2013 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET airbag

122 Driving Safel y
• Fasten your safety belt and wear it proper ly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts proper ly ¢
page 132.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the rood
without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants. If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢
.&,.
Therefore:
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEVER drive when your dr iving ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
• Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traff ic
and weather condit ions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips . Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch .
• Do NOT drive when you are tired , under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING , .
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used .
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 132 Correct seat ing posit ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
following position:
• Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢.&, .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
• Adjust the steering whee l so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast
bone ¢
fig. 132. If not possible, see your au­
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip­ ment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
• Grasp the top of the steering whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Applies to veh icles 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 that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this posit ion as possible.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 135.

~ 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
c:;, page 62.
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-
Driving Safely 123
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c:;, page 161. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c:;, page 140 .
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
c:;, &, .
~ 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
stra ints: Adjust the head restraint so the up­
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that 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
c:;,page 135.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:;, 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:
•
•

124 Driving Safely
-Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- 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
c::> page 161 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat<=:>
page 140.
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and
be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in
use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas- sengers on the
rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
" Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position<=:>
page 68.
" Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
" Fasten and wear safety belts properly
<=:>
page 135 .
" Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age ¢
page 161.
,&. WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is securely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly positioned on the body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
belts!
Proper adjustment of head restraints
App lies to vehicles: with adjustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 133 Head restraint : viewed fro m the front

126 Driving Saf ely
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
Appl ies to vehicles: with knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inflate without interference . Objects be ­
tween yourself and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an acc ident by inte rfer­
ing w ith the way the a irbag deploys or by
being p ushed into you as the airbag de­
ploys .
- No persons (ch ildren) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas­
senger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can res ult in serious or fata l injuries .
- No objects of any k ind sho uld be carried
in the footwe ll area in front of the driv­
er's or passenger's seat . Bulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham ­
per or prevent proper deployment of the
airbag . Small objects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and injure you o r your passengers .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
M ake sure tha t all pedals move freely witho ut
i nte rfe rence and that nothing prevents them
from retu rning to the ir origina l posi tions.
Only use floo r mats that leave the peda l area
free and can be secured wit h floor mat fasten­
e rs.
If a b rake circuit fails, increased b rake pedal
trave l is required to bring the vehicle to a full
stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause
l oss of veh icle control and increase the risk
of ser ious injury .
- Never p lace any objects in the drive r's
footwell . An object cou ld get into the
pedal area and inte rfe re with pedal func­
tion . In case of sudde n brak ing o r an ac­
cident, yo u wo uld not be a ble to brake or
acceler ate !
- Always ma ke s ure that no thing can fall
or move into the driver's footwel l.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor mat fast eners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
.. Make s ure that the floor mats are properly
secured and canno t move and in terfere with
t he peda ls
£:=? &, .
Use on ly f loor mats that leave the pedal area
u nobst ructed and that are firmly secu red so
t h at t hey cannot slip o ut of position . You ca n
obta in suitab le floor mats from yo ur autho r­
ized Audi dea ler .
Floor mat fastene rs are insta lled in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at­
tached to these fastene rs. Prope rly securing
the floor mats will prevent them from sliding
i nto posi tions that cou ld interfere with the
peda ls o r impa ir safe ope rat io n of yo ur vehicle
i n othe r ways.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can result
in a loss of vehicle control and inc rease the
risk of ser ious persona l injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are properly secu red.
- Never p lace or ins tall floor mats o r othe r
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be properly secured in p lace to prevent
them from slipping and interfer ing with
lill>

134 Safety belts
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­
gers~
fig. 143. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 144 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudden brak·
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference . Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent
the uncon trolled movement that can
ca use serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"abso rbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable " and less
likely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­ ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen ­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision. For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not eno ugh deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

138 Safet y belt s
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci ­
dent .
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as
poss ible across the pelv is and be low the
rounding of the abdome n.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
Q &. in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 136.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped .

'lJJ
Fig. 149 Relea sing the to ngue from t he buckle
.. Push the red re lease but ton on the buck le
Q fig. 149 . The belt tongue wi ll spring out
of the buckle
Q .&_ .
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the veh i­
cle is moving. Doing so will increase your
r isk of being injured or killed .
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and wi ll
even
increase the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety be lt to critica l areas of the
body. Improper seating positions also in­
crease the r isk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occu­ pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
t ion. A driver is responsible for the safety of
all veh icle occupants and especially for chil­
dren. Therefore:
.,. Never perm it anyone to assume an incorrect
sitt ing pos ition in the vehicle while traveling
Q A .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety be lts inc rease the
risk of serious persona l inju ry and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always ma ke sure that all vehi cle o cc u ­
pants are correctly restra ined and stay in
a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
- A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
Q page 135.
Safety belt preten-
• s1oners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity, safety belts are tensioned
automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners. The system is activated by sen­
sors in front, s ide and rear-end collisions of
great severity. This tightens the belt and takes
up belt slack
Q .&. in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 139.
Taking
up the slack he lps to reduce fo rward occupant
movement during a collision .
(D Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat­
back that has been fo lded forward.

@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be
activated once .
- In mino r frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions and in accidents in­
volving very little impact force, the safe­
ty belt pretens ioner are not activated .
- When the safety be lt pretensioners are
activated, a fine dust is released. This is
norma l and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The relevant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped . An au ­
thorized Audi dealer or qua lified work­
shop is fam iliar with these regulations
and will be p leased to pass on the infor­
mation to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
mental and othe r regula tions if the vehi­
cle or individ ual pa rts of the system, par­
ticularly the sa fety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your a uthorized Audi dea ler perform this
serv ice for you .
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretension er
The safety belt pretensioners are pa rts of the
safety belts on you r Audi . Installing, remov­
i n g, servicing or repa iring of belt prete nsion­
ers can damage the safety be lt system and
p revent it from work ing correct ly in a colli­
sion.
There are some impor tant thi ngs 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 po l­
l ute the env ironment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing a safety belt pretens ione r from act ivat ing when needed
or act ivat ing it unexpectedly:
Sa fety belts 139
- The belt pretensioner system can be act i­
vated only once. If be lt pretensioners
have been activated, the system m ust be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety be lt system.
- Safety belt systems incl uding safety belt
pretens ioners cannot be repaired. Spe­
cial procedures are required for removal, installation and d isposal of th is system .
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
your author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
technician who has an Audi approved re­ pa ir manua l, train ing and spe cial eq uip­
ment necess ary.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and p reten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Materia l - specia l handli ng may apply, see
www .dtsc.c a.gov/h azardouswaste/per­
ch lor ate. When the veh icle or parts o f the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety be lts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, a ll applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized A udi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform th is service fo r you.
•
•

140 Airbag sys tem
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job , occupants must al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, a lways:
• Adjust the dr iver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 122,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 62,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 135,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
stra int to protect children ¢
page 161.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force .
The supplementa l airbags can cause injuries if
the dr iver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Therefore in order to he lp the
a irbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r to sit properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag ca n inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supp lemental p rotec­
tion in ce rtain frontal collisions
¢ page 122,
Proper occupant seating positions .
For detai ls
on the operat ion of the seat adjustment con­
trols ¢
page 62.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained ¢
page 161.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individua l
safety features ins talled in your A udi work to­
gether as a system.
Prope r seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver s ide can do i ts
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con- dition that prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the peda ls , spec ial
modifications to your vehicle may be necessa­
ry.
Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler, or call
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834 .
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener­
ator will f ill the ai rbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inf late between the steering
whee l and the dr iver and between the instru ­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after dep loy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
th rough the w indshield aga in without inter­
ruption .
All of th is take s place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have dep loyed . The airbags also
inflate with a g reat dea l of force and nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy.
F ront a irbags in combination with properly
worn safety bel ts slow down and lim it the oc ­
c u pant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the drive r and front seat pas­
senger from hitting parts of the inside the ve­
hicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant dur ing the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and uppe r body i n the c rash . A irbags do not
protect the a rms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front a irbags w ill not i nflate in all fronta l
collisions . The t rigge ring of the a irbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
c aused by the co llision and reg istered by the
elect ron ic cont ro l u nit. If t his rate is below
the re ference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be trigge red ,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a res ult of the collision . Veh icle damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is no t necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inflate or not .
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possib le kind and .,.