2015 AUDI Q5 Owners Manual

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The side airbag system supplements the safety be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col­ lision . The airbag deploys only in side impacts
and only when the veh icle acceleration registe red
by the control unit is high enough . If th is rate is
be low the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the side ai rbags wi ll not be trig­
gered, even though the car may be bad ly dam­
aged as a result of the collision .
It is not possible
to define an airbag triggering range that will cov­
er every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between one
coll is ion and another. Important factors include,
for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the im­ pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed, etc .
r::;:,page 168, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a side collision
so that the s ide a irbags can provide protect ion.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the side airbag system can only
he lp to p rotect you if you are wear ing your safety
be lt and wearing i t properly. This is ano ther rea­
son why you shou ld always wear your sa fety
be lts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
r::;;, page 144, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup ­
p lemental side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­ ries, for examp le, swe lling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags. Remember too, side airbags will de­ ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci­
dents -your safety belts are always there to offer
protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over -sens itive or fa iled a irbag activation . In
some coll isions, both front and s ide airbags may
i nflate. Remember too, that airbags will deploy
only once and only in ce rtain kinds of collisions -
Airb ag system
you r safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag sy ste m w ill not deploy :
-when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together.
A WARNING
-- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide p rotection when occ upants are in
the proper seating position
r::;;, page 168.
- If the airbag ind icator light r::;:, page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le tha t
the airbag will inflate when i t is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who ore properly restrained.
Fig. 170 Inflated s ide a irbags o n left s ide o f vehicle
9 a: (D Cl)
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG" .
It ex-
pands between the side trim panel and the
ll>
167

Airbag syste m
passenger. In order to help provide this addition­
al protection, the side airbag must inflate within
a fraction of a second at very high speed and w ith
great force. The supplemental side airbag cou ld
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­
plies especially to children
q page 172, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be ­
tween the occupant and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collision
q fig . 170.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cush ion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do the ir job to provide s upplementa l
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause ser ious or
fatal injury . Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
r isk of se rious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used .
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental s ide airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean aga inst the area where the supple-
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a chi ld or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplementa l side airbag
inflates .
168
-Always make sure that safety be lts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the s ide a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference .
- Never install seat covers or rep lacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi.
- Never use addi tional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags de­
ploy .
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the side ai rbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi ­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
obje cts (such as cupho lde rs, telephone
brackets, or even large, bu lky obje cts) on
the doors, ove r o r near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objec ts and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de­ ploys .
- Never carry any objects o r pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this posit ion.
- Always use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag dep loyment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knock ing against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Aud i dea le rship.
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-Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer .
-If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
¢ page 172, Child safety .
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags w ill not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measu re increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings i n the door pane l.
- Never d rive with interior door trim pane ls
removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper­ ly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
-Always make certain that openings are covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equ ipment is installed in the inside
door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
Ai rb ag system
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc ­
cupants.
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F ig . 1 7 1 Side curtain system, d river 's s ide: s ide cu rta in a ir­
bag locat io n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side w in­
dows ¢
fig. 171. They are identified by the word
"A IRBAG" on the w indshie ld frame and the cen­
ter roof pi llar.
The side c urta in airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the ris k of in­
j u ry for occ upants' heads and upper torso on the
s ide of the vehicle that is str uck in a s ide coll i­
s io n. The side c urtain airbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acce leration reg­
istered by the contro l unit is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference va lue programmed in­
to the control un it, the side curtain airbag will
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collis ion . It is
not possible to define an airbag triggeri ng range
that w ill cove r every possible ang le of impact,
s ince the circumstances w ill vary considerably be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for examp le, the nat ure (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc.
¢ page 170, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety f unction, sa fety
belts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec-
t ion. ..,.
169

Airbag system
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it prope rly. This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
~ page 144, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curta in a irbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abra­
sions can also be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these airbags wi ll dep loy only
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
-The electronic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side w indows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrumen t
panel
The airbag system is monitored electron ically to
make certa in it is f uncti oning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light wi ll come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignit ion is tu rned off,
- in s ide collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the ai rbag system will on ly
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper sea ting position
~ page 63, Gen­
eral information .
-If the airbag indicato r ligh t ~page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Aud i dealer. It is possible that
170
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re­
strained.
Fig. 172 Illustration of principle: Inflated side curtain air ­
bags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows on the side of the vehi­
cle that is struck in a side collision
~ fig. 172.
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When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing position is not proper or upright or if
i tems are located in the area where the supple­
mental sid e curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to chi ld ren
~ page 172.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
a irbags can "cush ion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper pa rt of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle.

