2011 AUDI A5 COUPE airbag off

Instruments and warning /indicator lights
If the • indicator lamp illuminates, the system has switched the ESP
off. In this case , yo u ca n swi tch the ignition off and then on to switch
the ESP on again. The system is functioning completely when the
ind icator lamp switches off.
If the • ind icator lamp illuminates, the ESP was switched off wi th the
[,$ OFF) button.
S tabili sation p rogra m and ABS faul t ! See owner' s m anual
If the indicator lamp and the ABS ind icator lamp illuminate and
the driver message appears, the ABS or e lectronic differentia l lock is
ma lfunction ing. This also interrupts the ESP. The brakes still function
with their normal power, but ABS is not active .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedia tely to have the
ma lfunction corrected.
For more information abo ut the ESP=>
page 236. •
Airbag system
~i (USA models) /!l (Canada models)
This warning/indicator light monitors the airbag and the
pretensioner systems.
T he Cl (USA models) l! !r (Canada mode ls) wa rning light illuminates
for a few seconds each time you switch on the ignition .
If the
I (USA models)/ !~· (Canada mode ls) warning light does not go
out, or if it illuminates while you are driving, or if it starts to blink ,
then there is a malfunction somewhere in the system. If the light
does not illum inate when you switch on the ignition, this also means
there is a malfunction .
& WARNING
If you have a malfuncti on in the airbag s ystem , cont act your
authorized Aud i dealer imm ediately. Otherw ise the airbag or the
belt pretensioner m ay n ot wo rk properly in an accident. •
App lies to veh icles: with t ire p ress ure mon it o ring sys tem
Tire pressure monitoring system -telltale
indicator lamp '
The warning/indicator light appears in the event of a
significant loss of air pressure.
The 'warning/indicator light illuminates for a few seconds after the
ignition is turned on as function check, and then goes out .
If the ' \symbol appears, p ress ure is too low i n at least one t ire.
When the system detects a malfunction, the warning/ind icator light
w ill flash for approximate ly one minute and then rema in continu­
ously illuminated . This seque nce w ill co ntinue upo n subsequent
vehicle starts up as long as the ma lf u nctio n exists. Contact yo ur
au thor ized A udi dealer and have the malfunct ion corrected.
For more information=>
page 311. •
Turn signals ¢¢
The indicator light blinks when you use either turn signal .
Whenever you use the left¢ or the right¢ turn signa l, the indicator
light bl inks. When you use the eme rgency flashers, bo th indicato r
lights flash .
If one of the turn signa l light bu lbs burn out , the t urn signal will blink
twice as fast as normal. •
Safety belts ,i
This warning/indicator light reminds you to put on your
safety belt.
The ~ warning/indicator light illum inates when the ignit ion is
switched on to remind the dr ive r and (on USA mode ls only) any fron t
passenger to put on the safety belt. Additionally, a n audible warn ing
tone will also sound . _.,,

Opening and closing
-Tur n the me chanical key i n th e lo ck of the d river's door to
the lock position @=> & in "General descr iption" on
pag e 45.
If the power locki ng system f ail s, there is eme rge ncy locki ng for the
passenger 's door=>
page 51.
& WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS=> & in "General descript ion" on
page 45.
[IJ Tips
• After the ignit ion is swi tched on, the power locking sys tem swi tch
and the unlocking button for the rear lid
c;:; i n the door are enabled .•
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside
Fig . 39 Driver 's door :
power lo cking switch
- Press the b utto n @ to lo ck the vehicl e=> & .
- Press the but ton
63 to u nloc k the veh icle => fig. 39.
If you lock the vehicle using the power locking switch , please note
t he following:
• If a door is open, the veh icle cannot be locked using the power
loc kin g system switch.
• You ca nnot open the doors or the rear lid from the
outside
(increased security, for examp le when you are sto pped at a red light).
• The diodes in the power loc king switch ill uminate when a ll the
doors are close d an d lock ed .
• You can unlock and open the doors from the inside by p ulling on
t he doo r handle .
• If yo u have a crash and the airbag is activated, the doors automat­
ically unlo ck.
& WARNING
• The power locking switch works with the ignition off and auto­
matically locks the entire vehicle when it is actuated .
• On a vehicle locked from the outside the power locking system
switch is inoperati ve.
• Locking doors from the inside can help prevent inadvertent
door opening during an accident and can al so prevent unwanted
entry from the outside. Locked doors can, however, delay assis­
tance to vehicle occupants and hold up rescue efforts from the outside in an accident or other emergency .
[IJ Tips
Your vehicle is loc ked automatically at a speed of 9 mph ( 15 km/h)
(Auto Lock)=>
page 45. You can unlock t he vehicle again using the
openi ng f unction in the power loc king system sw itch. •

