2017 AUDI A5 CABRIOLET warning light

Child safety
-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
9 page 150. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
9 page 131, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know .
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
9 page 140, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
160
-
- 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
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- 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 be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional c ir­
cumstances.
-A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressu re on the
we ight-mat in the seat and register a heavi­
er weight in the Advanced Ai rbag System.
T he heavier we ight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASS ENG ER AIR B AG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear seating position and have the a irbag
system inspected by your author ized Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing a child restraint in
your veh icle . T o act ivate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferab ly
on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the ch ild rest raint
belt path
Q .&, .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt rea lly t ight .
a:,
~ .. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
N ~ seating position .
... 0
0
LL 00
Ch ild safety
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.. You shou ld hear a "cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con­
vert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to pull the belt out of the retractor . The convertib le locking re­
tracto r is now activated.
.. Ma ke sure that t he red release bu tton is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly t ight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2.5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong ch ild restraint or an improp­
e rly installed child restra int can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety sea t in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur ing
a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­ right position and securely latched into
p lace and cannot fo ld forward. Otherw ise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at­
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency s ituation .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
Q page 150 . Special precautions
apply when install ing a child safety seat on
the front passenge r seat
Q page 131, Child
restraint s on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know .
161

Intelligent Technology Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road ho lding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid­
ding and loss of vehicle control. It works only
when the engine is runn ing . ESC detects certain
d ifficult driving situat ions, including when the
vehicle is beginn ing to spin (yaw) out of control
and helps you to get the veh icle back under con­
tro l by selectively braking the wheels , and/or re­
ducing engine powe r and provid ing steering as­
sistance to help ho ld the veh icle on the driver 's
intended course. The indicator light
bJ in the in­
strument cluster blinks when ESC is taking action
to help you contro l th e vehicl e.
The follow ing systems a re integr ated in the ESC:
Anti -lock braking system (ABS )
ABS preve nts the wheels from lock ing up when
b raking . The ve hicle can still be stee red even dur­
in g ha rd brak ing . Apply steady pressure to the
b rake pedal. Do not p ump the pedal. A pu lsing in
the brake pedal indicates tha t the system is help ­
ing you to brake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist sys tem can dec rease braking dis­
tance .
It increases brak ing power when the d rive r
pr esses the brake pedal q uickly in eme rge ncy sit ­
uations . You m ust press and hold the b rake pedal
unti l the situation is over . In vehicles with adap ­
tive cruise control* , the brake assist system is
mo re sensitive if the distance det ected to the ve­
h icle ahead is too small.
Anti -slip regulation (ASR)
ASR red uces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin to spin and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler­
ate and dr ive up h ills.
gi Electronic differential lock (EDL ) ...... N
~ The ED L br ak es w heels that a re spi nnin g and
8 trans fers the drive power to the othe r drive LL 00
Intellig ent Technology
whee l or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with
all-wheel drive*. This function is not avai lable at
highe r speeds.
In extreme cases , EDL automat ic all y swi tches off
to help keep t he b rake on the braked wheel from
overheating . EDL will switch on again automati­
ca lly when cond itions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
T he ES C helps to s tabilize the vehicle by changing
the s teering torque.
In veh icles with dynamic steer ing*, ESC a lso
helps to stab ilize the steer ing in crit ica l sit ua­
tions.
Electronic interaxle differenti al lock */
selective wheel torque control*
T he elect ronic inte raxle d iffere ntial lo ck (front
whee l dr ive) o r the sele ct ive whee l torque co ntro l
(a ll w heel d rive) operates when driving thro ugh
cu rves. The front wheel on the inside of the curve
o r both wheels on the inside of the curve are
braked selectively as needed. This allows more
precise driving in curves . The applicab le system
may not activate when driving in wet or snowy
condit ions .
A WARNING
--The ESC and i ts integrated systems ca nnot
overcome the laws of physics. This is espe­
cially importa nt on slippery or wet roads. If
the systems begin act ing to sta biliz e your
veh icle, you shou ld immedi ate ly change
your speed to match the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt yo u to
take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of
a loss of vehicle control, collision and seri­
ous personal injur ies .
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions . The risk of losing con ­
trol of the vehicle increases when driv ing
too fast, especially through curves and o n
slippe ry o r wet roads , and whe n driving too
close to ve hicl es up ahea d. The ESC and its
integ ra t ed systems cannot always preven t
collis ions -the re is s till a risk o f accidents!
167

