2012 AUDI A5 COUPE ECU

the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflat e com ­
p letely and provide supplemental protection
in certa in frontal col lisions .
_&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrect ly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or ot her eme rgency s ituation. To help re­
duce t he risk of ser ious persona l injury
and/or death:
- Always make sure to position the should­
er port ion of the three -po int bel t over
the middle of chi ld's sho ulder.
- Never let the shoulder port ion of the be lt
rest against or across the neck , face,
chin, or throat of the child .
- Always make sure the lap belt portion o f
the three-po int be lt is worn sn ug and
passes as low as possib le across the
child's pelvis. Never let the belt pass over
the soft abdomen.
- Failure to properly route sa fety belts
over a ch ild's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an acc ident or other emergency
situation
¢page 154.
-The rear s ide of the booster seat should
be pos it ioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re ­
move the rear seat head rest raint if it is
difficult to install the child seat w it h the
head restraint in place¢
page 67. Insta ll
the head res train t again immedia tely
once the child seat is removed . Dr iving
without head rest raints or with head re­
straints that are not properly adj usted
increases the risk of ser ious o r fatal neck
injury dramat ically.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
o usly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inf lates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat.
Child Sa fet y 195
-Never let a chi ld r ide in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remembe r th at a c hild leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi­
tion in any way d uring an accident can be
struck by a dep loying a irbag. This will re­
sult in ser ious personal inju ry or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
tional ci rcumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght m ust come o n and
s tay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on .
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, pe rform
the c heck s descr ibed
¢ page 173, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
- Take the chi ld restraint off the fron t pas­
senger sea t and inst all it prope rly at one
of the rear sea t positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
-A lways read an d heed a ll WAR NIN GS
wheneve r us ing a chi ld restrained in ave ­
hicle is being used
¢ page 154, Safety
belts,
¢ page 162, Airbag system and
¢ page 186, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger's sea t con be locked w ith the con­
ver tible locking re tractor to properly secure
child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking ret ractors
for the rear seats safety bel ts and for the
front passenger's seat safety be lt have a co n­
vertib le locking retractor for child rest raints.
T he safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webb ing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to lo ck the safe ty belt and prevent
t h e safety be lt webbing from looseni ng up
during norma l dr iving . A chi ld safety seat can
o nl y be properly installed when the safety belt...,
•
•

196 Child Safety
is locked so that the child and child safety
seat will stay in place.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young­
er, should always ride in the back seat proper­ ly restrained fo r their age and weight.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a
crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
belt is attached is securely latched when­
ever the rear center safety belt is being
used to secure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back­
rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be seriously in­
jured or killed.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat . A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­
ger airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child safe­
ty seats or infant carriers on the rear
seat. -
Forward-facing child safety seats or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­
senger 's seat may interfere with the de­
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child .
- It is safer to install a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
~ page 186. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
~ page 163, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
.&_ WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
~ page 173, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.

LATCH Lower
anchorages and tether
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s impler and more pract icable way
to attach the child restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federal regu lations require special lower
anchorages in vehicles and dev ices on new
child restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho­
rages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called
the
LA TCH system for "Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children ."
F orward-facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new ch ild
head movement performance requirements .
T hese new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
I nstalling a chi ld restraint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the
performance of the chi ld restraint and its ab il­
ity to protect the child in a co llision . Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a v iolation of
state law.
Ch ild restraint manufacturers offer LATCH
lower anchorages on their ch ild seats with
hook -on or push-on connectors attached to
adj ustable straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child
restra int firmly in place .
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instructions p rov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re-
Child S afety 199
straint you intend to install in your vehi­
cle.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions require the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of child restraint LATC H
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision . The LATC H lowe r anchorage
points ar e designed to withstand on ly
those loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mo unt two ch ild restra int systems
on one LA T C H l ower anchorage point .
- Never secure or a ttach any luggage or
o ther item to the LATCH lower anchorag­
es.
a) Tips
In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower u niversal anchorages" (or "lower
universa l anchorage ba rs") are used to de­
scribe the sys tem.
- In other countries, the t erm " ISOFIX" is
used to describe the lower a nch o rages.
Location
Fi g. 189 Sc hema tic overv iew: LA TCH ancho rage point
l ocations
T he illust rat ion shows the seati ng loca tions in
yo ur vehicle which are equipped with the low­
er anchorages system.

200 Child Safety
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating.
Fig. 190 Lower anchorages, covers marked
Fig. 191 Rea r seats: lower anchorage bracket locations
lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are
l ocated on the rear end of the rear seatback.
Remove the covers
c::> fig . 190 to access the
lower anchorage attachment points .
The lower anchorage attachment points are
visible ¢fig. 191.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy­
to- use attachment and minimize the possibili­
ty of improper child restraint installation.
All child restraints manufactured after Sep­
tember 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the LATCH system.
Please remem ber that the lower anchorage
points are only intended for installation and
attachment of child restraints specifically cer­
tified for use with LATCH lower anchorages.
Child restra ints that are not equipped with the
lower anchorage attachments can still be in- stalled
in compliance with the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions on using vehicle
safety belts .
A WARNING
-Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious personal injury in an ac­
cident.
- Always carefully follow the child re­
straints manufacturer's instructions for
proper installation of the child restraint
and proper use of the lower anchorages
or safety belts in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages.
- Always read and heed the important in­
formation about child restraints in this
chapter and WARNINGS c::>page 186,
Child Safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
When ever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions.
Fig. 192 Lowe r anc horages : proper mou nting
Mounting
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright posit ion and securely
latched in place .
"' Attach both hook-on connectors with the
spr ing catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connecto rs lock into place ¢fig. 192.
II>

