2012 AUDI A5 COUPE light

178 Airbag system
is met ¢ page 171, More important things to
know about front airbags.
I n addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. This
is why you shou ld always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
¢page 154, General notes .
The safety belt buckle for the driver and front
seat passenger have switches that tell the air­
bag control module if the safety belt is being
used or not . If the safety belt is being used,
the knee airbag will deploy at a slightly higher rate of decelera tion than if the belt is not be­
ing used . Therefore, in a par ticu lar collision, it
is possible that an airbag will not deploy at a
seating position where the safety belt is being
used but will inflate at the pos ition where the
safety belt is not be ing used.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are a lways there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, fo r example whe n your veh i­
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
fi rst coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effective ly when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety be lts correctly.
It is importan t to remember that while the
supplemental knee a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
o ther inj uries, for example, swel ling, bruising,
and minor abras ions and frict io n burns can a l­
so occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of:
- The e lectronic control module
- Two inflatable ai rbags (a irbag and gas gen -
erator), one for the driver and one for the
front passenger
- The a irbag indicator light in the instr ument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ig nit ion is t urned off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
meas ured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn-
ing/indicator light is on)
¢page 15.
A WARNING
--
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 171.
-If the airbag ind icator light comes when
the vehicle is be ing used , have the sys­
tem inspected immediate ly by you r au­
thori zed A udi dealer. The airbag may not
w ork p roperly when the vehicle accelera­
tion in a side collision is high enough to
de ploy the airbag . See also¢
page 15 .
How knee airbags work
Applies to veh icles : w ith knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re­
du ced by f ully deployed knee airbags.
Fig . 1 80 In flated airbags protecting in a frontal colli-
s ion
II--

180 Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 18 1 Side a irbag locat io n in the d river 's seat
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t bac krests
~ fig. 181. They are iden­
tified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The sid e airbag system basicall y consis ts of :
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
t h e front backrests
- the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly
to make certain that it is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the drive r's and front passenger's up­
pe r torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side col lision . The airbag deploys
on ly in side impacts and on ly when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control unit is h igh eno ugh . If this rate is below the refer­
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered,
even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re ­
sult of the collision. It is not possible to de ­
f ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will
cover
every
possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances w ill
vary considerably between one collision and another.
Important factors
incl ude, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc .
c:> page 181, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restra int system in your vehicle . Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wea ring
you r safety belt and wea ring it p roperly . This
is anothe r reason why yo u should always wear
yo ur s afe ty be lts, no t ju st because the law re­
quires yo u to do so~
page 154, General
notes .
It is impo rtant to remembe r th at w hile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser io us inju ries,
othe r injuries, for example, swelling, br uising ,
and minor abrasions ca n also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
s ide airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are always there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessarily an ind i­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t io n. In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remembe r too, t hat air­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in ce rtain
ki nds of col lisions -yo ur safety belts a re a l­
ways there to offer pro tection in those a cc i­
den ts in which airbags are no t su pposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ig nit ion is tu rned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear-end collisions

- in rollovers.
I n some types of acc idents the front airbags,
side curt ain a irbags and side airbag s may be
t r iggered together .
& WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only prov ide protection when occ upants
are in the proper seating position
r:::;, page 181.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The a irbag may
not wo rk properly when the vehicle ac­
celeration in a side co llision is h igh
enough to activate the airbag .
How supplemental side airbags work
-
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 1 82 Inflated sid e airbags o n left sid e of ve hicle
When t he system is triggered, the airbag is
f ill ed with propellant gas and breaks thro ugh
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG".
It exp ands between the side trim pane l
and the passenger . In order to help prov ide
this additional protection, the side a irbag
must inflate withi n a fraction of a second at
ve ry high speed and with great force . T he sup­
p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not p roper or upr ight or if
items are Located in the area where the sup ­
p lemental s ide a irbag e xpands. This app lies
especia lly to children r:::;, page 186, Child Safe ­
ty . Supplementa l side airbags inflate between
A irba g sy stem 181
the occ upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle t hat is struck in certain side col­
li sion ¢fig. 182.
Although they are not a soft pillow , they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body .
A fine d ust may deve lop when the a irbag de­
ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
T here is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
s afety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplementa l protect ion.
& WARNING ...
A n inflat ing side a irbag can cause serious
or fata l injury. Improperly wear ing safety
belts and imp roper seat ing pos itions in­
crease the r isk of serio us pe rsonal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used .
- I n order to reduce the risk of i njury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean aga inst the area where the
suppleme nta l side airbag is Located.
- Never Let a child or a nyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
i n the area where the supplemental
s ide a irbag inflates .
-Always make sure that safety be lts are
worn co rrectly,
- Do not Let anyone s itting in the front
seat put the ir hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
-Always make sure that the s ide a irbag
can inflate without interfe rence.