Intelligent Technology
-Always acce le rate with special care on even,
smoot h surfaces such as those that are wet
o r covered with ice and s now. The dr ive
wheels can s pin even with these ass istance
systems that cannot always h elp to reduce
t h e risk of loss of v ehicle con trol. t
ir es. Diff eren t tire si zes c an lead to a red uc­
t ion in en gine power .
- Y ou may hear noises whe n the sys tem s de­
sc ribe d are working .
{D) Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work co rrectly whe n all
fo ur whee ls are e quipped w ith ide ntica l
Switching on/off
£SC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig . 163 Versio n A: lower cente r co nso le,~ OFF button Fig. 164 Version B : upper center co nso le, ~ OFF button
T he ESC is des igned to function in leve ls. Depe nd­
i ng on t he level th at i s sele cted, the s tabili zation
f unc tion of the E SC is limited or sw itched off. The
amo unt of stabi liza tio n con trol will d iffer de ­
pendi ng on the level. -
Roc king the ve hicle to free it w hen i t is stuck
- Dr iving in d eep snow or o n loose g ro und
- Dr iving with snow chains
Th e fo llo wing s itu ations are ex cep tion s where i t
may be usef ul to sw itch on s po rt mo de to allow
the wheels to spin:
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off
Behavior
T he ESC and ASR stabiliza -
The sta bilization funct ion is
tion f unct io ns are limite d not available
¢ &
. ES C and
¢ &. . ASR are switched off.
Operation Press the I.$ OFF I b utton P re ss and hol d the l.$ OF FI
briefly . button longer than 3 sec-
onds .
Indicator II turns on. Iii and lf111•)H turn on.
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC ): Stabilization control (ESC ):
sages Sport. Warning! Restricted off . Warning! Restricted
stab ility stability
168
Sport mode off or
ESC /ASR on
T he f ull stabilization func -
tion of the ESC an d ASR is
avai lab le aga in.
Press the I.$ OFF I but ton
a g ai n.
II turns off or II and
lf11ft)H turn off .
Stabilization control
(ESC ): On
N N ><'. 00

a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
Fa ults in the brake system
If yo u should notice a sudden increase i n brake
pedal travel, then one of the two brake circuits
may have failed
¢ .&. .
Low brake fluid level
Malf unct ions can occur in the bra ke system if the
b rake fl uid leve l is too low. The brake fluid level
i s monitored e lectronica lly .
Bra ke booste r
The brake booster increases the pressure that
you generate with the brake pedal.
It works on ly
when the engine is run ning
.¢ .&.
Bra ke lining we ar status
Brake lining wear may be checked by visual in­
spection of the condition of the brake pads
through the open ings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
¢ page 228, Replacing wheels.
A WARNING
- New bra ke pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "bro ken- in" dur ing
the init ia l 250 m iles (400 kilometers). Yo u
can compensate for th is by press ing the
brake pedal more firmly. This a lso applies
later when new pads are installed.
- Yo u should perfo rm braking maneuvers for
the p urpose of clean ing the brake system
only if road conditions permit. Other road
users must not be put at risk -you may
cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift t ransm iss ion into a lower
gear or lowe r driving range. Do not ride the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. This could ca use the brakes to get
hot and diminish brak ing efficie ncy.
- Do not "r ide t he b rakes" by resting your foot
on the pe dal when yo u do not inten d to
bra ke. This may cause the bra kes to over­
heat, premat ure wear and increased stop ­
ping distance.
- Under certa in climatic and operating condi­
tio ns such as passing thro ugh water, driving
in heavy rain or after washing the vehicle,
Intellig ent Technology
the effectiveness o f the brakes can be re­
duced. In winter, ice can accum ulate on the
brake pads, lin ings, d iscs and drums . Care­
fu lly apply brakes for a test . Brakes will dry
and ice coat ings will be cleaned off after a
few ca refu l brake applications .
- Driving for an extended period of t ime on
salt-covered roads without usi ng your
b rakes can also affect braking eff iciency.
Clea n off acc umul ated salt coat ing from
b rake discs an d pa ds w ith a few careful
b rake appli cat ions .
- I f you d amage the front spoile r, or if you in­
s t all a different spoiler, be s ure the a ir flow
to the front brakes is not obstruc ted. Other­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc­ ing the effectiveness of t he ent ire bra ke sys­
tem.
- Fai lure of one brake circuit w ill impa ir the
braking capability resulting in an increased
stopping distance . Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest authorized
Aud i dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the
engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed cons iderab ly
ha rder to make up fo r the lack of booste r
assis tance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps the
driver when steering.
Power steer ing adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defe ctive! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicato r light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the powe r steering may
have failed.
171

