2015 AUDI A5 ESP

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BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4 ft .
9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig. 1 46 Rea r seat : child p roper ly rest ra ined in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least4
ft. 9 in . (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can he lp protect them in a crash.
.,.. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restra in
a ch ild on a booster seat .
.,.. The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child's collar bone as poss ible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body .
It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
l ap belt must lie across the pe lvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary.
.,.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
<=> page 156.
Children up to about 40 lbs. (18 kg) are best pro­
tected in ch ild safety seats des igned for their age
and weight . Experts say that the skeletal struc­
ture, part icu larly the pe lvis, of these ch ildren is
n ot fully deve loped, and they m ust not use t he
Chil d sa fe ty
vehicle safety be lts without a suitable chi ld re­
straint .
It is usually best to put these chi ldren in appro­
priate booster seats. Be sure the booster sea t
meets a ll applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the seating posit ion of the
c h ild and re pos it ion bo th the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places . The routing of
the be lt over the child 's body is very important
for the ch ild's protection, whether or not a boos ­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft . 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three po int lap and shoulder be lts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt a lone
to restrain any child, regardless of how big the
c hi ld is. Always remember that ch ildren do not
have the pronounced pe lv ic st ructu re required for
the proper func tion of lap belt port io n of the ve­
hicle 's th ree po int l ap and shoulder be lts. The
ch ild 's sa fety abso lutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possib le around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force. In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occ upant who is out of position and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violently and w ill receive serious or
poss ibly even fata l injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
rest rained and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keep ing room between th e ch ild's
II>-
159

Child safety
body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions .
.,&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se­
rious personal injury and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen.
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
c::> page 121 .
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif­
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place
c::>page 58. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically .
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death .
160
-If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when­
ever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described
c::, page 139, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
<=> page 121, Safety belts,
<=>page 129, Airbag system
and
c::> page 151, Important information.
Securing child seats
' Securing a child safety seat using a safety
I _!>elt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas­
senger's seat con be locked with the convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child safety
seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertible lock­
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and child safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re-
strained for their age and weight . ..,_

Child safet y
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possib le before installing the for­
ward-fac ing ch ild restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the t ime
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-fac ing ch ild restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be k illed if the
front a irbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant car rier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the bac krest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always be espe cially caref ul if you must in­
sta ll a rearward facing chi ld safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptiona l cir ­
cumstances .
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi­ er we ight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heav ier weight reg istered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it m ust be s uppressed causing ser ious o r
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the t ime
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iate ly in­
sta ll the rearward-fac ing ch ild safety sea t in
a rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .
162
· Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
i nstruct ions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle . T o activate the convert ible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on
the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt
all th e wa y out .
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt pat h
c::> _&..
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your full
weigh t to get the sa fety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the b uckle for that
seating position .
.. Guide the safety be lt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the ch ild safety
seat.
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con­
vert ible lock ing retractor by pu lling on the belt .
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the ret ractor. The conve rtible locking re­
tractor is now ac tivated .
.. Make s ure that the red release button is fac ing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or s ideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp­
e rly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safe ty be lt re­
tracto r is loc ked when insta lling a child sa fe­
ty seat. An unlocked sa fety belt retractor
cannot ho ld the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a chi ld is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around d uring
a sudden stop or in a crash.
.

-Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu­
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any l uggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restraint 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 actually on the seat .
- The heav ier weight reg istered ca n make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an
adult were on the seat and deploy the Ad­
vanced Airbag whe n it must be supp ressed
ca using se rious or even fatal injur y to the
c h ild.
- If you mu st install a rearwar d faci ng chi ld
sa fety seat on the front passenge r seat be­
cause of exceptional c ircums tances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rear-fac ing c hild safety seat in a rear
seating pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by you r authorized Audi dea ler.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig . 1 52 Tether strap : proper ro ut in g a nd mo unting
Installing the tether strap
.,. Re lease or dep loy the tether strap on the chi ld
~ restraint according to the child restraint manu-
o t;o facturer's instructions.
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Chil d sa fe ty
.,. Guide the upper tether strap under the rear
head restraint co
fig. 152 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary).
.,. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into the
open ing of the tet he r anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tethe r strap hook so that the spri ng
ca tch of the hook engages.
.,. Tigh ten the te ther s trap firmly follow ing the
child res traint manufacture r's instructions .
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension fo llow ing the child restraint
manufac turer's instructions .
.,. Depress the spri ng catch o n the hoo k and re ­
lease it from the anchor age.
(D Note
If you leave the child restra int w it h the tet her
s trap firm ly ins talled fo r sever al days, t his
could leave a mark o n the upholstery on t he
seat cushion and bac krest in the area whe re
the tether strap was installed. The upho lstery
would a lso be permanently stretched around
the tether strap. This applies especially to
l eather seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Cur rently, few rea rward-faci ng chi ld restraint sys­
tems come wit h a teth er. Please read and heed
the ch ild restraint system manufacturer's ins truc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in ­
stall the tether .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety seat
i nsta lled on the front passenger seat will be
se riously in ju red and can be killed if the front
a irbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the c hild safety
seat o r infant ca rr ier w ith great force and
will smash the c hild safety seat and child
aga inst the ba ck rest, center armrest, or
door .
167

