2018 AUDI A5 COUPE belt

Safety belt s
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly .
.. Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
&_ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the s ingle most effective
means ava ilable to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protect ion and that of your passen­
gers, always co rrectly wear safety be lts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im­
paired persons must a lso use safety belts.
L ik e all vehicle occ upants, they are mo re
likely to be serio usly injured i f they do not
wea r safety be lts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -thro ughout
the ent ire pregnancy .
Number of seats
Applies to: Coupe/Cab riolet: Your Audi has a to­
tal of four seating positions: two in the front and
two in the rear. Each seat ing position has a safety
belt .
App lies to: Sportback: Your Audi has a total of
five seating positions: two in the front and three
in the rear . Each seating posit ion has a safety
belt .
&_ WARNING
Not wea ring safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of ser io us personal
injury and dea th.
268
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt. It is espe­
cially dangerous to place a safety be lt over a
child sitting on your lap .
- Never let more people r ide in the vehicle
than there are safety be lts available.
- Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
proper ly restrained with a separate safety
be lt or ch ild restraint .
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling-up.
Fi g. 233 Safety belt warn ing lig ht in th e in st rument clus ­
ter -enlarged
Befor e dri ving off , alway s:
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly .
"' 0 ..:, .. Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear the ir safety belts .
.. Protect children with a ch ild restraint system
app ropr iate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
l ights up when the ig nition is switched on as a re­
minder to fasten t he safety be lts . In addition,
you w ill hea r a wa rning tone for a ce rtain per iod
of time.
Fasten your saf ety b elt and make sure that your
pas sengers al so prop erly put on th eir safety
belts.

_& WARNING
-Safety belts are the single most effective
means availa ble to r educe the ris k of ser ious
injury and death in automobile accidents .
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always correctly wea r safety be lts
when the veh icle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warn ing light
that comes on could lead to persona l injury.
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles.
Fig. 2 34 Unbelted occupants in a veh icle head ing for a wall
Fig. 23 5 The veh icle crashes into the wa ll
The physical principles are simple . Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess e nergy which va r­
ies w ith veh icle speed and body weigh t. Engi­
n eers ca ll this energy "ki ne tic e nergy."
The highe r the speed of the vehicle and the
g reater the vehicle 's we ight, the more energy
~ that has to be "absorbed " in the crash. ~ N ...... N ~ 0
'° ~ co
Safet y bel ts
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passenge rs of this vehicle a re not us­
ing sa fety belts
¢ fig . 234, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until someth ing stops them -
here, the wall
c:.-fig. 235.
T he same p rinciples apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is invo lved in a fronta l co llision. Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000 lbs . or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher .
People who do not use safety belts are a lso not
attached to the ir vehicle. In a frontal collis ion
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash .
Of course, the laws of physics don' t just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accide nts and co llisions.
269

Safe ty belts
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in ­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety bel ts!
F ig. 236 A dr iver not wear ing a safety belt is v iolently
thrown forwa rd
Fig. 237 A rear passenger not wearing a safety belt will fly
fo rward and strike t he d river
Unbe lted occupants are not able to resist the tre­
mendous fo rces of impact by holding t igh t or
b racing themselves. Wi tho ut the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant
will slam violently into the steering whee l, in ­
strument panel, windsh ield, or whatever else is
in the way ¢
fig. 236. This impact with the veh i­
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 only additional
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all k inds of accidents . A lthough your Audi is
equ ipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the dr iver, must wear safety belts cor­
rectly in o rder to minimize the risk of severe in­
jury or deat h in a cr ash.
270
Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy only
once and that your safety be lts are always there
to offer protection in those acc idents in which
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already deployed. Unbe lted occupants can
also be thrown out of the vehicle where even
more severe or fata l injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety be lts correctly. Unbelted passengers
in the rear seats endanger not only themselves
but also the driver and other passengers
¢ fig. 237 . In a fronta l col lision they will be
th rown forward v io lently, whe re they can hit and
i njure the dr iver 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!
Fi g. 238 Driver is co rrectly rest rained in a sudden b rak ing
ma ne uver
Safety be lts used p roperly can make a big differ­
ence. Safety belts he lp to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap­
plied to the body i n an accident, and help prevent
the u ncontrolled movement that can cause ser i­
ous injuries . In addition, safety belts reduce the
dange r of be ing th rown ou t of the vehi cle.
Safety belts attach passenge rs to the car and give
them t he benefit of be ing slowed down more
gently or "soft ly" th ro ugh the
"give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety fea tures engi­
neered into today's vehicles. By " absorbing" the
k inetic energy over a longe r per iod of t ime, the
safety belts make the fo rces on the body more
"tolerab le" and less likely to cause injury.
IJ>

