2012 AUDI A5 COUPE warning light

BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned
off
c:> page 163, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury whe n an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly .
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, yo ur risk of injury is much highe r.
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in·
flates · even with an Advanced Airbag
c:>page 162.
More important things to know about
front airbags
Fi g. 177 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper sea ted pos ition
so that airbags c an u nfo ld properly and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in a fronta l co l­
lision.
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protection for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenge r when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been posit io ned so that the
occupant is p roperly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag,
- and the head restraints have been properly
adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, things you have on your lap
A irba g sy stem 1 71
or have p laced on the seat co uld become dan ­
gerous projectiles, and be p ushed into you if
the a irbag inf lates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
T his is norma l and is not caused by a fi re in
the ve hicle . This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they
deploy. It could irr itate skin .
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swelling, bruis ing and
minor abrasions, can also happen when air­
bags inflate . A irbags do not protect the arms
o r the lower parts of the body. Front a irbags
on ly supp lement the three point safety belts
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
decelera tion is high e no ugh to deploy the air­
bags .
Front airbags will not deploy :
-if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
occu rs,
- in side collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by
the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
reg istered by the electronic control unit .
The front pa sse n ger ai rbag will also not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu­
pied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys·
tern ind icates that the front airbag on the
passe nger side has to be turned off by the
electronic control unit (the
PAS SENGER A IR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the r is k of se rious inj ury in crashes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the air ­
bags inflate, the drive r and passenge rs

172 Airbag system
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against or place any part
of their body too close to the area where
the airbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be se­ riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
~page 163.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be seriously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- 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 rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- 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 come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the risk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on
your lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuver and become dangerous projec- tiles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, tele­ phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could cause injury in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects. Items can also
move into the area of the side airbag or
the front airbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
'-
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing problems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­
ing conditions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or other respiratory
conditions should get fresh air right
away by getting out of the vehicle or
opening windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.

Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System : the airbag
moni toring indicator light and the
PA SSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (includ ing the
e lectronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignit io n is on . Each t ime you
turn on the ignition, the
I airbag monitoring
i ndicator light w ill come o n for a few seconds
(self diagnostics) .
The system mu st be inspect ed when the
I indicator light:
- does not come on when the ignit ion is
swi tched on,
- does not go out a few seconds afte r yo u
have switched o n the ignition, o r
- comes on w hile d riving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator light will first start flashing to catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a irbag on the passenger side off, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght w ill come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supp lemen tal p ro­
tection in a fron tal crash .
-If the airbag indic ator l igh t comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong with the Advance d Airbag System.
It is possible that the airbag will inflate
when it is not s upposed to, or w ill not in­
flate when it should.
-
A irba g sy stem 173
-Have the airbag system inspected imme­
diate ly by you r authorized Aud i dea ler.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light
F ig . 1 78 Sect io n fro m t he in strum en t pa ne l: PASSEN ­
GER AIRBAG OFF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF light is located
i n the center of the instrument pane l
¢fig . 178.
The PASSENGER AIRBA G OF F light w ill come
o n and stay o n to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electron ic control unit . Each
t ime you turn on the ignit ion, the
PASSEN­
GER AIRBAG OFF
lig ht w ill flash fo r a few sec·
o nds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied,
- will stay on if there is a small chi ld or child
restraint on the front passenge r seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
we ight-sensi ng mat .
The
PAS SENGER AIRBAG OFF light must
come on and stay on if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing child rest raint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, o r
- a forward -facing chi ld restra int has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passen ­
ger seat is equal to or less t han the com ­
b in ed weight of a typical 1 year-old restra in­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward -fac-
ing infant restra ints listed in Federal Motor ..,.

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 . ..,.
•
•

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--

- 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.

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 .
•
•