2014 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET sensor

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>-

-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, before insta lling
the forward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime w henever the ignition is sw itched
o n.
Advanced Airbag System components
The fron t passenger seat in your vehicle has a
lot of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sens ing mat, sensors, wiring, brack ­
ets, and more. The function of the system in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
e lectronic control u nit when the ignit ion is on .
The control un it mon itors the Advanced Air­
bag System and turns the airbag indicator
l ight on whe n a ma lfunction in t he sys tem
components is de tected. The function of the
airbag indicator light is described in greater
detai l below . Because the front passenger
seat contains important parts of the Ad ­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to
prevent it from being damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airb ag Sy stem
consists of the following:
- Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/decele ration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­
bag System about the seve rity of the crash.
- An electronic co ntrol unit, with integrated
c rash se nsors for front and side impacts .
T he cont ro l unit " decides " whethe r to fire
the front airbags based on the inform ation
received from the crash senso rs . The contro l
unit a lso "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated .
Airbag system 147
-An Advanced A irbag w ith gas gene rator and
contro l valve fo r the driver ins ide the steer ­
ing wheel h ub.
- An Advanced Airbag w ith gas gene rator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger.
- A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat.
The informat ion reg istered is sent continu­
ously to the electronic control unit to regu­
late deployment of the front Advanced Air­
bag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitor ing system and ind icator
light in the instrument cluster
q page 150 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steer ing whee l o r inst rument panel. The in­
forma tion registered is sent cont inuo usly to
t he elect ron ic cont ro l uni t to regula te de­
ployment o f the front Advance d Airbags .
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes
on and st ays on in the cen ter o f th e instr u­
ment panel
<:!;> page 151, fig . 153 and tells
you whe n the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been tu rned
off .
-A sensor below the safety be lt latch fo r the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on the safety be lt . The tension on the safety
be lt and the weight registered by the
weight-sensi ng mat he lp the control unit
"decide" whether the front a irbag for the
front passenge r seat should be turned
off or
not
<=;> pag e 141, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- A senso r in the safety belt latch fo r the d riv­
er a nd fo r the fro nt sea t passenger tha t
senses w hethe r that safe ty belt is latched or
no t and transmi ts this informa tion to the
electronic control unit.
_&. WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from work ing
properly.
-
•
•

148 Airbag system
-Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or
driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight­
sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas·
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air­
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper­
ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical­
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front pas­
senger seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from deploying prop­
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function­
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re- straint manufacturer's instructions
re­
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re·
straint is installed on the front passen­
ger seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install child restraint in a rear seat­
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of­
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor­
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten­
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash .
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control
unit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will also be turned off if one of the child safe­
ty seats that has been certified under Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 has been
recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 141, Child restraints on the front sea t
- some important things to know . ...,.

150 Airbag sys te m
- Occupants who are unbelte d, ou t of p osi­
t ion or too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds wi th grea t force i n the blink of an
ey e
~pag e 141 .
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward -faci ng child safety
s e at insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and wi ll smash the chi ld 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 circ umstan­
ces and the
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im ·
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
authori zed Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of inj ury in a crash by in­
terfering wi th the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into yo u as the a irbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on
yo ur lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenge r seat . Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other s udden ma­
neuver and become dangerous projec­
t iles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate .
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholders, te le­
phone brackets, la rge, heavy or b ulky ob -
-
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing whee l,
instr ument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could cause in jury in a crash, es­
pecia lly when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects . Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide airbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra kin g or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects nea r the air­
bags can become projec tiles and cause
inj ury, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined .
A WARNING ~
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ i ng cond itions .
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory conditions shou ld get fresh air right
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors .
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and wate r before eating.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the res id ue should get into your eyes ,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
T wo separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag System (including the
electron ic cont ro l unit , sensor circu its and sys­
tem wiring) is mon ito red continuously to
make su re that it is funct io ni ng properly

152 Airbag sys te m
make certain that the PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on continuous ly whenever the
ignit ion is on. If the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear and not stay on all
the time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint.
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correctly
routed around the child restraint as descr i­
bed in the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea­
ture on the safety belt for the front passen­
ger seat has been activated and that t he
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job ¢
page 171.
-make su re that th ings that may increase the
weight of the chi ld and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen ­
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen­
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the we ight-sensing mat to measure
more we ight than is actua lly on the seat.
If the PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light st ill
doe s not come o n
and does not stay on con­
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the chi ld restraint off the front passen -
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions . Have the a irbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer
immediately .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat pos it io n and
make sure that the child is properly restrain­
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
i ts size and age. The
PA
SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light sho uld
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un­
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
¢ page 122, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the fron t passenger door or support­
ing thei r weight on the armrest,
- t he safety belt is being properly wo rn and
t hat there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webb ing,
- accesso ry seat covers or cushions o r othe r
t hings tha t may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght in the center o f the instrument panel,
t h e message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PAS SEN GER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear
in the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in­
form the dr iver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An a irbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal c rash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
¢ page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer .
It is
-

154 Airbag system
-Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system .
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only once. After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace- ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version . Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed,
the vehicle battery separates the alterna­
tor and the starter from the vehicle elec­
trical system for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­ rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
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-rim 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

example, 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
measured by the sensors and prevent the air ­
bag from deploying when it should.
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver 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 suspens ion components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
A WARNING 1= -
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.
Airbag system 155
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig. 154 Driver 's knee airbag
The dr iver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢ fig. 154, 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 dep loy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met
¢ page 149, More impor tant things to
know abou t front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental pro tec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
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 be lt and wearing it properly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
¢ page 132, General notes. ..,_

158 Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 156 Side a irbag locat io n in the dr iver 's seat
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the
front sea t bac krests
~ fig. 156. They are iden­
tified by the word "AIRBAG" .
The sid e airbag system basicall y consis ts of :
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
t h e front backrests
- the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly
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 drive r's and front passenger's up­
pe r 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 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 tr igger 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
incl ude, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc .
Q page 159, 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 wea ring it p roperly . This
is anothe r reason why you should always wear
yo ur safe ty be lts, no t ju st because the law re­
quires yo u to do so~
page 132, General
notes .
It is impo rtant to remembe r th at w hile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious inju ries,
othe r injuries, for example, swelling, br uising,
and minor abrasions ca n 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 ve hicle damage are not necessarily an ind i­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t io n. In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remembe r too, t hat air­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in ce rtain
ki nds of col lisions -yo ur safety belts a re a l­
ways there to offer pro tection in those acc i­
den ts in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when t he ignit ion is tu rned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear-end collisions