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3 a,
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety belts can also substantially re­
duce the risk of injury in other k inds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure
others do, too . Accident statistics show that vehi­
cle occupants properly wearing safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of su rviving a n accident. Prope rly using
safety be lts al so greatly increases the ability of
the supplemental ai rbags to do the ir job in a col­
lision. For t his reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
ga lly required in most countr ies including much
of the Un ited States and Canada.
A lthough your Audi is equipped with airbags, yo u
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for examp le, are activated on ly in some
frontal collis ions. The front airbags are not acti­
vated in all frontal coll is ions, in side and rear col­
lisions, in rollovers 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 you r Audi . So, always wear your safety
be lt and make sure eve rybody in you r vehicle is
p roperly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wea r safety be lts as illust rated and de ­
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are a lways
ready for use and are not damaged .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death . Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly be­
fore driving off and make sure all passen­
gers are cor rectly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be posit ioned properly on the body .
Safet y be lts
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt.
- Never p lace a safety belt
over a child sitting
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwe ll in front of
the seat while the veh icle is being driven.
- Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument panel or stick ing out the
window or on the seat.
- Never
remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed.
- Never wear be lts twisted .
- Never wear be lts
over rigid or breakable ob -
jects in or on yo ur clothing, such as eye
g lasses, pens, keys, etc ., as these may cause
injury.
- Never a llow safety belts to become dam­
aged by be ing ca ught in door or seat hard­
ware.
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos ition.
- Several layers of heavy clothing may inter­
fe re with co rrect positioning of be lts and re ·
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
- Always keep be lt buck les free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely.
- Never use comfort clips or devices that cre­
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe­
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems .
- Torn or frayed safety be lts can tear, and
damaged be lt hardware can break in an acci­
dent. Inspect belts regularly. If webb ing,
b indings, buckles, or retractors are dam­
aged, have belts rep laced by an authorized
Aud i deale r o r qualified workshop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
corre ct replacement safety belt by an au­
thori zed Audi dealer. Rep lacemen t may be
necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen . Anchorages that were loaded must al­
so be inspected .
- Never
remove, mod ify, disassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourse lf .
271

Safety belts
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly and can impa ir the func­
t ion of the inertia reel
¢ table Interior
cleaning on page 364 .
Safety belts
Belt positioner
Applies to: vehicles with belt positioners
Fig. 239 Driver 's seat: Belt pos it ione r (exa mple)
The front seats are equ ipped w ith belt pos ition­
ers so it is easier to fasten the safety belts . The
belt positioners automatically extend when the
door closes or the igni tion switches on.
The belt positioner returns to its starting posi­
tion again when
-the tongue in the belt la tch engages or the belt
was not fastened within 60 seconds .
- you switch the ignition off.
-you open the door .
A WARNING
The belt positioners could cause injury or
damage if they p inch people or objects when
extend ing or retracting.
272
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 240 Belt buckle and tongue on the driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear­
er 's body .
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper­
ly¢ page 71, Front seats.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the
belt ¢ _A.
.. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis ¢ fig. 240, ¢ _A .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is sec urely
latched in the buckle .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic
belt retractor on the shoulder belt . This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard brak ing and in an accident. The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv­
ing the belt lets you move free ly.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped w ith a belt preten­
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
¢ page 2 75. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning
light ¢ page 32 . Iii>

