2018 AUDI A5 COUPE Owners Manual

Airbag system
the occupant sitting next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
straints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts
Q page 268,
Airbag system Qpage 277, Ch ild safety
c::> page 302 .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the e lectronic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- two rear side airbags*
- the airbag warning light in the inst rument clus -
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ign it ion, the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's, front and rear* passenger 's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side co llision. The a irbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control un it, the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It is not pos­
sib le to define an a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another . Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
Q page 297, 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 s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu-
296
pant res traint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
soc::> page 268, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
a irbags w ill dep loy only once and only in certa in
kinds of accidents
-your safety belts are always
there to
offer protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an ind icat ion
of over-sens itive or fa iled airbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll deploy
on ly once and only in certain kinds of collisions
-
your safety be lts 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 system will not deploy:
- when the ignition is turned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rea r-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curta in airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
Q page 29 7.
- If the airbag indicato r light Q page 32
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that

the airbag will inflate when it is not
supposed
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 ­
pan ts who are properly res trained.
Applies to: Sportback/Coupe
F ig. 252 In flated s ide airbags o n left si de of veh icle ,
Sportback: rear s ide airbag optiona l equ ipment
App lies to: Ca briolet
F ig. 253 In fl ated side ai rbag on left s ide of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is filled
with p ropellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area.
It expands betwee n the
side trim panel and the passenger . In order to
he lp provide this add it ional protection, the side
airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second
at very high speed and with great force. The sup­ p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple ­
mental side airbag expands . This applies espe­
cially to children ¢
page 302, Child safety . Sup­
p lemental side a irbags inf late between the occu­
pant and the door panel on the side of the ve hicle
that is struck in certain side collision
¢ fig . 252.
Airb ag sys tem
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of in jury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
T his is norma l and does not mean there is a fire
in the veh icle .
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental res traints . Always
properly wear safe ty belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act according ly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to prov ide supplemental
protect ion.
&, WARNING
-
An inflat ing s ide a irbag can cause serious or
fata l injury. Imp roperly wearing safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
r isk of ser ious persona l injury and dea th
whenever a vehicle is being used .
- I n order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supp le­
mental s ide airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the wi ndow .
- Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate w ithout interference .
- Never install seat covers or repla cement
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi.
297

Airbag syste m
-Never use additiona l seat cushions that
cover the areas where the s ide airbags
deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering w ith the way the airbag unfolds or
by being pushed into you as the a irbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental s ide airbag de­
p loys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow ch ildren or other passen­
ge rs to travel in this posit ion.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks* only for
lightweight cloth ing . Neve r leave any heavy
o r sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere w ith side airbag dep loyment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always preven t the side airbags from be ing
damaged by heavy objects knock ing against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- T he airbag system can only be trigge red
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag modu le must always
be repa ired immed iate ly by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improper ly, their r isk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
Q page 302, Child safety.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
298
-In a side collision, side airbags will not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly measure increasing air pressure inside the
doors when a ir escapes through larger, un­
closed open ings in the door panel.
- Never dr ive with interior doo r trim panels
removed.
- Neve r dr ive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper­
l y closed .
- Never drive when lo udspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that open ings are
covered o r filled if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
App lies to: vehicles with side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbags can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig . 254 S ide curta in airbags, driver 's side: location
"' "' 0
i
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win­
dows
Q fig. 254.
The side curtain airbags contain features that provide ejection mitigation to help prevent ve hi-
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or part ially ejected from the vehicle
1111-

