2016 AUDI Q5 airbag off

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..... ..... -Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you properly and can even in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position .
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats¢
page 171 . Special precaut ions ap­
ply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the
front passenger seat ¢
page 151.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve­ hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow­
ing:
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing position, slide the center head restraint up­
ward at least to the next notch ¢
page 67.
~ Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright position
¢page 69.
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢page 146.
~ Make sure that children are always properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age ¢
page 171.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash .
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat .
Driving safety
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position and the safety belts are properly positioned on the body . By not sit­
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly so
that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor­
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys­
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fig. 1S2 Head restraint: vi ew ed from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
~ Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head. If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ fig . 152.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing position, slide the center head restraint up ­
ward at least to the next notch .
Adjusting head restraints¢
page 67.
A WARNING
-All seats are equipped w ith head restraints.
Driving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fata l neck injury
dramatically . To help reduce the risk of injury: ..,
137

Driving sa fe ty
-Always drive with the head restraints i n
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restra ints so the upper edge is as
even as possib le w ith the top of your head.
If that is not possib le, try to adjust the head
restra int so that it is as close to th is position
as possib le.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint wh ile driving.
If you have dr iven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, fi rst stop the vehicle safely before at­
tempting to ad just the head restr aint.
- Children must always be p roperly restrained
in a chi ld restrain t th at is appropria te fo r
their age and size~
page 171.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated.
I mp roper seating positions can cause se rious in­
ju ry or deat h. Safety belts can only wo rk when
they are p roperly posi tioned o n the body . Im­
p roper seating posi tions reduce t he effe ct iveness
of sa fety belts and w ill even increase the r isk o f
in jury and death by moving the safety be lt to crit­
ical areas of the body . Improper seating posit ions
also increase the risk of ser ious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the prope r seat ing position. A driver
is respo nsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially fo r children. Therefo re:
~ Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition w hen the veh icle is being used
~ .&. -
The follow ing bulletins list only some sample po­
sitions that will inc rease the risk of serious inju ry
and death. Ou r hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seat ing pos it io ns that
a re dangero us.
138
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving :
-neve r stand up in the vehicle
- neve r sta nd on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- never ride w ith the seatback recl ined
- neve r lie down on the rear seat
- neve r lean up against the instrument panel
- never s it on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out t he window
- neve r put your feet o ut the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- neve r rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
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A WARNING
Imp roper seating positions inc rease the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
stay in a proper seating posit ion and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is be ing used .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must alway s be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any o ther object.
Mak e su re t hat all pedals move free ly w ithout in­
te rfe rence and t hat nothing prevents them from
r etur ning to their orig inal positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal a rea free
and can be secured wi th floor ma t faste ne rs.
If a brake circuit fails, i ncreased brake pedal trav­
el is requ ired to bring the vehicle to a fu ll stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that ca nnot move freely ca n cause loss
of vehicle contro l and increase the r is k of seri­
ous injury.

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ument panel, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the way
<=) fig. 157. This impact with the vehi­
cle interior has all the energy they had just be­
fore the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even
when they deploy, airbags provide on ly additional
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the dr iver, must wear safety belts cor ­
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in­
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there
to offer protect ion in those accidents in w hich
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have already deployed. Unbelted occupants can
also be thrown o ut of the vehicle where even
more severe or fatal injur ies can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety bel ts correctly . Unbelted passengers
in the rear seats endanger not only themse lves
but also the driver and other passengers
¢ fig. 158. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
injure the driver and/or front seat passenger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It 's simply
not true!
Fig. 159 Dr iver is correctly restra ined in a sudden b raking
maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ­
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
Safety belts
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri­
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of be ing thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being slowed down more
gently or "softly" through the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi ­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
kinetic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerab le" and less likely to ca use injury .
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety belts can also substantially re ­
duce the r isk of injury in ot her k inds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just go ing to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure
others do, too. Acc iden t statist ics show that vehi­
cle occupants properly wea ring safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident . Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
lision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most count ries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not acti­
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col­
lisions, in roll overs or in cases where there is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi . So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de­
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged .
145

