2016 AUDI Q5 warning

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl .....
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate . When the veh icle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
app licable laws and regulations must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
w ith these req uirements 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 System
pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-r im
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the fo rce levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­ ing when it should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components or iginally instal­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airb ag sys tem
A WARNING
-Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors
i n the buckle to send the w rong information
to the electronic contro l modu le and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfe re
with the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 1 69 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver 's seat
T he side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests
r='.> fig . 169 and the rear back­
rest* facing the doo rs. They are ident ified by t he
word "AIRBAG".
The si de airbag system ba sic ally con sis t s of:
- the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two a irbags located in the s ides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronica lly to
make certain that it is functioning proper ly at all
t imes . Each time you turn on the ignition, the a ir­
bag system indicator light w ill come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
Ill-
165

Airbag syste m
The side airbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver'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 vehicle acceleration registered
by the control unit is high enough . If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the s ide a irbags wi ll not be tr ig­
gered, even tho ugh the car may be badly 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, s ince the cir­
cumstances will vary cons iderably 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 167, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas ­
senger in pos it io n in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
he lp to p rotect yo u if you are wea ring your safety
be lt and we aring it properly. This is ano ther rea­
son why you should always wear your safety
be lts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
r::;, page 143, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental side a irbag system is des igned to re ­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju ­
ries , for example, swelling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags . Remember too , side airbags will de­
ploy o nly once and only in certain kinds of acci­
dents -your safety belts are always there to offer
p rotection .
Veh icle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack of
veh icle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over -sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some coll is ions, both front a nd side a irbags may
inflate. Remembe r too, that airbags will deploy
only once and only in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions -
166
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which a irbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The si de airbag system will not d eploy:
- when t he ign it ion is tu rned off
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collis ions
- 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 protect ion when occupants are in
the prope r seat ing pos ition
r::;, page 167.
- If the a irbag ind icator light<=> page 16
comes w hen the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when i t is no t sup­
posed to, or wi ll not inf late when it sho uld .
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 1 70 Infl ated s ide airbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat s urface area marked "AIRBAG" .
It ex-
pands between the side trim panel a nd the .,..

,....,
N
co
er::
co
,...., passenger. In or der to he lp provide this addit ion­
al protection, the side airbag must inflate wit hin
a fraction of a second at very high speed and w ith
great force. The supplemental side airbag could 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
p lies especially to children
c::> page 171, Child
safety.
Supp lemental side a irbags inflate be ­
tween the oc cupan t and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is s truck in certa in side
collision
c::> fig . 170.
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"c ushion" the impact and in th is way they can
h e lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fi ne dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does no t mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating position.
There is a lot that yo u and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
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 is k of se rious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used.
- In order to reduce the r isk of injury when
the suppleme ntal s ide airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position an d never
lean aga inst the area where the s upple-
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 supp lemental s ide airbag
inflates.
Airb ag sys tem
-Always make sure that safety belts a re
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand o r 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 replacement
upholste ry ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi.
- Never use addi tional seat cushions that
cove r the areas where the side airbags de­
ploy .
- Dam age to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the se am in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi ­
ate ly by an authorized Au di dealer.
- Obje cts between you and the airbag can in­
crease the r isk 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
o bjects (such as cupholders, telephone
br acket s, or even large, bul ky objec ts) on
the doors, over or near the area mar ke d
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests .
- Such objec ts an d accessories can be come
dange rous p rojecti les and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de­
ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to trave l in this position.
- Always use the b uilt-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with s ide airbag deployment
a nd can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always p revent the side ai rbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the s ides of the seatbac ks .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an autho rized
Aud i deale rship.
167

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
..... I.Cl ..... The airbag system is not a s
ubstitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts ,
not j ust because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 143 , General information .
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain a irbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other injuries,
for example , swel ling , bruising, and m inor abra­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these a irbags 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 basicall y
consi sts of:
- The electron ic contro l module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain it is f unct ion ing properly at all
times. Ea ch time you t urn on the ign it ion , the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self d iagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the igni tion is turned off,
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat ion meas-
u red by the senso r is too low,
- i n rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system w ill only
provide p rotection when occupants a re in
the proper seating position ¢
page 63, Gen­
eral information .
-If the airbag indica to r ligh t¢ page 16
cumes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
Airb ag sys tem
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re ­
strained.
Fi g. 172 Illust ratio n of p rinciple: Inflated s ide cur tain air­
bag s on t he left s ide
The side cu rtain 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 .
N 0 ..... 0 ct (X) m
When the system is triggered, the s ide cu rtain
airbag is filled w ith propell ant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by th e AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
s ide curtain airbag must in flate w ithin the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not prope r or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
menta l s ide cu rtain a irbag inflates. This applies
especially to ch ild ren
~ page 171 .
Although they are not a soft pillow , side curtain
airbags can "cush io n" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the r isk of injury to the
head and the upper pa rt of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the a irbag deploys .
T his is q uite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle.
169

Airbag system
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.
A 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
Q page 282, 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
Q page 282, Addi­
tional accessories and parts replacement .
-Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that the
170
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 authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Always have work involving the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag components, or other repairs
performed 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.

,....,
N
co
er::
co
,...., 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
c:> page 144, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
greater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fu lly devel­
oped, they requ ire restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight, and body struc­
ture. Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-3 5 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will 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 restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adult safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase 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 right for
your child's size
c:> page 174, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restraints 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 chi ld restraints are
on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
Ch ild safety
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manual 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 ldren.
_& 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 must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly restrained child cou ld be injured by striking
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve­
h icle during a sudden maneuver or impact .
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating a irbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the h ighest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent situat ions .
_& WARNING
f"-"----
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 chi ld safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously i njured 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
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
171

Child safety
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 well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 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
172
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
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 of­
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NH TSA has specified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants
and typical 1 year -old child have been stored in ..,.

,....,
N
co
er::
co
,...., the control unit of the Advanced A irbag System.
When a child restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight measured by the weight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electronic control unit .
The electronic control un it also registers the ten ­
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be different for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a ch ild re­
stra int to the seat. The senso r below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tens ion on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de ­
cide", whether there is a child restraint wit h a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restra int that you use,
make sure that it has been cert ified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use wi th an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception­
a l circumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the appl icable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child restra int is correctly recog­
nized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag
i s turned off and that the airba g status is always
correct ly signa led by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF lig ht.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regular ly incorporat ing new and im­
proved designs and older mode ls are taken out o f
production . Chi ld restraints a re not standardized .
Child restraints of the same type typica lly have
different weights and sizes and different 'foot­
prints, ' the s ize and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
Child safety
are installed on a vehicle seat . These differences
make it virtua lly impossib le to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced a irbags w ith
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For t his reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Admin istration has published a
list of spec ific type, makes and models of ch ild
restra ints that must be used to certify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the su ppress ion requirements of Federa l
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard Angel September 2S, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1,
1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E venflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag -September 25, 2007
g io SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
173