182 Airbag system
-Never insta ll seat covers or replace­
ment upho lstery over the front seat
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use add itional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy .
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repa ired
immed iately by an authorized Audi
dealer .
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an acc ident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attac h accessories or
other objects (such as cupholders, tele­
phone b rackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over o r near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous p rojectiles and cause
i n ju ry when t he supplemental s ide air­
bag deploys.
- Never ca rry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or a llow children or o ther
passengers to travel in th is posit ion .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightwe igh t clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp -edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag dep loyment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocki ng
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once.
If the a irbag has been triggered,
the system m ust be replaced by an au­
thorized Aud i deale rship.
- Damage (c rac ks, deep scratches etc.) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repa
ired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
c:> page 186, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rectly measure increasing a ir pressure in­
side the doo rs whe n air escapes through
large r, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never dr ive with inte rior door trim pan ­
els removed.
- Never dr ive when par ts h ave bee n re­
moved from the inside door pane l and
the openings they leave have not been proper ly closed .
- Never dr ive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed .
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if add it iona l speakers
o r other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dea ler or q ualified
workshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain­
ed occupants.
Fi g. 1 83 Side curta in system, driver 's s ide: side c urta in
a irbag loca tion
II>--

The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 183. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of inju ry for occupants ' heads and upper
t orso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
in a side collision . The side curta in a irbag in ­
flates in s ide impacts and only when the veh i­
cle acce le rat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
i s high enoug h.
If th is rate is below the refer ­
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re ­
sult of the collision .
It is not possible to de­
f ine an a irbag triggering range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
in clude, for examp le, the nature (hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, et c. ¢
page 184, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion i n the event of a co lli­
sion so that the side curtai n ai rbags can pro­
vide p rotection.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc­
cupa nt restraint system in your veh icle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you shou ld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­ qu ires you to do so ¢
page 154, General
notes .
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to he lp
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
i njuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated w ith
these airbags. Remembe r too, these a irbags
will dep loy only once and only in certain kinds
A irbag system 183
of accidents -your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
-The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The a irbag in dic ator light in t he in str ument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectronically
to make ce rtain it is functioning prope rly at all
times. Each time yo u turn on the ignit ion, the
airbag system ind icator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is turned off ,
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢ page 61, General recommendations .
-If the ai rbag ind icator light comes on
when t he vehicle is being used, have the
sys tem inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. The s ide cu rtain
airbag may not work proper ly even when
the vehicle acce leration in a side collision
is high enough to activate the airbag .
•
•

184 Airbag system
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig . 184 Ill ust ration of principle: Inflated side curtain
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
<=) fig. 184.
-"' ..,
-' " 18
When the system is triggered , the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection ,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. T he side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supp leme ntal side curtain airbag
inflates. This applies especially to children
r::!) page 186 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the r isk of in­
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­
ploys . This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies 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 projectile can suf­
fer serious injury or death
r:!) page 296,
Technical Modifications.
-Do not swive l the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for examp le pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with a irbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks .
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
veh icle leaves the factory, only Audi roll­
up sunscreens may be used
r:!) page 295,
-

-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rearward-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dealer.
,& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- 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.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- 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 child restraint. The backrest 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.
@ Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured .
Child Safety 187
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size . The airbag on the pas ­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride . The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of child re -
straints and for the different models of the ..,. •
•

188 Child Saf ety
same kind of child rest raint offered by child
restraint manufact urers.
The weight ranges fo r the ind ividual types,
makes and mode ls o f chi ld restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi­
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem compa res the we ight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the informat io n sto r­
ed i n the ele ct ron ic cont ro l uni t.
The electron ic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe ren t for an ad ult
who is prope rly using the safety belt as com­
pared to the tension on the be lt whe n it is
used to attach a chi ld restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger meas ures the
tension on the be lt. The input from this sen­
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restraint w ith a typ ical
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whe ther or not the ai rbag must be tu rned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless o f the child restraint t hat you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with a n airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly instal led at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep­
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger sea t, caref ully read all of the
i n format ion on c hild safety and Advanced A ir­
bags and heed a ll of the app licab le WAR N­
I NGS . Ma ke certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenger airbag is turned off and that the a
irbag sta tus is always cor rect ly signa led
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child res traints
h ave been available over the yea rs, new mod­
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r mode ls are
ta ken out o f product ion . Ch ild restra ints are
not standard ized . Child restraints of the same
type typically have different weights and sizes
and different 'footpr ints,' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they are insta lled on a vehi­
cl e seat. These d iffe rences make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify compl ian ce wi th t he re­
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with eac h
and every chi ld restraint that has eve r been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
F or t his reason, the United S tates National
Highway T raffic Safety Adm inist ration has
published a list of specific type, ma kes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These ch ild restraints a re:
Subpart A -Car bed child re straints
Model
A ngel Guard Angel
Ride AA2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury 5martFit December 1, 19 99
4 543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
I
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
I
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
20 4
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999