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,...., Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop­ er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
""Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
9 page 135,
""Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
9page 64,
.,. Wear safety belts properly 9 page 145,
.,. Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children
9 page 171.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the blink
of an eye and with considerable force. The sup­
plemental airbags can cause injuries if the driver
or the front seat passenger is not seated proper­
ly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to do its
job, it is important, both as a driver and as a pas­
senger to sit properly at all times .
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal collisions
o page 135, Correct
passenger seating positions .
For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
opage 64.
It's especially important that children are proper­
ly restrained
9page 171.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the individual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system.
Proper seating position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver
seat with the safety belt properly fastened and
Airbag system
reaching the pedals, special modifications to
your vehicle may be necessary.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer, or call Audi
Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov ­
ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger. The airbags will deflate im­
mediately after deployment so that the front oc­
cupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and limit the occupant's forward move­
ment . Together they help to prevent the driver
and front seat passenger from hitting parts of
the inside the vehicle while reducing the forces
acting on the occupant during the crash. In this
way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions. The triggering of the airbag system de­
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collision and registered by the electronic con­
trol unit . If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision . Vehi­
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi­
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle
speeds that will cover every possible kind and an­
gle of impact that will always trigger the airbags ,
since the circumstances will vary considerably be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc . The front airbags will
IIJJ,
151

Airbag syste m
also not infl ate in s ide or rear collisions, o r in
ro ll-overs.
Al wa ys rememb er: Airbag s will depl oy on ly once ,
a nd on ly in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions. Yo ur safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
dep loy, or when they have already deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The a irbag system works most
effect ively when used with the safety belts.
There fore, always properly wear your safety belts
r=;, page 143.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or in­
st rument panel will decrease the effective­
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
of personal injury in a co llision.
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit mo re than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, invest i­
gate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help yo u reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forwa rd, s it­
ting sideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
your risk of in jury is much h igher.
- Yo u will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly
c> page 146, Safety belts.
-Always make certain that chi ldren age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil­ dren are not properly restra ined, they may
be severe ly injured or k illed when an airbag
inflates.
- Never let children ride unrestrained or im­ prope rly restrained in the vehicle . Adjust the
front seats properly.
152
-
- Never ride with the back rest recl ined.
-Always sit as far as possible from the steer -
ing wheel or the instrument panel
c> page 135.
- Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the ins trument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent serious injur ies to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recl ine the front passenger's seat to
transpo rt objects. Items can also move into
the area of the s ide a irbag or the front air­
bag du ring brak ing or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
proje cti les and cause injury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags that have deployed in a crash m ust be
replaced.
- Use on ly orig inal equipment airbags ap­
proved by A udi and inst alled by a trained
technician who has the ne cessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to prope rly replace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assure system
effectiveness in a crash.
'
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle .
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be sure to read the important i nformat ion and
head the WARNINGS fo r important details
about c hildren and Advanced A irbags
r=;, page 171 .
Even thoug h your veh icle is equipped w it h an Ad­
vanced Airbag Sys tem, make certa in that a ll chil­
dre n, espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and younger, al­
ways ride i n the b ack seat prope rly res trained fo r
their age and size. The airbag on the passenger
s ide makes the front seat a potentially dange rous
p lace for a child to r ide . The front seat is not the
safest place for a chi ld i n a forward-fac ing chi ld ...,.