.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight following the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions.
Relea sing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following
the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions .
.,. Depress the spring catches to re lease the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag­
es .
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATC H system can in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in an acc ident.
- These anchors were developed only for child safety seats us ing the "LATCH" sys­
tem.
- Never attach other child safety seats,
belts or othe r objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click when latching the seat in place . If you do
not hea r a click the seat is not secure and
c ou ld fly forward and h it the inte rior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi­
cl e.
A WARNING
Improper installation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of in jury in an acc i­
dent.
- Always fo llow the child rest raint system
manufacturer's instr uctions for proper
installation o f the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as we ll as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your vehicle.
- Always read and heed the important in­
format io n and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re­
st raint systems~
page 186, Child Safe­
ty.
-
Child S afety 201
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 193 Tet her anc hors : recess flaps behind t he rear
seatbacks
T he te ther anchors for the rear seating posi­
tions are located in recesses in the rear win ­
dow shel f¢
fig. 193 .
A tether is a stra ight or V-s haped st rap that
attaches the top par t of a ch ild restrai nt to
special a nchorage po ints in the vehicle.
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child rest raint in a
c rash, i n orde r to help reduce the risk of head
injury that cou ld be caused by strik ing the ve­
hicle inte rior.
Fo rward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S.
federa l reg ulations to comply wi th ch ild head
movement pe rformance requ irements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats .
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restra ints
will increase the r isk of injury and death in
a crash.
-Always follow the instr uctions provided
by the manufacturer of the child re­
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a coll ision. The anchors are de­
signed to withstand only those loads im­ posed by co rrectly fitt ed child restraints.
- Neve r mo unt two child rest ra int systems
on one LATC H lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap o r tethe r ancho rage .
-

202 Child Safe ty
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment .
- Never use child restraint tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at­
tach a child restraint to the front passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sensing
mat to measure more weight than is ac­
tually on the seat.
- The heav ier weight reg istered can make
the Advanced Airbag System wo rk as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced A irbag when it m ust
be s uppressed causing ser ious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- If you mus t install a rearward f acing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan ­
ces and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig. 194 Tether strap: prope r rou ting and mo unt ing
Inst all in g the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions . .,.
Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint co
fig. 194 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary).
.,. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten t he te ther s trap firmly fo llowing
the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
Relea sing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension fo llowing the child re­
straint manufacture r's instructions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it from the ancho rage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restra int w ith the
tether strap firm ly installed for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up ­
ho lstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in­
stalled. The upholstery would also be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap . This applies espec ia lly to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child restraint
systems come w ith a tether. Please read and
heed the chi ld restra int system manufactur­
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether .
A WARNING
-
-
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be serious ly injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
van ced A irbag System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrie r with great
for ce and will smash the child safe ty seat
~

218 Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
For this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­
ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. Always
check with the trailer hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
ing bumper system . No modifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bolts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trailer hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your vehi­
cle be struck from behind
¢ A.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations . The trailer
hydraulic brake system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
~ A.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trai le r.
Trailer lights
T railer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, switches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors . It is important
that you
always have clear vis ion to the rear.
,8. WARNING
- If a trailer has electrical brakes please
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory-fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- Afte r removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
-
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ A in Driving instructions on page 219.
Engine cooling system
T owing a trailer makes the engine work hard ­
er. It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid . .,..

Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 201 Dr iver's s ide footwell: engine hood release
lever
"' Open the driver's door .
"' Pull the release lever on the left under the
instrument panel
i=:> fig. 201 in the d irection
of the arrow.
The hood pops up slight ly under spring pres­
sure.
Opening the engine hood
F ig . 202 Re lease lever under the engine hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure
that the windshie ld wipers are flat against the
windshie ld. Otherwise, they could damage the
paint on the hood.
"' Pull up on the release under the hood
r::!> fig. 202 . This releases the catch.
"' Open the hood all the way
c::> &,.
Checkin g and fillin g 237
A WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolant escaping from the eng ine
compartment. Wait unt il no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard before care­
fu lly opening the hood.
Closing the engine hood
"' Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
the struts is reduced.
"' Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage
c;, &, .
A WARNING
--
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood, check it
to make sure the safety catch has p roper­
ly engaged. The hood should be flush
with the surround ing vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured prope rly, stop at once and
close it .
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whene ver y ou must pe rform any wo rk in the
eng ine compartment, for e xample checking
and filling different fluids, th ere is a risk of
injury, burns and accid ent s. To pr event per­
s o nal injury always observe the following
WARNINGS . The engine compa rtment of an y
vehicle i s a hazardou s are a
c;, Lh,.
A WARNING ~
To help avoid injury, be fo re yo u check any­
thing under the hood:
- Tu rn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key.