<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 \0
3 a,
interior in certain side impacts and vehicle
ro llovers .
The s ide curtain a irbag system supplements the
safety be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of
in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso in a
side col lision . The side curtai n airbag inflates in
side impacts and only when the vehicle accelera­
tion reg istered by the control un it is high
enough. If th is rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the side cur ­
tain airbag will not be triggered, even though the
car may be badly damaged as a result of the colli­
sion.
It is not possib le to define an airbag tr igger­
i ng range tha t will cover every possib le ang le of
impact, since the circ ums tances will vary consid­
e rably between one co llision and another . Impor ­
tant factors include, for examp le, the nat ure
(hard or soft) of the impact ing ob ject, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
Q page 300, How
side curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a subst itute 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 wea ring your safety belt
a nd wear ing it properly . T his is anothe r reason
why you should always wear your safety be lts,
n ot j ust because the law requires you to do so
Q page 268, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the l ikel ihood of ser ious injuries, o ther i njuries,
for example, swel ling, b ruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment. Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certa in kinds of acc idents
-your safety belts are
always there to offer protection .
Airbag sys tem
The side curtain airbag system basically
cons ists of :
-The e lectronic control mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the windows of
the outer seating positions with eject ion mit i­
gation features
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectron ica lly to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air­ bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the ac celeration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in rear -end co llisions.
_&. WARNING
- Safe ty belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
Q page 71,
Front seats.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light Q page 32
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
299

Airbag syste m
How side curtain airbags work
Applies to: ve hicles w ith s ide curta in a irbags
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re­
strained.
~ €
Fig . 255 Illustration of p rinc iple: Inflated s ide curta in air­
bags on the left side
The s ide curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows in a side collision
¢ fig. 255 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the A IRBAG label. I n order
to help p rovide this addit ional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The s ide curta in a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
mental side curtain airbag inflates . This applies
especially to
children ¢ page 302.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part 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 veh icle .
300
'
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Appl ies to : vehicles wi th side curtain airbags
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 do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to p rovide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
-Improperly wearing safety be lts 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 airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate without interference.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light ­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with a irbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hooks.
- On ly use factory-installed sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use only genu ine Audi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the s ide
w indows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc . are at­
tached to the sun v isors. They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cu r­
tain airbag infla tes.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fract ion of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a s ide curtain airbag .
- The airbag deployment zones must be kept clear at al l t imes. Make sure there are no
objects, pets, o r othe r persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any time .
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors.

<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 \0
3 a,
A WARNING ,~
- The airbag system can deploy only once. If
the a irbag has been tr iggered, the system
must be replaced by an authorized Aud i
dealer or qualified workshop .
-Always have work involving the side curtain airbag system, removal and installation of
the a irbag components, or other repa irs
perfo rmed by a qualified dealersh ip. Othe r­
wise the airbag system may not wor k co r­
rectly .
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way .
Airbag sys tem
301

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 2 70, 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 risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especially
designed for their size, weight, and body struc­
ture. Many countries 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 -
S6 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 restraints, like
adult safety belts, must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an accident.
All children, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size. If you must install
a child restraint on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
¢ page 2 78. Infants and other children who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re­
straint that is for their si ze and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental side air­
bags provide in some kinds of crashes .
For more information please see information
provided by the:
302
-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http :/ /www.safe­
rcar.gov (for the USA)
-Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www.tc.gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
your child's
size ¢ page 306, 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 child restraints are
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re­
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 children .
A 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 could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
-A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of protection
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent situations.

<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 \0
3 a,
A WARNING
Child ren on the front seat of any car even w ith
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 seriously
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN ­
GE R AIR BAG OFF
,;; light does not come
on and stay on, immediately install the rear­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­ sition and have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Forward-facing chi ld seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If except ional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require the following special
precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the fo rward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and s ide a irbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the top tether strap to be used.
Ch ild safety
-Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Applies to: vehicles with safety be lt height
adjustment: Always set the safety belt up­
per anchorage to the adjustment pos ition
that permits proper installation in accord­
ance with the child restraint manufactur­
er's instructions.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the h ighest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmos t position in the seat's fore and
a ft ad justment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the chi ld restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CO player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater fo r
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i­
tive passenger detec tion system and can
also fly around in an acc iden t and c ause
serious personal injury .
- Never place or use any ele ct rical devi ce
(such as a laptop, CO player, electroni c
games device, powe r inverter or seat heat ­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the
12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherw ise added to the front passenger
seat, never insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush ion.
303