2014 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET Owners Manual

the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already insta l­
led floor mats . Additional floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
pedals.
- Always property reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driver footwell wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
t rapped under t he brake pedal and accel­
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
control.
Stowing Luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
portment.
F ig. 134 Safe load pos ition ing: place heavy objects as
low a nd as fa r forwa rd as possible .
-M N 0 u.
ill
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characterist ics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
veh icle maneuver or in a collision .
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as poss ible
c::> fig . 134 .
Drivin g Sa fely 12 7
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs p rovid ­
ed
c::> page 67.
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the ve hicle causing ser ious
pe rsonal injury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an accident . To help reduce the risk
of ser ious persona l injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy i tems in the luggage com­
pa rtment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compa rtment using the t ie-down eyelets
a nd suitab le st raps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur ve ­
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of contro l leading to serious personal
i nj ury :
-Always keep in mind w hen transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen ­
ter of gravity can a lso cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute t he load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We ight Rat­
ing or the G ross Vehicle We ight Rating
specified o n the sa fety compliance stick­
e r on the left door jamb. Exceeding per ­
miss ible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and hand le different ly .
- P lease observe in format ion on sa fe dr iv­
ing
<::> page 121.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaus t gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting comp lete ly into the l uggage _..

128 Driving Safely
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power top,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power top and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used .
-After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es ­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
-
'
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
¢page 226.
Tie-downs
Applies to vehicles: with tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and o ther
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
¢ page 12 7, Loading the luggage com­
par tmen t.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item . Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4 .S kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­ ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying

forwar d as dange ro us m iss iles into the
passenge r compartment.
- Never attac h a c hild safety seat tet her
st rap to a tie-d own .
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause
a crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notify­
ing Audi of America, Inc.
If NHTSA receive s similar com­
plaints, it may open an inve sti­
gation, and if it finds that a
s afety defects exis ts in a group
of vehicle s, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. Howev­
er , NHTSA cannot become in­
volved in individual problems between you, your dealer, or
Audi of America , Inc.
To contact the NHTSA , you may
either call:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or
1-800-424-9 3 9 3
or you may write to:
Driving Safely 129
NHTSA
U .S. Department of Transporta­
tion 1200 New Jersey Ave ., S .E.
We st Building
Wa shington, DC 20590
You can also obtain other infor­ mation about motor vehicle
safety from:
http://www.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you believe that your vehicle has a
defe ct that could cau se a crash ,
injury or death , you should im ­
mediately inform Transport
Canada, Defect In vestigation s
and Recall s. You should also no­
tify Volkswagen Group Canada,
In c.
Canadian customers who wish
to report a safety-related de­
fect to Transport Canada, De­
fect Investigations and Recalls ,
may either call Transport Cana-
da toll-free at: ""'
•
•
'

130 Driving Safely
Tel.: 1-800-333-0510 or
Tel.: 1-819-994-3328 (Ottawa region and from other coun­
tries)
TTY for hearing impaired: Tel.:
1-888-675-6863
or contact Transport Canada by
mail at:
Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga­
tions Laboratory 80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J8Z 0Al
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http:/ /www.tc .gc.ca/eng/
roadsafety/menu. htm
Active rollover
protection system
Function
The rollover protection system helps protect
vehicle occupants in the event of a rollover.
l '1
I j 1 !
I i I
Fig. 135 Rear seats: Rollbar deplo yment ra nge
Fig. 136 Rear seats: rollbar deploye d
; 0 ii. II) ID
The active rollover protection system consists
of:
- two rollbars
- the safety belts with belt tensioners
- the windshield frame
- the rollover sensors
The act ive rollover protection system provides
additional safety in the event of a rollover.
Within milliseconds, sensors deploy two roll­
bars located behind the headrests in the rear
seats r:!)fig.
136.
The rollbars, reinforced windshield frame and
belt tensioners help protect front and rear
passengers in the
event of a rollover.
The rollover protection system functions
when the power top is both open and closed.
A WARNING
Do not use the area behind the rear seat
headrests
I:!) fig. 135 as a storage area.
This is the area where the rollbars deploy.
If the rollover protection system is trig­
gered, objects placed there can be propel­
led through the vehicle and make it more
difficult for the rollbars to deploy. This in­
creases the risk for serious or life-threat ­
ening injuries.
When is rollover protection deployed?
Rollover protection deploys in a collision or
rollover.
-
Depending on the collision, sensors through­
out the vehicle and the control module trigger
t he rollover system to deploy.
ll>-

