2011 AUDI A5 COUPE steering

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

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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 _,.

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costs o r even t he lack of ve hicle damage is not necessarily an ind ica­
t ion of w heth er an a irba g should inflat e or not.
It is not poss ible to define a range of ve hicle speeds t hat w ill cover
every possible k ind and a ngle of impact that will always trigger the
a ir bags, sin ce the cir cums ta nc es w ill vary con sid erab ly be twee n one
co llision and another . Important factors inclu de, for exam ple, the
n at ure (h ard or so ft ) of th e obje ct wh ich t he c ar hi ts, the an gle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc . T he front airbags w ill also not inflate in
s ide or rear co ll is io ns, or i n roll-o ve rs.
Always remember: Airbags w ill deploy only once, a nd only in certain
kinds of coll isions . Yo ur safety be lts are a lways there to offer protec ­
ti on in t hose situ ations i n w hich air bags are not s upposed to deploy,
or w hen they have alrea dy de ploye d; for examp le, w hen your ve hicle
st rike s or i s struc k by ano ther afte r the firs t collis io n .
T hi s is just one of the reasons w hy a n airbag is a s upplementary
res tra in t a nd i s no t a su bs titu te for a saf ety bel t. The air bag syste m
works most effective ly whe n used w ith the safety belts . Therefore,
always p rope rly wea r you r sa fety belts ~ page 18 1.
& WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
decrease the effectiveness of the airbags and will increase the r isk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm ) to the steer ing wheel or
instrument panel.
• If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25 cm ) from the
steering wheel, investigate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and increase your seating
distance from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of pos ition 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 .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always
wear safety belts properly=>
page 185, "Safety belts ".
• Always make certain that children age 12 or younger always
ride in the rear seat. If children are not properly restrained, they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflates.
• Never let children r ide unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehicle. Adjust the front seats properly .
• Never r ide with the backrest reclined.
• Always sit as far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel=>
page 172.
• Always sit upright with your back against the backre st of your
seat .
• Never place your feet on the instrument panel or on the seat.
Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent serious injuries to the leg s and hips if the airbag inflates .
• Never recline the front passenger 's seat to transport objects .
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury when an airbag
inflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be replaced.
• Use only original equ ipment airbags approved by Aud i and
installed by a trained technician who ha s the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag in your
vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash.
• Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to be installed in
your vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Airbag system -
--=---=----------------
& WARN ING (con tin ue d)
• Imp rope r installati on of child re straint s can reduc e their effec­
ti veness or ev en prevent them from providing any protection .
• An improperl y installed child restr aint can interfere with the
airbag a s it deploy s and seriou sly injure or e ven kill the child -even
with an Ad vanced Airbag System .
• Always c are fully follow the manu facturer 's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or car rier .
• Nev er place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight regi stered b y the weight-sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash. •
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig. 17 7 L ocati on of
dri ver airb ag : in
stee ring wh eel
Fig. 1 78 Locati on of
fr ont pas se n ger's
a ir ba g: in the instru·
m ent pa nel
Your vehicle is equ ipped with an "Advanced A irbag System" in compli­
ance with United States Federal Moto r Veh icle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time you r veh icle was ma nufac­
t u red . The system senses the position of the fro nt seats and controls
front a irbag inflation w ith a valve, depending on the d istanc e
between the respective seat and the steer ing wheel or instrument
pa ne l. The safety be lts fo r the seats have "pretens ioners" that help to
take slack o ut of the belt system. The pretensioners are also activated
by the e lec tron ic control u nit for the airbag system.
The front safety be lts also have load limiters to help red uce the forces
applied to the body in a crash .
T he a irbag for the driver is in the steering whee l hub~ fig. 177 and
the airbag for the front passenger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 178. The gene ral loca tion of the air bags is mar ked "AIRBAG".
T here is a lot you need to know about the a irbags in your vehicle . We
urge you to read the detai led information about airbags, safety be lts
and child safety in this and the other chapters that make up the
owner's literature. Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extreme ly important fo r your safety and the safety of your passe n­
gers, especially infants and small children.
& WARNING
Never rely on airba gs alone fo r protection.