Clear vision
(I) Tips
The system works above a speed of about 6 mph (10 km/h) .•
Emergency flashers ~
The emergency flashers makes other motorists aware
that you or your vehicle are in an emergency situation.
Fig. 54 Emergency
flasher switch
- Press the switch ~=> fig. 54 to turn the emergency
flashers on or off.
When the emergency flashers are on, all four turn signals blink at the
same time. The turn signal indicator lights¢ Q in the instrument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency flasher switch
d1. blink
likewise . The emergency flashers also work when the ignition is
turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automatically if you are in an
acciden t where the airbag has deployed.
[]] Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers when:
• you are the last vehicle standing in a traffic jam so that any other
vehicles coming can see you, or when •
your vehicle has broken down or you are in an emergency situa­
tion , or when
• your vehicle is being towed by a tow truck or if you are towing
another vehicle behind you .•
Turn signals -¢¢ and high beam l[D lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column is used to
operate the turn signals and the high beam as well as the
headlight flasher .
Fig. 55 Turn signal
and high beam lever
The turn signal and high beam lever has the following func­
tions:
Turn signals¢ Q ©@
- Push the lever up as far as it can go to turn on the right
turn signal or down to turn on the left turn signal
=> fig. 55.
- Move the lever briefly until you meet resistance and
release it to flash three times .
- Move the lever (up or down) until you meet resistance and
hold it there to determine the flashing time for the turn
signals. _,,,

Seats and storage
General recommendations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only provide
maximum protection if the front seats are correctly
adju sted.
Th ere a re various ways of adjusting t he front seats to provide safe and
comfortable support for the driver and the front passenger . Ad just
your seat properly so that :
• you can easily and quickly reach a ll the switc hes and contro ls in the
ins trumen t pa nel
• your body is properly supported thus reducing phys ica l stress and
fatigue
• the safety be lts and airbag system can offer maximum protection
=>
page 190 .
In the following sections, you w ill see exact ly how you can best ad just
your sea ts .
Th ere are special regulations a nd instr uctions for install ing a child
safety seat on the front passenger's sea t. Always follow the informa ­
tion regarding child safety p rovided in=>
page 215, "Child Safety ".
& WARNING
Incorrect seating posit ion of the dri ver and all other passengers
can result in seriou s personal injury.
• Always keep your feet on the floor when the vehicle is in
motion -never put your feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the window o r on top of the seat cush ion. This applies especially
to the passengers.
If your seating po sition is incorrect, you
increase the ri sk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an acci-
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Seats and storage
& WARNING
(con tinu ed)
dent . If the airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect ,
this could result in per sonal injury or even death .
• It is important for both the dri ver and front passenger to keep
a distan ce of at least 10 inche s (25 cm) between themselves and
the steering wheel and /or instrument panel. If you 're sitting any
closer than this , the airbag system cannot protect you properly. In
addition, the front seats and head restraints must be adjusted to
your body height so that they can give you maximum protection .
• Always try to keep as much distance as possible between your­
self and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Do not adjust the driver's or front passenger 's seat while the
vehicle is moving. You r seat may move unexpectedly , causing
sudden loss of vehicle control and personal injury . If you adjust
your seat while the vehicle is moving , you are out of position. •
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for saf e and
re lax ed driving.
W e recomme nd that you a djust the drive r's sea t in the
f ollowing man ner :
- Ad just the seat in fore and aft direction so that you can
easily pus h the pedals to the floor w hile keeping your
knees slightly bent=>
& in "Why is yo ur seat a djus tme nt
so importa nt?" .
- Adjust the seatback so that when yo u sit with yo ur back
agai nst t he seatback , you can st ill grasp t he top of the
steering w heel. ..,
Vehicle care Technical data

