2011 AUDI A5 COUPE airbag

-Airbag system -
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Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig . 18 5 Side c urta in
sys tem, drive r's side:
s ide cu rtain ai rba g
loc atio n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides of the interio r
above the front and rear side windows=> fig. 185. They are identified
by t he word "AIRBAG" on the w indshield frame and t he center roof
pillar.
T he side curta in airbag system s upplements t he safety belts and can
help to reduce the risk of inju ry for occupa nts' heads a nd upper torso
on t he side of the vehicle th at is struck i n a sid e collision . The s ide
cu rtain airbag inflates i n side im pacts and o nly when the vehicle
acceleration reg istered by the contro l unit is high enoug h. If this rate
is below the reference va lue programmed into the cont rol unit, the
side airbags wi ll not be triggere d, even though t he car may be bad ly
damaged as a resul t of the co llis ion .
It is not possib le to define an
airbag triggering range that w ill cover every possible angle of impact,
s in ce the circumstance s will vary conside rably between one colli sion
and another. Important factors include, for example, the nature
(h ard o r soft) of t he impa cti ng obje ct, t he a ngle of impa ct, vehicle
speed, etc.=>
page 213, "H ow side curta in airbags work" . Aside from the
ir normal safety fu nction, safety belts work to he lp
keep the driver or fron t passen ger in posit io n in t he even t of a co lli­
sion so that the s ide cu rta in a irbags can provide protection .
T he airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt . Rathe r, it is
pa rt of the ove rall oc cupant rest ra int system in your veh icle. Alway s
remember that the airbag system can on ly help to protect you if yo u
a re wear ing you r safety be lt and we aring it p ro perly. Thi s is anothe r
reason why you s hou ld always wear your safety be lts, not just because
t he law requi res you to do so=>
page 181, "Gene ral no tes" .
It is important to remember that while the s ide curta in airbag system
is designed to he lp reduce the like lihood of ser io us injur ies, other
in ju ries, fo r example, swe lling, br uis ing, and minor abras ions can
also be assoc iate d with these airbags. Remember too, these a irbags
w ill deploy on ly on ce a nd on ly in ce rtain kinds of acci den ts -yo ur
safety belts are always there to offer p rotect ion .
The side curtain airbag system basically consists of:
• T he electron ic control mo dule and e xternal side impact sensors
• The sid e curtain airbags above the front and rea r side windows
• Th e air bag indic ator ligh t in the ins tru men t panel
T he a irbag system is mo nitored e lectro nica lly to make certain it is
functioning prope rly at a ll times . Each time you turn on t he ignitio n,
t he a irbag system indica to r light w ill come on for a few secon ds (self
diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
• if the ignition is turned of f,
• in side co llisions when the accelerat io n measured by the sensor is
t oo low,
• in rear-end co llisions ,
• in rollovers. _,.

Airbag system Ill
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& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only prov ide protection
when oc cupants are in the proper seating position =>
page 73,
"General recommendations ".
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle i s being
used , have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer. The side curtain airbag may not work properly even
when the vehicle a cceleration in a side collision is high enough to
activate the airbag. •
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain ai rbags can work together with side airbags
to h elp reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuri es for
occupants who are properly restrained.
..
Fig . 1 8 6 Illu st ra tion
o f princi ple: Inflated
side curtain airb ag s on
the left s ide
Th e side curtai n airbags inflate between the occup an t and t he
windows on the side of t he veh icle tha t is struck in a side coll is ion
=> fig . 18 6.
When the system is tr iggered, the side curta in a irbag is filled with
prope llant gas and breaks t hrough a seam above the front an d rear
side w indows identifie d by t he A IRBA G labe l. In o rder to he lp p rov ide
this additional protection, t he s ide c urtain airbag must inflate within
t he blink of an eye at ve ry high speed and with gre at f orce. The side
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
curtain a
irbag co uld in jure you if your seating posit io n is not proper or
upr ight or if items are lo cated in the area where the s uppleme ntal
side cu rtain airbag i nflates. T his app lies especially to c hildren
=> page 215.
