2012 AUDI A5 COUPE Owners Manual

PASSENGER AIRBAG ON will briefly appear in
the instrument cluster display. This is to in­
form the driver of the current front passenger
airbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not supposed to, or w ill not in ­
flate when it should .
- Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diately by your author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without
a child restra int, in a rearward-facing child
safety seat or in a forward-facing chi ld re­
straint that has not been prope rly insta lled
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed.
- E ven thoug h your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always insta ll forward or rear -facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­ ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme ­
diately insta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r au­
thorized Aud i de aler.
- A tight tether or other st rap on a rear­
wa rd-fac ing child restra int attached to
-
A irbag system 1 75
the front passenger seat can p ut too
m uch pressu re on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than is actually o n the seat . The heavier
weight registered can make the system
wo rk as tho ugh an adult we re on the seat
a nd deploy the Advanced Airbag w hen it
m ust be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild .
- I f, in exceptiona l circumstances , you
m ust install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
s traint on the front passenger seat, al ­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­ sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­ ment range, as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays o n all t he time when­
eve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
-
- I f the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an ad ult is sitting
on the front passenger sea t after tak ing
the steps described above, make su re the
ad ult is properly seate d and restra ined at
one o f the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer before trans­port ing anyone on the front passenger
seat .
(D Tips
If the weight -sensing mat in the front pas ­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side wi ll be
turned off, and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are i nstalled at
many different p laces o n your Aud i. Insta lli ng,
removing, servicing or repa iring a par t in an
area o f the veh icle can damage a par t of an
airbag sys tem and preven t that system from
working properly in a coll is ion . ..,.
•
•

176 Airbag system
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol ­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag
from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system .
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­ shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi . -
Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version. Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only.
Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD .
-In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
1J1-

dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
d river and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe ­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par­
ticular 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
position where the safety belt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen­
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
.&_ WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
Airbag system 177
characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
.&_ WARNING
= -
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con ­
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air­ bag System from working properly.
-Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 179 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
Q fig . 179, the knee airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
panel underneath the glove compartment .
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up­
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal collisions when the de­ ployment threshold stored in the control unit
I),-

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--

The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collis ions .
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collis ions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
ist met.
When the system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and inflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the fron t passenger <=>
page 171,
fig . 17 7.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
cushion the impact and in this way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even reali ze that
t he airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate w it h a great deal of force and it is im ­
portant for occ upant safety that not hing
should be in the ir way when they dep loy .
Fully infla ted airbags in comb ination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim ­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with knee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passenge rs
must know and do to help the safety be lts a nd
ai rbags to provide supp lemen tal protection .
_.6 WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wear ing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
A irbag system 179
-The knee a irbag system cannot p rotect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locat ions. When ad­
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal in jury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk i n­
creases even more should the ai rbag de­
ploy .
- Always ma ke sure that the knee a irbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of in jury in an accident by inte r­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children
or anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, th is can result in serious or fa tal
i njur ies.
- Never carry obje cts of any kind in the
footwe ll area in front of the dr iver' s or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop ­
ping bags , fo r example) can interfere
with o r prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the ve hicle if the air­
bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
<=> page 186, Child Safety .
•
•

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>--