2015 AUDI A5 warning light

Child safety
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always
be properly restrained in a child safety seat certi­
fied for their size and weight¢
fig. 144 and
¢ fig. 145.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward -facing child safety seat .
It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat .
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth­
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- 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-
158
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place¢
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.
- 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
¢ page 151, Important information.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger's seat, the child's safety and well­
being require that the following special pre­
cautions be taken :
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag .
-Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before
installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad­
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up­
right position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks ¢
page 139, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced 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 ~

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 . ..,_

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A WARNING ,~ -
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child safe­
ty seat . An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold 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 child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on the front passen­
ger seat . A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
r=;, page 151 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢ page 130, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
Child safety
A WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward -facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described
r=;, 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.
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash .
A WARNING
-Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man ­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
-
161

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.
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
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

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.

Smart Technolog y
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few carefu l
brake applications .
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in­
stall a d ifferent spoiler, be sure the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed. Other­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc ­
ing the effectiveness of the entire brake sys­
tem.
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair the
braking capab ility result ing in an increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driving the veh icle
and have it towed to the nearest autho rized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle ro ll to a stop with the
engine shut off .
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed considerably
harder to make up for the lack of booste r as­
sistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps the
driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and me ssages
• Stee ring defe cti ve! D o not dr ive vehicle!
If this indicator light tu rns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may
have fai led .
Do
not contin ue driving. See yo ur authorized
Aud i dealer o r a qua lified repair facility for assis­
tance.
l ;r- ij Dynami c steering : S ys te m fault! You can
c on tinu e dr iving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steer ing may be more difficult to
move or mo re sensitive than us ual. The steer ing
wheel may also be at an ang le when dr iv ing
straight.
174
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified workshop to have the ma lf u nction cor­
rected.
' -r, ij Dynamic ste ering: i nitializing
If this driver message appears and the indicator
li ght is flashing on the i nstrume nt pane l, dynam­
i c steer ing* is being rein it ia lized . After sta rting
the engine, the steer ing whee l w ill move sligh tly.
Re-initialization might be necessary if the steer ­
ing whee l was moved hard to th e left and right
whi le the vehicle was not moving . The display
goe s out as soon as initiali zation is comp lete.
A WARNING
,-
H ave the dynamic steering* system malfunc-
tion repaired as soon as possible by an author ­
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop - r isk
of accid ent!
@ Tips
- If the . or 'T fl indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may cont inue driving.
- The dynamic steering* stab ility system s are
not availab le in the event of a system mal­
function .
- For add itional information on dynamic
steering*, refer to<=> page 102 .
Driving with your quattro
Applies to vehicles : wit h all -w hee l drive
With all-wheel drive , all four wheels are driven .
General information
With a ll-wheel drive, power is distrib uted to a ll
fo ur wheels . This happens automatica lly depend­
i ng on your driving style and the road conditions
at the t ime . See also <=> page 1 70 .
A center d ifferential distributes the driving power
variab ly to the front and rear ax le. It works to­
gether w ith select ive whee l torque control , which
activates when drivi ng throug h curves
¢ page 171 . W ith the sport diffe rential*, power
distribution to the rear wheels is var iable and can
be ad justed with d rive select ¢ page 102 .
1111-

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on necessary precautions e.g. corrosion preven­
tion, maintenance and storage. Pay attention to
addit ional information concern ing the battery.
Refer to
c> page 200.
Economical and environ­
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
Fu el economy, environmental impact , and wear
on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend
on three factors:
- your persona l dr iving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fuel
consumption by 10-15 percen t. This sec tion will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi ­
ronment and your pocketbook .
(!) Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)
and Transport Canada may not correspond to
your actual consumption on the road, which
w ill vary depending upon vehicle load and
speed, road and weather conditions, trip
length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating.
" Avoid unnecessary accelerating and braking.
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler ­
ating . If you anticipate what is going to happen
next, you will need to brake less and, thus, accel­
e rate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possi­
ble - for example when yo u see that the next traf­
fic light is red .
Driving and the environment
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
"Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerat ing gently reduces fue l consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­
ment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximate ly three quarters of
top speed, fuel consump tion will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed l imit and weather cond itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is jus t idling it burns up fuel.
" Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
" Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the en-
gine run at idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when wa iting for tra ins to pass a t railroad
crossings, or at traffic lights that have long waits
on red . Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 sec ­
onds saves more fue l than is burned starting the
. . engine again.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high when
the engine is warming up. So you should drive
away as soon as you sta rt the engine and avoid
running at high rpms wh ile the engine is st ill
warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unatt ended afte r
starting .
If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
un heeded . Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or oth­
er damage to the vehicle or other property.
179