Alt hough they a re not a sof t pill ow, side curta in airbags c an "cushion"
the impact and in this way they can help to reduce the risk of injury to
t he head and t he uppe r part o f th e bo dy.
A fine d ust may develop when the airbag deploys . Th is is quite norma l
and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle .•
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
A irbags ar e only supp lemental r estraints. Always prop ­
e rly wear s afe ty b elts and ride in a proper seating posi­
tio n.
T he re is a lot that yo u and your passenge rs must k now and do to help
the safety belts and airba gs do their job to provide supplemental
protection .
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating pos itions
increa se the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
• Never let oc cupants place any parts of their bodie s in the area
from which the side curtain airbags inflate.
• Always make sure that the side curtain airbags can inflate
without interference . Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a head airbag can dangerously interfere with
its function. A deploying head airbag develops enough force to
catapult any piece of add-on component out of its path of inflation
and into the passenger compartment. An occupant hit by such a .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
projectile can suffer serious injury or death ~ page 343 , "Tech­
nical Modifications".
• Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if you have any objects
clipped onto them (for example pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these objects .
• Use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight clothing . Never
leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can cause personal injury in
an accident.
• Never use hangers to hang clothing from the hooks.
• Only use factory-installed sun shades or, in the case of shades installed after the vehicle leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be used~
page 342, "Additional accessories and
parts replacement".
• Always sit in proper seating position and wear safety belts
while traveling so that the side curtain airbags can help provide
protection.
• The airbag system can only be triggered once. If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
• Always have work involving the side curtain airbag system,
removal and installation of the airbag components, or other
repairs performed by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop . Otherwise the airbag system may not work correctly.
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in anyway. •

Child Safety Ill
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Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physical pr in ci ples o f wha t happens w hen yo ur vehicl e is in a crash
app ly a lso to children=>
page 183, "What happens to occupants not
wearing safety be lts?". But unlike adults their mus cles an d bones a re
not fully deve loped. I n many respects children are at greater risk of
serious injury in crashes than adults .
Because children 's bodies a re not f ully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especially designed fo r their size, weight, and body
st ruct ure. Many cou ntries and a ll states of t he Unite d States and
prov inces of Canada have laws req uiring the use of approved ch ild
restrain t sys tems for infan ts an d sm all ch ild ren .
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph (30-56 km/h) the forces
act ing o n a 13- pound (6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
we ight of the ch ild . This means the we ight of the child wo uld
suddenly be more than 260 po unds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only a n app ropr iat e child restra int proper ly used can red uce the risk
o f serious injury. Child restrai nts must be used properly to be e ffec­
t ive. Used i mpro perly, t hey can increase the risk of serio us injury in an
acc ident.
C onsult the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's i nstr uctions to be s ure
t he seat is right for your child's size
=> page 218, "Importa nt safety
instructions for using ch ild safety seats" . P lease be sure to read and
heed all of the impo rtant informat io n and WARNINGS about child
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the insta llation of ch ild rest raints in
t his chapte r.
There is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
vehicle and how t hey wo rk when inf ants and childre n in child
restra ints are on the front passenger seat. Beca use of t he large
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
amou
nt of importa nt info rmation, we cannot repeat i t all he re. We
urge you to read the detailed information in th is owne r's man ua l
abou t airbags and t he Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information abo ut transporting c hildren on the front
p assenger se at. P lea se be sure to heed the WARNIN GS - they a re
extremely important for your safety and the safety of your passe n­
gers, especially infan ts and small ch il dre n.
& WARNING
• Accid ent statisti cs have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position. Always
re strain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle occupants and especially children must be
restrained properly when ever riding in a vehicle. An unre strained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the
interior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or improperly rest rained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflat ing airbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating posi tions provides the highest degree of protec­
tion for infants and small children in most accident situations.
& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with Advanced Airbags
can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A
c hild in a rearward -facing child safety seat ins talled on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflate s.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
child aga inst the backrest, center armrest or door . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Child Safety _____ ____;_..:::.:!.----------------------------
& WA RNING (conti nued)
• Alway s in stall rearwa rd-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in exceptional circumstance s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immed iately install the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immedi ­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child res traint on the front pas senger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by it s manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer 's instruction s provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the passenger seat into it s rearmost position in
the seat 's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the child restraint. The back­ rest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .•
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equi pped wi th a fron t "Advanced Airbag System" in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
( F MVSS) 2 08 as appli ca ble at t he time your ve hicle was manufa c­
tured. The Advanced A
irbag system in yo ur vehicle has been certif ied to
mee t the "low -r is k" requiremen ts fo r 3-and 6-ye ar old ch ildre n on
t he passenger side and small adults on the dr iver side . The low risk
dep loyment criteria are inten ded to reduce the risk of injury through
interaction with the a irbag t hat can occur, for example, by being too
close to the stee ring wheel an d instr ument panel when the airbag
inflates. In addi tion, the system has been certified to comp ly with t he
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
fron t air bag for infan ts up to 1 2 months who a re res train ed on the
front passenger seat in child restrai nts that are listed in the Stan­
d ar d.
Even thoug h your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system , a ll ch ildren, especially those 12 years and yo unger, should
always r ide in t he back seat p roperly restrained for t heir ag e and si ze .
Th e ai rbag on the passenge r si de makes the front seat a potentia lly
dange rous p lace for a child to r ide. Th e front seat is not th e safest
place fo r a child in a forward-facing c hild safety seat. It can be a very
d an ge rous p lace for a n infan t or a large r chil d i n a rea rwa rd-facing
seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
Th e Advanced A irbag System i n your ve hicle de tects t he p resence o f
an infa nt o r ch ild in a child rest rai nt on the fro nt passenger sea t using
the we ight-sens ing mat in the seat cushion and the senso r be low the
saf ety belt la tch o n th e front passenge r seat tha t measur es t he
tension on the safety belt.
Th e weigh t-sens ing ma t me asures tot al we ight of the child and the
child safety seat and a child blanket on the fro nt passe nger seat . The
we ight on the fro nt passenger se at is re lated to t he design of the
child res traint and i ts "footpri nt", the size and shape of t he bottom
of the ch ild restraint as it sits o n the seat . The weight of a child
restrain t an d its "foo tpr int" vary for differe nt k inds of child res tra ints .,_

_________________________________________ _:C~ h~il ~d ~ S~a ..!.:fe =. t SYL _lffll
and for the different models of the same kind of child restraint
offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes and models of ch ild
restraints that the NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical infants and typical 1 year­
old child have been stored in the control unit of the Advanced Airbag
System. When a child restraint is being used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year-old chi ld, the Advanced Airbag System
compares the weight meas ured by the weight sensing mat with the
information stored in the electronic control unit .
The electronic contro l unit a lso registers the tension on the front
passenger safety belt. The tension on the safety belt for the front
passenger seat will be different for an adult who is properly using the
safety belt as compared to the tension on the belt when it is used to
attach a child restraint to the seat . The sensor below the latch for the
safety belt for the front seat passenger measures the tension on the
belt. The input from this sensor is then used with the weight to
"decide", whether there is a child restraint with a typical 1 year-old
child on the front passenger seat and whether or not the airbag must
be turned off .•
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use, ma ke sure that it has
been certified to meet United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been ce rtified by its manufacturer for use with an
airbag . Always be sure that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in exceptional circumstances you
must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the infor­
mation on ch ild safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the
app licab le WARNINGS. Make certain that the child restra int is
correctly recognized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag is turned off and that
the airbag status is always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Many types and models of child restra
ints have been available over
t he years, new models are introduced reg ularly incorpo rating new
and improved designs and older models are taken out of product ion.
