2012 AUDI A5 COUPE tow

146 Driving Safely
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 63.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de­
ploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver 's airbag to protect you in a
collision .
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air ­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in- jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 186. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 162 .
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom ­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Move the front passenger seat back as far
as possible . There must be a minimum of
10 inches (25 cm) between the breastbone
and the instrument panel¢,&. .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re­
straints: Adjust the head restraint so the up­
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If tha t is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this position as possible.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 157.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 61.
A WARNING
-
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:

150 Driving Safely
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already instal­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driver footwell while the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
portment.
Fig. 164 Safe load pos ition ing: place heavy objects as
low an d as far forward as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as possible
cc> fig . 164 . .,.
Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid­
ed
c:>poge 69.
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING ,..__
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
-Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the tie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve­
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
vehicle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle We ight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
~ page 144.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
~

152 Driving Safely
tie- downs in the lu gga ge com partmen t
to help prevent i tems from flyi ng for ­
wa rd as dan gerous miss iles int o the pas ­
s e ng er co mpart me nt.
- Never attac h a child sa fety s eat t ether
st rap t o a ti e-do wn.
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause
a crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notify­
ing Audi of America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com­
plaints, it may open an investi­
gation, and if it finds that a
safety defects exists in a group
of vehic les, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. Howev­
er , NHTSA cannot become in­
volved in individual problems between you, your dealer, or
Audi of America , Inc .
To contact NHTSA, you may call
the Vehi cle Safety Hotline toll­
free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1-800-424-915 3)
or write to: Administrator
NHTSA 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Wa shington, D .C . 20590
You can also obtain other infor­ mation about motor vehicle
safety from:
http://www.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
Canadian cu stomers who wish
to report a safety -related de­
fect to Tran sport Canada, De­
fe ct Investigation s and Recalls ,
may telephone the toll free hot­
Li ne :
Tel.: 1 -800-333-03 71 or
Tel.: 1-613-998-8616 if you are in Ottawa area
TTY for hearing impaired:
1-888-67 5-6863
em ail comments/question s to:
roadsafetywebmail@t c.g c.ca
or contact Transport Canada by mail at:
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle
Regulation Directorate
Transport Canada
Tower C, Place de Ville,
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario KlA 0N5

_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- The shoulder belt po rtion of the safety
belt must be pos it ioned over the m iddle
of the occupant's shoulder and neve r
across the neck or throat.
- The safety belt must lie flat and snug on
the occupant's upper body¢
fig. 172.
Pull on t he belt to t ighten if necessa ry.
- The lap belt port ion of the safety be lt
must be positioned as low as possible
across pe lvis and never ove r the abdo­
men. Ma ke s ure the be lt lies fla t and
snug¢
fig. 172 . Pull on the belt to tight ­
en if necessary .
- A loose-fitt ing safety be lt can cause ser i­
o us injuries by shifting its position on
your body from the strong bones to more vulnerab le, soft tissue and cause serious
injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢page 157.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy .
Fig. 173 Safety belt positio n during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be posit ioned correct ly on the
wearer's body
¢ poge 158 .
Safety belts 159
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor­
rectly ¢
page 61, General recommenda­
tions.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place before using the belt .
.. Hold the belt by t he tongue and pull it
even ly across the chest a nd pelv is
¢ fig. 173, ¢ .&_.
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buc kle of
your seat unti l you hear it latch secu rely
Qpoge 157, fig . 171 .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buck le.
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause ser ious personal injury in an acc i­
dent.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as
possible across the pelvis and below the
round ing of the abdomen.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other impo rtant information¢ .&.
in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 158.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
F ig . 1 74 Releas ing the tongue from the buck le
.. Push the red release b utton on the buckle
Q fig. 174. T he be lt tongue will spring out
of the buckle ¢
.&_.
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position . .,.