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Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to provide supplemental protection.
& WARNING
-
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate without interference. Un­
suitable accessories fitted inside the expan­
sion range of a head airbag can dangerously
interfere with its function. A deploying head
airbag develops enough force to catapult
any piece of add-on component out of its
path of inflation and into the passenger
compartment. An occupant hit by such a
projectile can suffer serious injury or death
¢ page 283, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for
example pens). If the airbag should deploy,
you could be injured by these objects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or, in
the case of shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, only Audi roll-up
sunscreens may be used
¢ page 283, Addi­
tional accessories and parts replacement.
- Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the
Airbag system
side curtain airbags can help provide protec­
tion.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Always have work involving the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag components, or other repairs per­
formed by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop. Otherwise the airbag
system may not work correctly.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
171

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 145, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bod ies are not fully deve loped,
they requ ire restra int systems especially de­
signed for their size, weight, and body structure.
Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir ­
ing the use of approved c hild restraint systems
for infants and small children.
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30 -56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant wi ll be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg). Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate child restra int properly used can reduce
the r isk of serious injury . Ch ild restraints, like
adu lt safety be lts, must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can inc rease the
risk of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is r ight for
your child's size¢
page 175, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about ch ild safety, Ad­
vanced Airbags, and the installation of child re­
straints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad ­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
172
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manua l about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small chi ld ren.
.&_ WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly restrained ch ild could be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve­
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuver or impact .
An unrestra ined or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating posit ions
provides the highest degree of pro tect ion
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent sit uations.
.&_ WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the back rest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in

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exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected immediately by your Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- 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.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions provided with the child safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System " in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
Child safety
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the "suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to 12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size . 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 can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight-sensing mat in the seat cushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight of
the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re­ straint as it sits on the seat . The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint offered
by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes
and models of child restraints that the NHTSA
has specified in the Safety Standard together
with the weight ranges of typical infants and typ­
ical 1 year-old child have been stored in the con­
trol unit of the Advanced Airbag System. When a
1iJ11-
173

Child safety
child restraint is being used on the front passen ­
ger seat with a typical 1 year-old child , the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the weight
measured by the weight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electron ic control unit.
The electronic control unit a lso reg isters the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety be lt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be d ifferent for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tens ion
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re­
straint to the seat. The senso r below the latch fo r
the safety belt for the fron t seat passenge r
measures the tension on the be lt. T he inp ut from
t his sensor is then used w ith the weight to "de­
cide", whether there is a c hild restraint with a
typical 1 year -old chi ld on the front passenge r
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Un it­
ed States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
and has been ce rtified by i ts manufact urer for
use with an airbag . A lways be sure tha t the child
restrain t is properly ins talled at one of the re ar
seating posi tions . If in exceptiona l circumstances
you must use it on the front passenger seat, care­
fu lly read all of the informat ion on child safety
and Advanced Airbags and heed a ll of the appli­
cable WARNINGS . Make certain that the ch ild re­
straint is correctly recognized by the weight -sens ­
i n g mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front pass enge r airbag is turned off and that the
a ir bag s tatus is a lways corre ctly s ignaled by t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght.
Many types and models of ch ild restra ints have
been ava ila ble over the y ears, new models are in­
troduced regu larly i ncorpo rat ing new and im­
p rove d des igns and o lde r models a re t aken o ut o f
p rod uction. Child rest rain ts a re not standardized .
C hild restraints of the same type typically have
diffe rent weights and sizes and different 'foot ­
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, w hen they
are i nstalled on a veh icle seat. These differences
174 make
it virtua lly impossib le to cert ify compliance
with t he requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every chi ld restraint that has ever been
so ld in the past or will be sold over the course of
the usefu l life of your vehicle.
Fo r th is reason, the Unite d States National High­
way T raffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has published a
li st of specific type, makes and models of child
rest raints that must be used to cert ify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i­
cle w ith the s uppression requi rements of Federal
Motor Veh icle Safety S tanda rd 208. These child
r est raints a re:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard Angel September 2S , 2007
R id e AA 2403FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century Smart Fit 4 54 3 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22 -013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just R ight 212
E venflo First Choi ce Decembe r 1, 1999
2 04
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Gr aco S nugride Se pte mber 25 , 20 07
Peg Perego Pr imo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio SIP IM UNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
B rit a x Round about Septe mber 25, 200 7
E 9 L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 02519 December 1, 1999