2013 AUDI A5 COUPE Owners Manual

The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas­
senger deploy in certain but not all frontal
collis ions .
I f the front airbags deploy , the knee airbags
also deploy in fronta l collis ions when the de ­
p loyment threshold stored in the control unit
is met .
When the system dep loys, the airbags fill
with a prope llant gas, and inflate between the
l ower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel and the fron t passenger
c> page 151 ,
fig . 14 2.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
cushion the impact and in this way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even reali ze that
t he airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate w it h a great deal of force and it is im ­
portant for occ upant safety that not hing
should be in the ir way when they dep loy .
Fully infla ted airbags in comb ination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim ­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with knee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passenge rs
must know and do to help the safety be lts a nd
ai rbags to provide supp lemen tal protection .
_.6 WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wear ing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
A irbag system 159
-The knee a irbag system cannot p rotect
you proper ly if you a re seated too close
to any of the airbag locat ions. When ad­
justing their seat pos itions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep the ir upper bod ies and
knees at the following m inimum safe
distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal in jury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing yo ur safety belt . The risk i n­
creases even more should the ai rbag de­
ploy .
- Always ma ke sure that the knee a irbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence. Objects
between yo u and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of in jury in an accident by inte r­
fering w ith the way the a irbag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children
or anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat. If the airbag de­
ploys, th is can result in serious or fa tal
i njur ies.
- Never carry obje cts of any kind in the
footwe ll area in front of the dr iver' s or
passenger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop ­
ping bags , fo r example) can interfere
with o r prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the ve hicle if the air­
bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
c> page 166, Child Safety .
•
•

160 Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 146 Side a irbag locat ion in the d river 's seat
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t backrests
~ fig. 146. They are iden­
tified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The s ide a irbag system basicall y con sists o f:
- the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up­
per torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side col lision . The airbag deploys
on ly in side impacts and on ly when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control unit is h igh eno ugh . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value 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 ­
fine an airbag trigger ing range that will
cover
every
possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances w ill
vary considerably between one collision and another. Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc .
Q page 161, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle . Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wea ring
your safety belt and wearing it properly . This
is anothe r reason why you should always wear
yo ur safety be lts, not j ust because the law re­
quires you to do so~
page 134, General
notes .
It is important to remembe r that w hile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising ,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
s ide airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts
are always there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessarily an indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t ion . In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remember too, that air­
bags will deploy only once and only in ce rtain
ki nds of collisions -your safety belts a re a l­
ways there to offer protection in those acc i­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed.
Th e side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear-end collisions

- in rollovers. In some types of accidents the front airbags,
side curtain airbags and side airbags may be
trigger ed together.
& WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
r:::;, page 161.
-If the airbag indicator light c:::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
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. 147 Inflated sid e airbags on left s ide of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
f ill ed with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force . The sup­
plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are Located in the area where the sup­
plemental side airbag expand s. This applies
especially to children
c:::> page 166, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
Airbag system 161
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle th at is struck in certain side col­
li sion
c:::> fig. 147.
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 dust may develop when the airbag de­ ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
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.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplementa l protection.
& WARNING ...
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never Let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates .
-Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.

162 Airbag system
-Never insta ll seat covers or replace­
ment upho lstery over the front
seatbacks that have not been specifi­
cally approved by Audi.
- Never use add itional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repa ired
immed iately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an acc ident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates.
- Never place or attac h accessories or
other objects (such as cupholders, tele­
phone b rackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over o r near the
a rea marked "AIRBAG" on the seat
backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous p rojectiles and cause
i n ju ry when t he supplemental s ide air­
bag deploys.
- N ever ca rry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or a llow children or other
passengers to travel in th is posit ion .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightwe igh t clothing. Never leave any
heavy or sharp -edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag dep loyment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once.
If the a irbag has been triggered,
the system m ust be replaced by an au­
thorized Aud i deale rship.
- Damage (c rac ks, deep scratches etc.) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repa
ired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident
c:> page 166, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­
rectly measure increasing a ir pressure in­
side the doo rs whe n air escapes through
large r, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never dr ive with inte rior door trim pan ­
els removed.
- Never dr ive when par ts h ave bee n re­
moved from the inside door pane l and
the ope nings they leave have not been
proper ly closed .
- Never dr ive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if add it iona l speakers
o r other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels.
- Always have work o n the doors done by
an authorized Audi dea ler or q ualified
workshop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide
supplemental protection to properly restrain­
ed occupants.
Fig. 14 8 Side curtain system, d river 's s ide: s ide curta in
a irbag locat io n
II>-

The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 148. 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 164, 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 134, 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 163
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 53, Seats and s torage .
-If the ai rbag ind icator light ¢ page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
It is pos­
sible tha t the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should. •
•

164 Airbag system
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig . 14 9 Illust rat ion of p rinciple: In flated s ide cur ta in
ai rbags on the left s ide
The s ide curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is st ruck in a side co llision
<=) fig. 149 .
-"' ..,
-' " 18
When the system is triggered , the side curtain
a irbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the A IRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this addi tional p rotection ,
the side c urtai n airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force . T he side c urtain airbag cou ld in­
jure you if your se ating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curtain airbag
inflates. This applies espec ially to childre n
r::!) page 166.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the r isk of in­
ju ry to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ ploys . This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safe ty belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
The re is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the sa fety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
protection.
A WARNING
Imp roperly wea ring safety belts and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the
side curtain a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a head airbag can
dangerously inte rfe re with its funct ion. A
deploying head airbag develops enough
for ce to catapul t any p ie ce of add-on
component out of i ts p ath o f infla tio n
and into the passenger compar tment . An
occ upant h it by such a projectile can suf­
fer serious injury or deat h
r::!) page 2 76,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swive l the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for examp le pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfe re with a irbag dep loyment
a nd can cause persona l injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang cloth ing from
the hoo ks .
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
veh icle leaves the fa ctory, only Audi ro ll­
up suns creens may be u sed
r:!) page 2 75,
-

Additional accessories and parts re­placement .
-Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling
so that
the side curtain airbags can help provide
protection.
- The airbag system can only be triggered once. If the a irbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Aud i deale r o r qualified work­
shop .
- Always have work involving the side cur­ tain a irbag system, removal and installa­
t ion of the a irbag components, o r other
repai rs perfo rmed by an authori zed A udi
de aler or qu alified workshop. O therwise
the a irbag sys tem may no t work correct­
ly .
- Never a ttempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
Airbag system 165
•
•

166 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
q page 135, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults their
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In
many respects children are at greater risk of
serious injury in crashes than adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restra int systems especial­
l y designed for their size , weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the United States and p rovinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child . This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Ch ild restra ints must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can increase
the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Consult the child safety seat manufactu rer's
instructions to be sure the seat is right for
your chi ld's size
q page 169, Important safe­
ty instructions for using child safety seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of the im­
portant information and WARNINGS about
child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the instal­ lation of child restraints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re­
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be ­
cause of the large amount of important infor- mation, we cannot repeat it all here
. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manua l about airbags and the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­
ing children on the front passenger seat .
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
A WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str ik ing the interior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle dur ing a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
strained or improperly restrained ch ild is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly instal­
led and used at one of the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates . A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat w ill be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the back rest, center
armrest or door .
- Always install rearward-facing child safe-
ty seats on the rear seat.
IJi,,,