1 70 Airbag sys tem
-Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced A irbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
dr iver seat from the veh icle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sens ing mat and send the
wrong info rmation to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas·
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Ai r­
bag System under the passenge r seat
cou ld be damaged, prevent ing them and
the airbag system from wo rking proper­
ly .
- Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by A udi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from deploy ing prop­
erly.
- Never use cush ions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The add itiona l padd ing will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accu rately reg iste ring the c hild restra int
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­ ing properly .
-If you must use a child restra int on the
front passenger seat and the ch ild re- straint manufacturer's instructions
re­
qu ire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something e lse to properly pos ition the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the ch ild re·
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immed i­
a tely insta ll child restrain t in a rear se at­
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
s ide airbags supp lement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help redu ce the
risk of inju ry in a wide range of accident and
c rash situations. Be s ure to read the impor ­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need A irbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electron ic control unit. The amount of infla­
tion of the front airbags can a lso be adapted
to the front seat pos ition, depending on the
distance between the respect ive front seat
and the steer ing w heel or instrument panel as
registered by sensors in the seats. Crash se·
verity depends on speed and deceleration as
well as the mass and st iffness of the vehicle
o r object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the ai rbag w ill be tu rned off if the
we ight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the e lectronic control
u nit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will a lso be turned off if one of the child safe -
ty seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recogni zed on the seat . The
PAS SENGER AIR .,..

198 Child Saf ety
• Pull on the be lt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
A WARNING t ...cc= -
Using the wrong child restraint or an im-
properly installed child rest raint can cause
ser ious personal in ju ry or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked whe n installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re­
t ra ctor cannot ho ld the child safety seat
in place during norm al driv ing or in a
c rash.
- Always buc kle the child s afety seat firmly
in place even if a child i s not s itting in i t.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make su re the seat bac krest to
which the c hild restraint is installed is in
an upright position and sec urely latched
into p lace and cannot fo ld forward. Oth­
erwise, the seatback w ith the child safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an acc ident or other emer­
gency situation .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used
c::> page 186. Special
precautions apply when i nstalling a ch ild
safety seat on the front pas senge r seat
c::> page 163, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically
when the belt is wound all the way back into the retractor.
• Press the red button on the safety be lt
buck le . The belt tongue wi ll pop out of the
buck le.
• Gu ide t he safety belt all the way back into
its stowed pos it io n. Always
let the safety be lt ret ract completely
into its stowed position. The safety be lt can
now be used as an ordina ry safety belt w ith­
out the convertible locking retracto r for child
restraints.
If the conver tible locking retractor should be
activated inadvertent ly, the safety be lt must
be unfastened and guided complete ly back in­
to its stowed posit ion to deactivate this fea­
ture. If the convert ible locking retractor is not
deact ivated, the safety belt w ill gradually be­
come tig hte r and uncomfortable to wear.
A WARNING
Imp ro perly in stalled ch ild safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death in a co llision.
- Never u nfasten the safety belt to deacti­
v ate the conve rtible locki ng re tra cto r f or
chi ld res traints whi le the vehicle is mov ­
ing . You would not be restrained and
could be seriously in ju red in an accident .
- Always rea d and heed a ll WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a child res traine d in ave­
hicle is being used c::> page 186. Special
precautions apply when insta lling a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c::> page 163, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .

vertical axis, vehicle acceleration in the fore ­
and-aft and lateral directions , the brake pres­
sure, and the steering ang le are all measured .
The direction in which the d river wishes to
travel is determined with the aid of the steer­
ing angle and vehicle speed and is continually
compared with the actual behavior of the ve­
h icle. If the two do not match, for examp le,
when the vehicle starts hydroplaning on a wet
road, ESP will automatically brake the appro­
priate wheel to correct the problem.
The vehicle is then stabili zed by the forces act ­
ing on the wheel dur ing braking. If the vehicle
is
oversteering (the veh icle turns too sharply
and the rear wheels sl ide toward the outs ide
of a curve), the brakes are main ly applied on
the wheel that is on the outside of the curve.
I n the case of a ve hicle that is
understeering
(the vehicle does not turn sha rply enough and
pushes out of a curve) , the brakes are applied
as needed on the whee l that is on the inside of
the curve o r additiona lly on the other wheels.
An acoust ic signal indicates when ESP brake
application cuts in
q .& .
The system operates across the entire speed
range in combination with the ABS system
q page 208. If the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESP will be out of ac­
tion as well.
Acti vating
When you turn on the engine, ESP wi ll auto­
matica lly be activated and will perfo rm a se lf­
test. As soon as the test is completed, the sys­
tem is in normal operating mode .
You can activate a deactivated ESP or deacti ­
vated ESP/ASR if required by pressing the
qfig. 196 q fig . 195 button. When they are
activated, the message
Stabilisation prog ram
on
appears briefly in the d isplay.
D eacti vating
The ESP sho uld normally be activated all the
time. If necessary, you can deactivate Anti ­
Slip Regulation (ASR) or the Electron ic Stabili­
zation Program (ESP) by pressing the button
<:::;, fig. 196 .
Intellig ent technolog y 205
-Dea cti vating ASR: Tap the b utton. In cer ­
tain exceptional situations (e.g . driving with
tire chains), the Anti -Slip Regu lation (ASR)
can be deactivated
q page 206. The mes­
sage
ASR off Caution ! Limited d riv ing sta­
bilit y
appears in the display as we ll.
- Deacti vating ESP /A SR Press the button for
more than 3 seconds. Wi th the ESP/ASR de­
activated, the ind icator light comes on, see
c:::;, page 15 . The message War ning! R estrict­
ed stability
appea rs in the d isp lay as well.
.8, WARNING -
The Electronic Stabi liz a tion Program is
neverthe less subjec t to the laws o f phys­
ics. It is part icu la rly important to pay a t­
tention to this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefo re important that you
a lways adapt your driving to the condit ion
of the road and traff ic conditions. Do not
allow the increased safety provided by the Elect ronic Stabilization Program system to
lull you into accepting addit iona l safety
r isks.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the
rotational speed of the drive wheels .
General not es
The electronic d ifferential lock ( E0L) he lps the
car to star t moving, acce lerate and climb a
gradient on surfaces providing poor or almos t
no grip . Without EDL, this would be d iff icult,
if not impossible .
How the sy stem works
The EDL operates automatically. It mon itors
the rotational speed of wheels with the he lp
of the ABS sensors
q page 208 . If a noticea­
ble
slip is detected at the wheels (e .g . on s lip ­
pery ground
on one side), the sp inning wheels
are braked and power is t ransferred to the
othe r whee ls. Thi s is done up to a speed of
abo ut 60 mph (100 km/h) . Noises from the
brake system signa l that wheel spin is be ing
controlled .
Ill>
•
•

208 Intellig ent technol ogy
,8. WARNING
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road condit ions permit .
Other road users must not be put at r isk -
you may cause an acc iden t!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmiss ion into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too long or too often . This cou ld cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopp ing distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumula te on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums. Carefully apply brakes
for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driv ing fo r an extended period of time on
salt -covered roads w ithout using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few careful
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed . Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­ creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­ est authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power .
The brake booster works with vacuum pres­
sure which is created only when the engine is
runn ing
c> .&. .
,8. WARNING
-Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the bra ke pedal mus t be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up un­ der braking .
-
The ABS contributes effect ively to vehicle con­
trol since it prevents the whee ls from
locking
when the brakes are applied. This means that
the ve hicle remains steerable and is less likely
to skid .
With AB S you do n ot need to pump the
brake . Ju st hold th e bra ke p edal down.
However, do not expect the ABS to s horten
braking distance under
all c ircumstances.
When driving on gravel or on new ly fallen
snow on top of icy surfaces, braking dis tance
may be even longer, therefore, under these
circumstances, it is especia lly important that
you drive s low ly and with great care.
How the ABS syst em work s
An automat ic check is made when a speed o f
about 12 mph (20 km/h) is reached. When
this happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an ind iv idual whee l begi ns to rota te too
s lowly in re lation to vehicle speed and tends
to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake pressure to prevent that whee l from locking . .,..