________________________________________________ ..::O ::_ n :...:_ t:::: h:...:.:: e:....'....: ro~ a'.!d :=.._ _J-
On the road
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
The h eight and reac h of th e steering wh eel c an be
a djusted.
First, adjust t he dr iver's se at correct ly.
Fi g. 10 6 Leve r und er
the ste ering column
- Pull the lever:::::, fig. 106 -A rrow-:::::, &.
- M ove t he steeri ng wheel to the d esir ed po sition.
- Push the lever against the steeri ng column un til it loc ks.
T here must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your chest and the
cen ter o f the stee ring whee l. If you canno t sit more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steer ing wheel , see if adaptive equ ipment is avail­
able to help you reach the pedals and increase t he distance from the
steering wheel.
For detai led information on how to adjust the dr iver's seat , see
::>page 76.
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration T
he steering wheel can be adjusted even whe n the ign ition is turned
off. For veh icles with seat memory, the individual positions for the
stee ring wheel ca n be st ored along wi th t he sea t pos it ion.
& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment and improper seating
position can cause serious personal injury .
• Adjust the steer ing wheel column only when the vehicle is not
moving to prevent loss of vehicle control.
• Adjust the dri ver's seat or steering wheel so that there is a
minimum of 10 inches (25 cm) between your che st and the
steering wheel=>
page 172, fig. 164. If you cannot maintain th is
minimum distance , the airbag system cannot protect you prop­
erly .
• If phy sical limitations prevent you from sitting 10 in ches (25
cm) or more from the steering wheel, check with your authorized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is available.
• If the steering wheel is al igned w ith your face , the supp le­
mental driver 's airbag cannot provide as much protection in an
accident . Always make sure that the steering wheel is aligned with
your chest.
• Always hold the steering wheel with your hands at the 9 o 'clock
and 3 o'clo ck position s to reduce the risk of personal injury if the
driver 's airbag deploys .
• Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock po sition or with
your hands inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steer ing wheel
hub. Holding the stee ring wheel the wrong way can cause serious
injur ies to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag
deploys. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Driving Safely ---------------------"~'---
Adjusting head restraints=> page 80.
& WARNING
Driving without head rest raints or with head restraint s that are
not properl y adju sted increa se s the risk of seriou s or fatal neck
injury dramatically. To help reduce the risk of injur y:
• Always drive w ith the head restraints in place and properly
adjusted.
• Every person in the vehicle must have a prope rly adju sted head
restraint.
• Always make sure each person in the vehicle properly ad justs
their head restraint. Adju st the head restraints so the upper edge
i s as even a s pos sible with th e top of your head . If that is not
possible, try to adjust the head re straint so that it is as close to
this position as po ssible.
• Never attempt to adjust head restraint while driving. If you
have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any reason ,
first stop the vehicle safely before attempting to adju st the head
restraint.
• Children must alwa ys be properly restrained in a child re straint
that is appropriate for their age and size =>
page 215 . •
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant res traint sy stem can o nly redu ce the risk of
injury i f veh icle occup ants are pr operly sea ted .
Im proper seati ng positio ns can caus e ser ious inju ry o r death .
Safety belts can on ly work w hen t hey are pro perly posi tio ned
on t he body. Impro per sea tin g posit io ns re duce the effect ive­
ness of safety belts and w ill even increase the risk of i nju ry
and deat h by moving the s afety belt to crit ic a l areas of the
body. Imp roper seati ng positions also increase the r is k of
serious inju ry and death when an airbag deploys an d str ikes
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
an occ
upan t who is not in th e proper s eati ng pos ition . A
d river is respons ib le f or t he safe ty o f all vehic le occu pants
a nd especial ly for children . Therefore:
- Never allow anyone to a ssum e an in correc t sea ting pos i-
t ion whe n the v ehic le is bei ng us ed::::;, &.
The follow ing b ulletins list only some sample positions that will
increase the risk of serious in ju ry and death. O ur hope is that these
examples will ma ke you more awa re of seat ing posi tions t hat are
dangero us.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving :
• never stand up in the vehicle
• never stand on the seats
• never knee l on t he se ats
• never ride with the seatback reclined
• never lie down on the rear sea t
• never le an up agains t th e ins tru ment panel
• never sit on the edge of the seat
• neve r sit s ideways
• never lean o ut the win dow
• never put your feet out the window
• never p ut yo ur feet on the ins trumen t panel
• never rest your feet on the seat c ush ion or back of the seat
• never ride in the footwell
• never ride in the cargo area
& WARNING
Improper seating position s in crease the ri sk of seriou s personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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

........ _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 _,.