommendations".
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
-Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before using
the belt.
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis~ fig. 175,
~ &-
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely ~
page 185, fig. 173 .
- 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 185. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

___ S_a _f_e _t-= y '-- b_e_ l_ t _s _____________________________________________ _
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig . 176 Releasing
the tongue from the
buckle
- Push the red release button on the buckle=> fig. 176. 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 will 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.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants are correctly
restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information ~
page 184. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically .
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners. The
system is ac tivated by sensors in fron t, side and rear-end collisions of
great severity. This tightens the belt and takes up belt slack~
& in
"Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner" on
page 189 .
Taking up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant movement
during a collision. .,

_____________________________________________ S_a _f _e _t =-y _b_ e_lt _ s __ _
0 Note
Never let the belt rema in over a rea r seatbac k that has been folded
forward.
(I) Tips
The safety bel t pretensioner can only be activated once.
• In m inor frontal and side co llisions, in rear-end collisions , in a roll­
over and in accidents involving very litt le impact force, the safety be lt
pretensioner are not activated.
• In the case of a side crash, the safety belt p retensioners wi ll acti­
vate o n the dr ive r's or front passenge r's sides only, depe nding on
whic h side of the ve hicle the c rash occurs.
• When the safety belt pretensioners are activated, a fine dust is
re lease d. This is norma l and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
• The relevant safety requirements must be observed when t he
vehicle o r com ponents of the system a re scrapped . An autho rized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop is familiar w ith these reg ulat io ns
and w ill be pleased to pass on the information to yo u.
• Be sure to observe all safety, enviro nmental and other reg ulations
if the vehicle or individ ua l pa rts of the system, part icu la rly the safety
belt or a irbag, are to be d isposed . We recommend you have your
authorized Au di dea le r p erfo rm this se rvice fo r yo u.•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
Th e safety be lt preten sione rs ar e parts of the safe ty belts on your
Audi. I nstall ing, remov ing, servic ing or repai ring of belt preten­
sioners can dam age the sa fety belt system and prevent i t from
work ing correctly i n a collision .
Th ere are some importa nt th ings you have to know to make s ure that
t he effectiveness o f th e sy stem w ill no t be i mpaire d and that
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
discarded compo
nents do not cause injury or po llute t he e nviron­
me nt.
& WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretensioner from a ctivating when needed or activating it unex­
pectedly:
• The belt preten sioner sy stem can be activated only once . If belt
pretensioners have been activated , the system must be replaced.
• Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the safety belt
system.
• Safety belt systems including safety belt pretensioners cannot
be repaired . Special procedures are required for removal, in stalla ­
tion and d ispo sal of this sy stem.
• For any work on the safety belt system, we strongly recom­
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified tech­
nician who has an Audi approved repair manual, training and
special equipment necessary .
ffi For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag module s and pre tens ioners m ig ht be cl as sified as
Perch lorate Material -spec ia l hand ling may apply, see
www.d ts c.ca .gov/h azardousw aste/ perchlor ate . W he n t he vehi cle or
parts of t he restraint system i nclud ing a irbag modu les safety belts
with pre tens ioners are scr appe d, all appli cabl e laws and reg ulatio ns
must be observed . You r author ized Aud i dealer is familiar with these
req uirements and we recommen d that yo u have yo ur dea le r pe rform
t his se rvice fo r you .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ 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 172,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly~ page 74,
- Wear safety belts properly~
page 184,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children~
page 215.
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 172, "Proper occupant seating positions". For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 76.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=>
page 215.
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 _,.