Intelligent Technology
Do not contin ue driving . See yo ur authori zed
Aud i dea ler or a qua lified repair facility for assis­
tance.
'I@ Dynamic steering : Sy stem fault! You can
cont inue d riv ing
If the indi cator lig ht t urns on and the message
appears, the steering m ay be more difficul t to
move or mo re sensit ive than usual. The steering
wheel may also be at an angle when dr iving
straight .
Dr ive s low ly to your author ized A udi dealer or
qu alified wor kshop to have the ma lfunction co r­
rected .
l;:r-ij Dynamic steering : initializing
If th is driver message appears and the ind icator
light is flas hing on the instrument panel, dynam­
ic stee ring* is be ing rein itia lized . Afte r start ing
the engine , the steer ing wheel will move s light ly.
Re-i nitializ ation m igh t b e necessa ry if the s teer­
i n g wheel was moved hard to the left and r igh t
while the veh icle was not moving. The disp lay
goes out as soon as initia lization is complete.
A WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system malfunc­
tion repaired as soon as possible by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop -
r isk of accident!
(D Tips
- If the . or l;pij indicator light only stays on
fo r a short time, you may continue driving.
- The dynamic steering* stability systems are
not available in the event of a system mal­
funct ion.
- Fo r additional informat ion on dynamic
steering*, refer to
¢ page 101.
172
-
Driving with your
quattro
App lies to : vehicles wit h all -w hee l drive
With all-wheel drive , all four wheels ore driven .
General information
With a ll-wheel d rive, power is distrib uted to a ll
fo ur wheels. Th is happens automat ica lly depend­
i ng on your driving style and the road conditions
at the t ime . See also
¢ page 167.
A center d ifferential distributes the driving powe r
variably to the front and rear axle. It works to­
gether w ith select ive whee l torque contro l, wh ic h
activates when d rivi ng through curves
¢ page 167. With the spor t different ial*, power
dist ribution to the rear wheels is var iable and can
be adjusted wi th d rive select ¢
page 101 .
The all-whee l dr ive concept is designed for hig h
engine powe r. Your vehicle is except ionally pow­
e rfu l an d has excellent driving cha racteristics
bot h unde r no rmal d riving condi tions and o n
snow and i ce. A lways read and follow safety pre­
ca utions
~ ..&. .
Winter tires
When dr iving in the winter, yo ur vehicle with all­
whee l dr ive has a n advantage, even with regu la r
t ir es. In w inte r road cond it ions i t may be advisa­
ble to mo unt win ter tires (o r all-se ason tires) for
i mproved driveability an d braking: these ti res
must be mo unted on
all four whee ls. See also
¢ page 2 22, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire ch ains are mandatory on certain
r oads, t his normally also applies to vehicles wi th
a ll- wheel drive ¢
page 222, Snow chains .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with all-w heel d rive mus t always have
ti res of the same size. Also avoid tires with diffe r­
en t tread dep ths. Fo r d eta ils see page
¢ page 21 4, New tires or wheels. liJJ>

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount . Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage shou ld your vehicle be
struck from beh ind ¢
,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
gi check to be sure that it conforms to all regula-......
~ tions . N ...... 0
0
LL 00
Trailer towing
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system ¢.&. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
T ra iler lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
rect wiring, switches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors. It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
,8. WARNING
-If a tra iler has electr ical brakes please note
that these bra kes are not activated by the
factory-fitted control unit -risk of accident!
- After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch could fly forward and in­
jure you or your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held sec ure ly in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 180.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder . It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load . Make sure that
the cool ing system has enough fluid. .,..
179

Trailer towing
Tire pr essure
When tow ing a tra iler, inflate the tires of yo ur
veh icle to the tire pressure listed under " Fu ll
load" on the label ¢
page 217. Inflate trai ler
tires to trai ler and tire manufacturers' specifica­
tions.
Lights
The headlight settings should be chec ked with
the trailer attached before driving off . Check to
make sure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be s ure t railer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle .
L eave enough slack in the chains to permit turn ­
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration .
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is easie r to operate and cont rol.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while keeping the trai ler as light as possib le under the
circumstances . Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observ ing tongue load requ ire­
ments and vehicle loading considerat ions .
Spe ed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or w ind
180
conditions are unfavorab le -particularly when
going downhi ll.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediate ly if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of sway ing.
Do not try
to st op the swaying by accele rating.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds fo r
vehicles towing tra ilers are lower tha n for regular
vehicles.
A lways apply brakes ear ly . When driving down­
hill, shift into a lower gea r to use the engine
braki ng effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes alone ca n cause them to overheat and fa il.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge¢ page 8 must
be observed carefully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im­
med iate ly and/or tu rn off the a ir cond itioner .
If the coolant temperatu re warning light . in
the instrument cluster starts flashing, p ull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minu tes to p revent heat build-up .
.&, WARNING
Anyone not properly res trained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci ­
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
-
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because of the addit iona l weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how careful­
ly you load your tra iler and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep pract icing u nti l you have be­
come completely fam iliar w ith the way your vehi-
cle-tra ile r combination behaves and respo nds . .,.