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,...., safety seat. It can be a very dangerous place for
an infant or a child in a rearward-facing seat .
The Advanced Airbag System i n your ve hicle has
been ce rtified to comply with the requi rements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Veh icle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applica ­
b le at the time your veh icle was manufactured.
Accord ing to requ irements, the front Advanced
Airbag System o n the passenger s ide has been
cert ified for "suppression" for infants of about
12 month old and younger and fo r "low risk de­
p loyment" for children aged 3 to 6 years o ld (as
defined in the standard).
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru­
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
A irbag on the passe nger side has been t urned off
by the ele ctronic con trol unit.
E ach t ime you tur n on the ignit ion, the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
l ight will come on fo r a few
seconds and:
- wi ll stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied,
- will stay on if there is a small c hild or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as reg istered by the weight ­
sensing mat¢
page 161, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control unit detects a total we ight on
the fro nt passenge r seat that requires the front
a ir bag to be tur ned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of a typical 1 year -old child but
l ess t han the weight of a small adult, the front
a ir bag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come
on).
If t he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front airb ag on the passenge r
side has not been turned o ff by the e lectronic
control unit and can dep loy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the condit ions stor­
ed in its memory.
For example , the ai rbag may deploy if:
Airb ag sys tem
-a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ica l 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats listed
¢ page 173), or
- a child who has outgrown c hild restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If t he front passenge r airbag is t urned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
inst rument cluste r and stays on.
T he front airbag on the p assenger s ide may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not ill uminate and stay lit) even if a small adu lt
o r teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting up ­
rig ht w ith their back against a non-recl ined back­
res t with the ir feet on the vehicle floor in front of
t h e seat is on the fron t passenger seat
¢ page 135, Proper seating position for the driv ­
er .
If the front passenger a irbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requ ires the a irbag to meet the " low
risk" deployment criteria to reduce the r isk of in ­
jury through interaction w ith the airbag . "Low
risk" deployment occurs in th ose crashes that
t ak e place at lowe r decele rations as defined in
t h e e lectron ic co ntr ol unit¢
page 161, PASSEN­
G ER A IR BAG O FF light.
Always re m embe r, a ch ild safety sea t or infant
ca rr ie r ins talled on the fro nt seat may be s truck
and knocked ou t of posit io n by the rapidly i nflat­
ing passenge r's airbag in a fron tal coll is ion . The
airbag could great ly red uce the effectiveness of
t h e child restraint and even seriously in ju re the
child du ring inflation.
F or t his reason, an d beca use the back seat is the
safest p lace for children -when p roper ly restrain ­
ed according to their age and size -we strongly
recommend that children always sit in the back
seat ¢
page 171, Child safety .
A WARNING
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
i nsta lled on the front passenger seat will be
se riously in ju red and can be k illed if the front
a ir bag inflates -even with an A dva nced Airbag
S ys tem.
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153

Airbag syste m
-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 rear-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
P ASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dea ler.
- Forward-facing ch ild safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and
cause serious personal injury to the child .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld 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 a irbag .
- 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
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le before insta lling the for­
ward-facing child restra int. The bac krest
mus t be adjusted to an up right posit ion.
- Make s ure that the
PASSENGER AI R BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
To red uce the risk of serio us in jury, make s ure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wi ll
be displayed whenever a child restraint is in­
stalled on the front passenger seat and the
ign ition is switched on.
154
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light does
not stay on, perform the checks described
¢ page 161, Monitoring the Advanced Air­
bag System .
-Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer immed iately .
- Always carefully follow instructions from
child restraint manufacturers when instal ­
ling child restra ints.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward or rearward-fac ing child re­
stra int on the fron t passenger's seat:
- Improper installat ion of child restraints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from provid ing any pro tect ion.
- An improperly installed child res tra int can
inter fere with the airbag as it deploys and
serious ly injure or even kil l the child -eve n
w ith an Advanced A irbag System.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safe ty
seat o r carrier.
- Never p lace add ition al items on the seat
that can increase the tota l weight registered
by the weight -sensing mat and can cause in ­
jury in a crash .

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Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants .
Fig. 165 Loca tion of driver airbag: in steering wheel
Fig. 166 Loca tion of fron t passenger's airbag: i n the in­
st rument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at
the time your vehicle was manufactured . The
safety belts for the seats have "pretensioners"
that help to take slack out of the belt system.
The pretensioners are also activated by the elec­
tronic control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters to help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag fo r the driver is in the steering whee l
hub ¢
fig. 165 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel¢
fig. 166. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR­
BAG".
Airb ag sys tem
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detai led
information about airbags, safety belts and ch ild
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children .
_&. WARNING
Never rely on a irbags alone fo r protect ion.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used with proper ly worn safety be lts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
-A pe rson on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small ch ild ren, w ill receive
se rious inj ur ies and can even be k illed by be­
i ng too close to the airbag when it inf lates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossib le in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the "low risk" opt ion under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a ch ild that is
heavier than the typ ical one-year old ch ild is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear sea t area than
in the front sea ting pos ition.
- For their own safety, all c hildren, especially
12 yea rs and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age and size .
-
155