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In extreme cases, EDL a utomatica lly switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked whee l from
overheating. EDL w ill switch on again automati ­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Steering re commendat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by chang ing
the steering torque.
I n vehicles with dynamic steeri ng*, ESC also
h e lps to stabilize the steering in critical s itua­
tions .
Electronic interaxle differential lock* /
sel ectiv e wheel torque control*
The electron ic in teraxle d iffe ren tial lock (front
wheel drive) or the selective wheel torq ue contro l
(all wheel drive) operates when driving through
curves. The front whee l on the ins ide of the cu rve
or both whee ls on the inside of the curve are
braked selectively as needed. Thi s allows more
precise driving in curves. The applicable system
may not activate when driving in wet or snowy
conditions .
_&, WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the laws of physics. This is espe­
ci al ly impo rtant on slippe ry or wet roads. If
the sys tems begin acting to stabilize your
Switching on/off
Smart Technology
veh icle, you shou ld immediately change
your speed to matc h the road and traffic
conditions. Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt you to
take risks . Do ing so will increase the risk of a
loss of vehicle control, collision and serious
personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of losing con­
trol of the vehicle inc reases when dr iving
too fast, espec ially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when dr iving too
close to vehicles up ahead . The ESC and its
integrated systems cannot a lways prevent
coll isions -there is sti ll a risk of accidents!
- Always accelerate with special care on even,
smooth su rfaces such as those that are wet
or covered with ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even with these assistance
systems that can not always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle cont rol.
{!) Tips
-ABS and ASR only work correct ly when a ll
four wheels are equipped w ith ident ica l
tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a reduc­
tion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 153 Version A: lowe r ce nter console,~ OFF button
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend­
i ng on the level that is selected, the stabilization
function o f the ESC is limited or switched off . The
F ig. 154 Versio n B: uppe r ce nter console,~ OFF button
amount of s tabilization control will differ de­
pend ing on the level.
a, N N N ,.: CX) m
171

Smart Technology
The following situations are exceptions where it
may be usefu l to switch on sport mode to allow
the wheels to spin : -
Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iv ing with snow chains
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC /ASRon
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization funct ion is The full stabilization func-
tion fu nct ions are limited not
available¢ ,&.. ESC and
tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ ,&. .
ASR are switched
off. available again.
Operation Press the I!> OF F! button Press and hold the I!> OF FI Press the I!> OF F! button
briefly . button longer than 3 sec-again.
onds .
Indicator II turns on. JI and lf'lii•li~ turn on. II turns off or II and
lights lf'lii•l~~ turn off.
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization control
sages Sport. Warning! Re stricted off. Warning! Restricted (ESC):
On
stability stability
It is only possible to turn off the ASR up to 30
mph (SO km/h) for veh icles wi th front whee l
drive . At about
45 mph (70 km/h) it automatica l­
ly turns on again. It is possible to turn
off the
ASR at any speed for vehicles with all whee l
drive.
A WARNING
-
You should only sw itch sport mode on or
switch ESC/ASR
off if your driving ab ilities and
road condit io ns perm it .
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is switched on. The dr iv ing
wheels could spin and the veh icle cou ld
swerve, especially on slick or slippery road
surfaces.
- There is no vehicle stabilization when ESC/
ASR are switched
off.
(D Tips
ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or sport
mode cannot be switched on when cruise con­
trol or adaptive cru ise control* is sw itched on .
172
Braking
What affects broking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess their full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first¢,&. . You can com­
pensate for this slightly reduced braking power
by pushing harder on the brake pedal. Avoid
heavy braking loads during the break-in period.
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still sub­
ject to wear, depending largely on operating con­
ditions and driving habits~,&. . On vehicles that
are either driven most ly in stop-and -go city traf­
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Audi dealer more of­
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Failure to have your brake pads
i nspected can result in reduced brake perform­
ance .
On steep slopes, you should use the braking ef­
fect of the engine . This way, you prevent unnec­
essary wear on the brake system. If you must use
your brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin­
uously. Pump the brakes at intervals.

Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on the
speed, braking force and outside conditions such
as temperature and humidity.
Effect of water and road salt
In certain situat ions, for example after driving
through water, in heavy ra in, after overn ight con­
densat ion or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
dried first with a few carefu l brake applications.
At higher speeds and with the w indshie ld w ipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake
rotors for a short amount of time. This occurs at
regular intervals without the driver noticing and
provides for better brake response time under
wet conditions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road
and the brakes are not used. Likewise, you clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake discs
and pads with a few cautious applications of the
brake ¢.& .
Corrosion
There may be a tendency for dirt to build up on
the brake pads and corros ion to form on the discs
if the car is not driven regularly or only for short
tr ips with little use of the brakes.
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corro­
sion has formed on the discs, it is advisab le to
clean off the pads and discs by braking firmly a
few t imes from a moderately high speed¢.&.
Faults in the brake system
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake
pedal trave l, then one of the two brake circuits
may have failed
c:> .& .
Low brake fluid level
Malfunctions can occur in the brake system if the
brake fluid level is too low. The brake fluid leve l is
~ monitored e lectronically.
i? co ,...., \!) ..,.,
N ..,., ,....,
Smart Technology
Brake booster
T he brake booster increases the pressure that you
generate w ith the brake pedal.
It works on ly
when the engine is running
.c:> .&
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spect ion of the condition of the brake pads
through the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
c:> page 226, Replacing wheels.
_8 WARNING "'---
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
pin g power and must be "broken-in" during
the initial 250 miles (400 kilometers). You
can compensate for this by press ing the
brake pedal more firmly. This also applies
later when new pads are installed.
-
- You shou ld perform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system
only if road conditions permit. Other road
users must not be put at r isk -you may
cause an acciden t!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often . This could cause the brakes to get
hot and diminish braking efficiency.
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your foot
on the pedal when you do not intend to
brake. This may cause the brakes to over­
heat, premature wear and increased stop­
p in g distance.
- Under certain cl imatic and operat ing condi­
tions such as passing through water, dr iv ing
in heavy rain or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re­
duced. In winter, ice can accumulate on the
b rak e pads, linings, discs and drums. Care­
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry
and ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few careful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt -covered roads wi thout using your
brakes can a lso affect braking efficiency .
173

Smart Technology
according to the needs of the individual compo­
nents. It regulates consumption, so that more
electrical energy is not being used than is being
generated and ensures an opt imal state of
charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot neg­
ate the limits of physics. Consider that the
power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica­ tor light (•) appears ¢
page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start­
ing capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time of
year. Abundant electrica l energy is requ ired, but
only a little is generated. It is also critical if the
engine is not running and electrical components
are turned on. In th is instance energy is being
consumed but none is being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you will no­
tice energy management actively regulating the
d istr ibut ion of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, e lectrical components are
gradually cut back or switched
off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca­ pability over a longer period . Some of the con­
ven ience funct ions may not operate, such as the
interior lights or the powe r seat adjustment. The
conven ience functions w ill be available again
when yo u sw itch on the ignition and start the en­
gine.
With the engine turned off
I f you listen to the radio, for example, with the
engine turned
off or use other MMI functions,
the battery is being discha rged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy
consumption, a message appears in the MMI dis­
p la y. The message indicates that the system will
176
be switched off automatically in a moment . If
you wish to continue using the functions, you have to start the eng ine.
With the engine running
Althoug h elec trical energy is generated when the
vehicle is being driven, the battery can become
discharged . This happens mostly when litt le en ­
ergy is being generated and a great dea l con­
sumed and the battery's state of charge is not
optimal.
To bring the energy ba lance back into equilibri­
u m, consumers which require especially large
amounts of energy are temporar ily cut back or
switched
off. Heating systems in part icular re­
quire a great deal of energy. If you notice, for ex­
ample, that the heated seats* or the heated rear
window a re not heating, they have been tempo­
rarily cut back or switched
off. These systems w ill
be ava ilable again as soon as the energy ba lance
has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly . Thi s is normal and not a
cause for concern. By incr easing eng ine idle
speed the additional energy required is generated
and the battery is cha rged.