2011 AUDI A5 COUPE seats

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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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

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Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important information and head the WARNINGS for important detai ls about children and
Advanced Airbags =:>
page 215.
Even though your veh icle is eq uipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all ch ildren, especially those 12 years and
younger, a lways r ide in the back seat properly rest rained for the ir age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a
poten tially dangerous place fo r a child to r ide. The front seat is not
the safest place for a child in a forward-facing c hild safety seat. It can
be a ve ry dange rous place fo r an infant or a child in a rearward-fac ing
seat.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been cert ified to
comply with the Req uirements of United States Federa l Moto r
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was ma nufactu red .
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be tu rned off ("supp ressed") if a c hild up to abo ut one year o f age
restra ined in one of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant
restrain ts listed in Federa l Moto r Vehicle Safety Sta ndard 208 with
w hich the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle was certified has
been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the chi ld
restra ints that were used to cert ify complia nce w ith the US Safety
Standard =>
page 217.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t in t he inst rumen t panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger s ide has been
tu rn ed off by the electronic con tro l u nit.
Eac h time you turn on the ign ition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if th e fron t passenger seat is no t occupied, •
will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child restra int on the front
p assenge r seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occup ied by an adult as
reg iste red by the weight-sens ing mat =:>
page 201, "Monitori ng the
Adva nced Airbag System" .
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a tota l we ight on the front passenger seat t hat req uires the
front airbag to be t urned off.
If the tota l we ight on the front passenger sea t is more than th at of a
typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight of a small adu lt, the
front airbag on t he p assenger s ide c an dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
li g ht 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 tu rned off by the e lectron ic control u nit and can deploy if
the contro l unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
For e xample , the a irbag may deploy if:
• a small chi ld that is heavier than a typical 1 year -old child is on the
front passenge r seat (regardless of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats listed =>
page 217), or
• a chi ld who has outgrown ch ild restra ints is on the front passenger
seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster an d stays o n.
Th e front airbag on the passenger side may
not dep loy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illum inate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenage r, or a passenger who is no t si tting upright
w ith the ir back against a non-recli ned backrest w it h their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=:>
page 172, " P rope r seat ing pos ition for the dr ive r" .
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requ ires
th e airb ag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to red uce the
r is k of injury through interaction with the airbag. "Low risk" deploy­
ment occurs in those crashes t hat ta ke place a t lower decelerations as .,.

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defined in the electronic contro l unit~ page 202, "PASSE NGER
AI RB AG OF F ligh t".
Always remember, a c hild safety seat or infa nt ca rr ie r i nstalled on th e
front seat may be str uck and k noc ked out of position by the ra pidly
in flating p assenge r's ai rbag in a frontal coll is io n. T he a irbag could
great ly reduce the effect iveness of the c hild restraint and even seri ­
o us ly i njur e the chi ld dur ing inflation.
For this reason, and because t he back seat is the safest place for chil­
dren -whe n properly restrained according to their age an d size -we
st rong ly recommend t hat childre n always sit in the back seat
~ page 21 5, "C hild Safety" .
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• The inflat ing airbag w ill 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-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
pa ssenger 's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause ser ious personal injury to the child.
& WARNING
If , in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
c hild restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be ad justed to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child
re straint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition
is switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on, perform
the checks described~
page 201, "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System ".
• Take the child restra int off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu­
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat :
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-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.

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listing of the child res traints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the US Safety Standard
~ page 217,
• weight less than a thresho ld level stored in the contro l unit is
detected on the front passenger seat.
When a perso n is detected on the front passenger seat, weigh ing
more than the tota l weight of a child that is about 1 year old
restra ined in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant
restraints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 with
w hich the Advanced Ai rbag System in you r ve hicle was cert ified), the
front airbag on the passenger s ide may or may not dep loy .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on when the elect ronic
cont rol un it detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requires the front airbag to be turned off. If the
PAS SENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on, the front a irbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the
cont rol unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory .
If the total weight o n the fron t passenge r seat is more than that of a
typical
1 year-old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the fron t
airbag on the passenge r side may deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on).
F o r example , the airbag may deploy if:
• a small chi ld tha t is heavie r th an a typ ica l 1 year-o ld child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whether the chi ld is in one of the
child safety seats listed
~ page 217),
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenge r
seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENG ER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel wi ll come on and stay
on .
The front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight does no t ill um inate and s tay lit) if:
• a small adu lt or teenager is on the front passenger seat •
a passenger who is not sitting upr ight w it h their back against a
non -recli ned b ackrest w it h t heir fee t on the vehi cle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passe nger seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet t he "low risk" deployment criter ia to help reduce
the risk of inj ury through interaction with the a irbag. "Low r isk"
dep loymen t oc cur s in those crashes t hat take pl ace at lower de celer­
ations as defined in the electronic contro l unit.~
page 201
Alway s remember: Even though your ve hicle is eq uipped with
Adva nced A irbags, the safest place for children is properly restra ined
on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important information in
the sections that follow and be su re to heed all of the WAR NINGS.
& WARNING
To reduc e the risk of injur y when an airbag inflates , always wear
s a fety belt s properly.
• If you are un restrained, leaning forward, s itting sideways or
out of po sit ion in any way , your risk of injury is much higher .
• You will also receive seriou s injuries and could e ven be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it inflate s -
even with an Advanced Airbag~
page 190.
& 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 Ad vanced Airbag S ystem .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward-facing child
restraint has been installed on the front p assenger seat , nobody
can absolutely gua rantee th at deployment is imposs ible in all
con ceivabl e situation s that may happen during the u seful life of
your vehicle . .,_

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• The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
c en ter o f the inst rument panel ~
page 202, fig. 18 0 and tells you
w hen the front Adva nced Airbag on th e passenge r side has been
t u rne d
off.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
t o meas ure the tension o n th e safety be lt. T he tens ion on the s afe ty
belt a nd the we ight registered by the we ight -sensing mat help the
cont rol un it " dec ide" w hether the front airbag fo r the front
passenger seat sho uld be turned
off o r not~ page 192 , "Chil d
restra ints on the front seat -some impo rtant things to know".
• A senso r in the safety belt latch for the d river and for the fro nt
seat passenger that senses w hether that safety belt is latched or not
and transmits this in formation to the e lec tron ic cont rol un it .
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly .
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag Sy stem from func ­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the uphol stery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it.
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat. If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
seat . Such items can increase the weight registered by the weight·
sensing mat and send the wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
& WARNING (c on tinued )
• Never store item s under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the pa ssenger seat could be
damaged, p reventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats .
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
se at and prevent the side airbag in the seat backre st from
deploying properly .
• Never use cushions , pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight- sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cu shion or something else to properly po sition
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on , immediately install child restraint in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer .•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
Th e fron t Advan ced A irb ag System and t he side airbags supp lement
t he protect ion offered by the front three-po int safety bel ts w ith
pretens ioners and load limiters and the adjustable head restra ints to
help red uce the risk of i njury in a w ide range of acciden t and crash .,_

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