situations. Be sure to read the important information about safety
and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and the activation of the
safety belt pretensioners depend on the deceleration measured by
the crash sensors and registered by the electron ic control unit. T he
amount of inflation of the front airbags can a lso be adapted to the
front seat position, depending on the distance between the respec­
tive front seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel as regis­
tered by sensors in the seats. Crash severity depends on speed and
deceleration as well as the mass and stiffness of the vehicle or object
involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt use, the air bag w ill
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programm ed in the electronic control unit . The front airbag
on the passenger side will also be turned off if one of the chi ld safety
seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell you when the front
Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
=> page 192, "Child rest raints on the front seat -some important
things to know".
& 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 190. •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 17 9 Inflated
front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so that airbags can unfold properly and
prov ide supplemental protection in a frontal collision.
Th e front airbags are designed to provide additiona l protection for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
• safety belts are worn properly,
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as possible from the airbag ,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force, things
you have on your lap o r have placed on the seat could become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy .
It could irritate
skin.
It is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is desig ned to reduce the likelihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swell ing, bruising and m inor abrasions, can also
happen when airbags inflate. Airbags do not protect the arms or the •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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lower parts of the body. Front airbags only supplement the three
point s afety be lts i n some fro ntal c ollisions in which t he vehicle de ce l­
eratio n is h igh enough to dep loy the a irbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is sw itched off when a cras h occu rs,
• in s ide collisions,
• in rea r-end collisions,
• in rollovers,
• when the cras h deceleration me asured by the ai rbag syste m is less
than t he m in imum threshold needed for airbag dep loyment as regis­
t ere d by the e lectro nic cont rol unit.
The front passenger airbag will also not deploy:
• when the fron t pa sse nger sea t is not o ccupied,
• when the we ight on the front passenge r seat as sense d by the
Advanced Airbag Sys tem in dicates t hat the front airbag on the
passenger side has to be turned off by t he e lectron ic control un it (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and st ay s on).
& WARNING
Sitt ing in the wrong posit ion can increa se the risk of serious injury
in crashes .
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate , the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position , must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the ar ea
where the airbags are located.
• Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be ser iously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye=>
page 192.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety seat installed on the front
pa ssenger seat will be seriou sly 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 or 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-f acing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front p assenger seat because of e xceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
i mmediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airb ag wilt increase the risk of injury
in a crash by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
• N ever hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never tran sport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat . Object s could move into the area of the front airbag s during
brak ing or other sudden maneuver and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags inflate.
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders , telephone bra ckets , large, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG " on the steering
wheel, instrument panel , seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself . The se obj ect s could cause injury in a crash , especially
when the airbags inflate .
• Never recl ine the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front ..,

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& WARNING (conti nued)
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
• A tight tether or othe r strap on a rearward-facing child
restraint attached to the front passenger 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 heav ier weight registered
can make the system work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed
causing serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in ex ceptional circumstances, you must install a forward·
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat, always move
the seat into i ts rearmo st 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 do es not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps
de scribed above, make sure the adult i s 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
empty seat, the front a irbag on the passenger side w ill be t urne d off,
and PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.•
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system a re installed at many different p laces on
your Audi. Inst all in g, remov ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an
area of the ve hicle can damage a part of an airbag system and preve nt
t ha t system from working pro perl y in a coll is ion.
T here are some important thi ngs you have to know to make sure that
the effectiveness of the system will not be impa ired an d that
discarded components do no t cause injury or poll ute the enviro n­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing 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 unit s.
• 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 ha s the training and special equip ·
ment necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system, we strongly re commend
that you see your autho rized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body.
liJ,,

..,. Airbag system
PAWi-- --=------------------------------
& WARNING
Changing th e vehicle 's su sp en sion including use of unappro ved
tire -rim c ombination s can change Advan ced Airbag performan ce
and increas e the risk of serious personal injury in a cra sh .
• Never install suspension component s that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components or iginally
installed on your veh icle.
• Never u se tir e-rim combinations that have not been approved
b y Audi.
& WARNING
Item s stored b etween the safety belt buckl e and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the ele ctroni c control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from w orking properl y.
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they a re not obstru cted .
<£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be class ified as
Perch lorate Mate rial -special handling may app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/pe rchlorate . When the vehicle or
p arts of t he rest raint sys tem including a irbag mod ules safe ty belts
w ith pretens ioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regulat ions
must be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar with these
requ irements and we recommend that you have your dealer perform
this se rvice for yo u.•
Knee airbags
Applies to veh icles: w ith knee a irbags
Description of knee airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants.
....
! 00 m
Fig. 181 D riv er's kn ee
a ir ba g
The knee airbag for the driver is located in the instrume nt panel
unde rneath the steering whee l:::> fig. 181, the knee airbag for the
passenge r is at about the same he ight in the instrument panel u nder­
neath the g love compartment .
Th e knee airbag offers addit ional protec tion to the dr ive r's and
passenger's knees and upper and lower thigh areas as a supplement
t o the sa fety bel ts.
If the front a irbags dep loy, the knee airbags a lso deploy i n frontal
co llisions above a certain severity=>
page 199, "More importan t
things to know about front airbags" .
Besides the ir normal safety function, safety be lts work to help keep
t he drive r o r front passenger in po sit ion in c ase o f a frontal collision
so that the a irbags can provide protection .
Th e airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt . Rather, it is
part of the overall occ upant restra int system in your veh icle . Always
remember t hat the airbag system can on ly help to protect you if you
~