Convertibl e lo ck ing r etr actor
Every safety be lt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac­
tor that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the important information about this feature
c::;,page 313.
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c::;, page 2 73,
Safety belt position.
-Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly pos itioned on the body.
-Always make sure that the rear seat back­ rest to wh ich the center rear safety belt is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rea r center safety belt is being used.
If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen­
ger will move forward with the backrest dur ­
ing sudden braking, in a sudden maneuver
and especially in a crash.
-Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buck le wi ll reduce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious personal in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrained
can be seriously injured by the safety belt it­
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo­
men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are secur ing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
c::;, page 315 .
Safety bel ts
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 24 1 Safety belt position
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
size.
-be lt height adjustment for the front seats,
-he ight-adjustable fron t seats.
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
-The shou lder belt should l ie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body . Ho ld the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos­
sible on the pelvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should always fit
snugly
c::;, fig. 241. Pu ll on the belt to tighten
if necessary .
- The lap belt portion of the safety belt must
be positioned as low as possible across pel­
vis and neve r over the abdomen. Make s ure
the belt lies flat and
snug~ fig. 241. Pull on
the bel t to tig hte n if necessary.
-A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
inj uries by shifting its position on your body
from the stro ng bones to mo re vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause se rious inj ury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
o ther important informat ion
c::;, page 271.
273

Safe ty belts
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
corre ctly-throughout the pregnancy.
F ig. 242 Safety be lt pos itio n during preg nan cy
To prov ide maximum protection , safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the wear­
er's body
¢ page 273 .
... Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor­
rectly¢ page 71, Front seats .
... Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt .
... Pull the safety belt evenly ac ross the chest so
that it sits as low as possib le on the pelv is and
there is no press ure on the abdomen
¢ fig. 242, c:::> ,&. .
... Inse rt the tongue into the correct b uckle of
your seat until you hear it latch secure ly .
... Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
A WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety belts can cause
ser ious persona l inju ry in an accident.
- Expectant mothe rs must a lways wear the
lap port ion of the safe ty belt as low as pos­
sible across the pelvis and below the round­
ing of the abdomen.
- Always read a nd heed all WARNINGS and
othe r important information
c:::> .&. in Fasten­
ing safety belts on page 273.
274
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only ofter the vehicle hos stopped.
Fig . 2 43 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
... Push the red re lease button on the buck le
c:::> fig. 243. The belt tongue wi ll spring out of
the buck le
c:::> ,&. .
... Let the belt wind up on the retractor as yo u
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your r isk of be­
ing inj ured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt he ight
App lies to: vehicles wit h safety belt height ad justment
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust­
ment, the three point safety belt strop routing
can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size.
Fig . 244 Safety belt heigh t adj ustme nt - loop-a ro und fit ­
t ings
The shoulder be lt shou ld lie as close to the center
of the co llar bone as poss ible and s hou ld fit well
..,.

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on the body ¢.&. in Safety belt position on
page 273.
.,. Push the loop-a round fitt ings up ¢ fig. 244 @,
or
.,. squeeze together the @ button, and push the
loop-around f ittings
do wn@ .
... Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is proper ly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er important
i nformat ion ¢ page 271 .
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjustment
of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safety belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly posi tioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
ness of safety belts and will even increase the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to crit ica l areas of the body. Imp roper seating
positions also increase the risk of serio us inj ury
and death when an airbag deploys and str ikes an
oc cupant who is not in the correct seating posi ­
tion . A driver is respons ible for the safety of a ll
vehicle occupants and especia lly for children.
Therefore:
.,. Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the veh icle whi le traveling
¢ .&_ .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is be ing used.
- Always make sure that a ll vehicle occupants
are correctly restra ined and stay in a correct
S afet y be lts
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important
i nformat ion ¢ page 271 .
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
Re ver sible safety belt pr etension ers
The following fu nctions a re available when safety
belts w ith reversib le safety belt tensioners are
fastened:
- In certain driving situations, the safety belts may tighten w it h a reversible tensioning func­
tion
¢ page 125.
- The safety belts may also tighten with this re-
versible tens ion ing funct ion in m ino r collisions .
Pyr otechnic s afety belt p reten sioners
Seat belts with pyrotechnic safety be lt preten­
s ioners are tensioned automatically in severe col­
lis ions, depending on the circumstances . This
helps to reduce the forward motion of the occu­
pants .
A WARNING
-It is poss ible for the pretensioners to dep loy
incor rec tly.
- Any wo rk on the tens ioner system or remov­
al and installation of system components
for o ther repairs m ust be performed by a
qualified workshop.
- The pyro technic system can only provide
protection for one collision. If the pyrotech­
n ic pretens ioners deploy, the pretensioning
system must be replaced .
(D Tips
-A fine dus t is re leased when the pyro technic
safety belt pretensioners dep loy. This is nor­
ma l and is not caused by a fire in the veh i­
cle .
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. A qualified
275