For safety reasons, rollover protection a lso de­
p loys during front, side and rear collisions
above a certa in level of severity.
Retracting rollover protection
Fig . 137 Dep loyed rollbar with release loop.
Fig. 138 Deployed rollba r w ith power top frame facing
upward.
If the rollover protection has triggered but
the vehicle was not involved in an accident,
you can retract the rollover protection your­
self in an emergency . Drive to your authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified repa ir facility immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
With the p ower top open
• Pull the loop upward in the direction of the
arrow and hold it in p lace
c;, fig . 13 7.
• Slide the rollbar down .
• Re lease the loop just before the rollbar
reaches its end position by approximately 1-2 in. (3-5 cm).
• Press the rollbar down until it stops.
• Make sure the rollbar is secure before re-
leasing it.
• Close the cover@c::,
fig. 138 .
• Repeat the procedure on the other rollbar.
With th e power top clo sed
• Switch the ignition on.
Drivin g Sa fely 131
• Press the convertible switch to adjust the
convertible frame until it is vertical
r::!) fig. 138.
• Pull the loop upward in the direction of the
arrow and hold it in place
c::, fig. 137 .
• Slide the rollbar down .
• Release the loop just before the rollbar
reaches its end position (3-5 cm) .
• Press the rollbar down unt il it stops.
• Make s ure the rollbar is sec ure before re-
leasing it.
• Close the cover @
r::!) fig. 138.
• Repeat the procedure on the other ro llbar.
• You can now close the power top again.
A WARNING
-Make sure your head or other parts of
your body are not located in the area
above the rollbar when p ress ing the roll­
bar down.
If the rollbar is not secu red
correctly, it cou ld deploy again as soon as
you release it and cause injur ies.
- Have the rollover protection system
checked by your author ized Audi dealer if
it is fa ulty. Otherwise, the system may
not deploy correctly in a col lision .
- Mod ifying the rollove r protection system
or ind ividual components is not perm it­
ted.
- Wo rk on the ro llover p rotection system
should only be performed by yo ur au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop . Otherwise the system may not
function correctly in a co llision or it cou ld
dep loy unexpectedly.
- Have the system inspected at service in­
tervals. This ensures the system w ill al­
ways be ready for use. Have your author­
ized Audi dealer check the rollover pro­
tect ion system every two yea rs at the lat­
est.

13 2 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts are nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the information that fo llows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means avai lab le to reduce the risk of se­
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrectly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns m ust also use safety
belts. Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions: two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat­
ing position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or weari ng them
improp erly increases th e risk of ser ious
pe rsonal i njury and deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in­
cl uding small ch ild ren, into any belt.
It is
e speci ally dange rous to pla ce a safety
belt over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in the ve hicl e
than there are s afe ty be lts avail able. -
Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe ­
ty belt or child restra int.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos o warning system for the
driver and (on USA models only) front seat
passenger to remind you about the impor­
tance of buckling-up .
F ig. 139 Safety belt warni ng lig ht in the instrument
cluster -en larged
Before driv ing off, always :
.. Fasten yo ur safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly .
.. Make sure that your passengers also buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
.. Protect your children wit h a child restraint
system approp riate fo r the size and age of
t he children.
The . war ning light i n the instrument clus­
ter lights up when the ig nition is switched on
as a rem inder to fasten the safety belts. In ad­
dition, you will hear a warning tone fo r a cer­
ta in pe riod of time.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure
that your pa ssenger s also prope rly put on
their safety belts.

Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 140 U nbe lted occupa nts in a ve hicle hea ding for a
wall
F ig. 141 T he ve hicle c ras hes into t he wall
The physical principles are simp le. Both the
ve hicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith vehicle speed and body
weight . Enginee rs call this energy "kinetic en ­
e rgy ."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle 's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" i n the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most sign ificant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h) , the energy inc reases 4 t imes !
Because t he passengers of t his ve hicle are not
using safety belts
c:> fig . 140, they w ill keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, unt il something
stops them -here, the wall
c:> fig . 141 .
The same pr inc iples apply to peop le sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal co llision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to
50 km/h) , the forces act ing on the body can
Safety belts 133
reach one ton (2,000 lbs . or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are
even
higher .
People who do not use sa fe ty belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal coll i­
sio n they wi ll also keep moving forward at the
speed their veh icle was t ravell ing just before
the crash. Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of acc idents and col ­
lis ions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelt ed o ccupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fi g. 142 A dr ive r n ot wea ring a safety be lt is vi olently
throw n fo rwa rd
F ig . 14 3 A rear passenger no t wea ring a safety belt
w ill
fly forwa rd and strike the dr ive r
Unbelted occ upants a re not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves . Without the benefit of
safety restra int systems, the unrestrained oc­
cupant will slam violently into the steer ing
whee l, instrument pane l, w indshield, o r what ­
ever else is in the way c:> fig . 142. This impact IJll-

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!