Chi ld restraints are not standardized. Child restraints of the same
type typ ically have d ifferent weights and sizes and differe nt 'foot­
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the child restraint that
sits on the seat, when they are installed on a vehicle seat . These
differences make it virtually impossib le to certify compliance with
t he requirements for advanced airbags with each and every chil d
restra int that has ever been sold in the past or will be sold over the
course of the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States Nationa l Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has published a list of specific type, makes and
mode ls of child restra ints that must be used to cert ify compliance of
the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Standard 208. These
child restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model
Angel Gua rd Angel Ride
AA2403 FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model
Century SmartF it 4543
Cosco Ar riva 22-013PAW and
base 22-999 WHO
Evenflo D iscovery Ad just Right
21 2
Evenflo First Cho ice 204
Manufactured on or
after
December 1, 1999
September 25, 20 07
December 1, 1999
December 1, 1999
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___________________________________________ C_ h_il _d _ S_a _f _e _t ~y __ _
- If a stra p or tet her is be ing us ed to tie t he chil d safety seat
to t he fro nt passenger seat, make sure that it is no t so
tight that i t causes the weight-sens ing ma t to measure
more weight t han is act ually on the seat.
Alw ays reme mbe r: Even though yo ur vehicle is equip ped with an
Adva nced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially those 12 years a nd
younger, should a lways ride in the bac k seat proper ly rest ra ined for
their age and size .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong child safety seat or
improperly in stalling a child re straint in crea se s the ri sk of serious
personal injury and death .
• All vehicle oc cupants and e specially children mu st always be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained child can be injured or killed by being thrown against the inside of the
vehicle or by being ejected from it during a sudden maneuver
or impact .
- An unre strained or improperly restrained child is at much
greater risk of injury or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag .
• Commercially a vailable child safety seats are requi red to
c omply with U .S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS )
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213 ).
- When buying a child restraint, select one that fits your child
and the vehicle.
- Only u se child restraint sy stem s that fully contact the flat
portion of the seat cushion . The child rest raint must not tip or
lean to either side . Audi does not recommend using child
s a fety seats that rest on legs or tube-like frames. They do not
provide adequate contact with the seat .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
-Always heed all legal requirements pe rtaining to the in stal­
lation and use of child safety seat s and carefully follow the
inst ructions provided by the manufacturer of the seat you are
using.
• Never allow children under 57 inche s (1.45 meter s) to wear a
normal safety belt . They must always be restrained by a prop er
child restraint system . Otherwise , they could sustain injuries to
the abdomen and neck areas during sudden braking maneuvers or accidents.
• Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
• Never let babies or olde r children ride in a vehicle while sitting
on the lap of another passenger.
-Holding a child in your arms is never a sub stitute for a child
restraint system .
- The stronge st p ers on could not hold the child with the force s
that e xist in an accident . The child will strike the interio r of the
v ehicle and can also be struck by the pa ssenger.
- The child and the passenger can also injure each other in an
accident.
• Never install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant
c arrier s on the front pas senger seat. A child will be seriously
injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates- even
with an Advanced Airbag Sy stem.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, door or roof .
- Alway s in stall rearward -facing child safety seats or infant
carriers on the rear seat.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on th e front
passenger 's seat can interfere w ith the airbag when it inflates and
c ause seriou s injury to the child . Always install forward-facing
c hild safet y seats on the rear seat . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

____ C_ h_ il_d _ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y;....._ ____________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• If exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward­
facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require that the following special precau­
tions be taken:
-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.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost
position of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range ,
and as far away from the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the front
passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in
its fore and aft adjustment range .
-Always make sure that the backrest is in the upright posi­
tion .
• Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
child is not sitting in it. A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used~
page 181, "Safety belts ",
~ page 190 , "Airbag system " and ~ page 215, "Child Safety".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the
ignition is switched on.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Take the child restraint 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.
& WARNING
• A child in a child restraint installed with the LATCH lower
anchorages or with the standard safety belt on the rear seat may
play with unused rear seat safety belts and become entangled
resulting in serious personal injury and even death.
• Always buckle unused rear seat safety belts out of reach of chil­
dren in child seats and properly activate the convertible locking
retractor so that the child cannot unreel the safety belt from the
retractor. •