ESP AUDI A5 COUPE 2012 Service Manual

136 Park assis t
- the rear view camera does not provide a reli ­
able image, for examp le, in poor visibility
condit ions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
sun g lare and reflection .
Caring for th e rear view came ra l ens
The rear view camera is located above the rear
l icense pla te bracket . For the parking assist to
ope rate, the lens
r::!;> fig . 154 must be kept
clean:
- Dampen the lens with a househo ld alcohol­
b ased glass cleaner , a nd clean the lens wi th
a dry cloth
¢ CD .
- Remove snow with a hand brush and ice
prefe rably wi th a de-icing sp ray
¢ (D .
_& WARNING
- The pa rking aid cannot replace the driv ­
er's attention. The driver a lone is respon­
sible for parking and similar driving ma ­
neuvers.
- Always keep your eyes on the veh icle's
surround ings, using the rear view mirror
as well.
- Do not a llow yourse lf to be d istracted
from traffic by the rear view camera pic­
tures.
- If the posit ion and the installat ion ang le
of the camera has changed, for example,
after a rea r end collision, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons .
Have it checked by a qualified dealership.
{[) Note
-Low obstacles already signaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's
detection range as they are approached
and will not contin ue to be signaled . Ob­
j ects such as bar rier cha ins, trailer draw
bars, thi n pa inted ve rtical poles or fen­
ces may no t be detec ted by t he sys tem ,
pos ing risk of damage.
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow or ice from the came ra lens - dan­
ger o f crack formation on the lens! - When cleaning the lens, never use prod
­
ucts that a re abrasive.
Switching on /off
Applies to vehicles: with parking system (rear, with rear
view camera)
The rear view camera switches on automati­
cally together with the acoustic park assist when you put the vehicle in reverse.
Switching on
.,. Put the veh icle in reverse gear, the acoust ic
park ing system with rear view camera is ac­
tivated automatica lly. Act ivat ion of the
acoust ic par king system is confirmed by a
b rief ac knowledgement sou nd.
Switching off
.,. Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) , or
.,. take the vehicle out of reverse gear . The
acoust ic park ing system is immediate ly d e­
ac tiva ted, and the rea r view came ra p icture
is deact ivated a utomat ic all y afte r a period
of about 1 5 seconds , or
.,. sw itch off the ignition.
T he de lay in deac tivat ing the came ra provides
an unin ter rup ted view behind the ve hicle es ­
pecially when maneuvering in tight par king
spaces and p revents the picture from t urning
off the every time you shift out of reve rse.
If the warning message appears in the display
but not the rear view came ra picture, read and
co nfirm the wa rning message. The acoustic
distance signal is always active.
If you press a function button on the M MI
control console, the rear view came ra p icture
disappea rs . The rear v iew camera picture reap ­
pears the next t ime yo u park.
F urther informa tion on the warning message
and the MMI control conso le can be fo und in
the MMI instruction boo klet.
(D Tips
- T he rear view camera picture is available
as soon as the M MI Display or the MMI is .,..

switched on, or the start-up phase is
completed.
- Keep the sensors in the rear b umper and
the rear view camera lens clean and free
of snow and ice, so that the parking sys­
tem can work properly. Please follow the
additional notes on
c:;, page 139.
Reverse Parking
A ppl ies to vehicles: with parkin g system (rear, with rea r
view ca mera)
Parking mode 1 can be used when parking in
a garage or parking space.
F ig . 155 MMI Disp lay: Aiming at a parking spot
Fi g. 156 MMI Display: Aligning the vehicle
.,. Switc h the MMI on and se lect the reverse
gear.
.,. Turn the steering wheel until the orange
orientation lines
(D appear in the parking
spot
c:;, fig. 155. Use the markings @to help
you estimate the distance from an obstacle .
Each marking corresponds to 3
ft (1 m). The
blue area represents an extension of the ve­
hicle's outline by approx imately 16
ft (5 m)
to the rear.
.,. While driving in reverse gear, adj ust the
steering wheel angle to fi t the park ing space
with the aid of the orange orientation lines
Par k ass ist 137
c:;,G)_ @ marks the rear bumper. You should
stop driving in reverse as soon as and no lat­
er than when the red orientat ion line ©
abuts an object
c:;, _&. !
A WARNING
- The rear view camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle
c:;, page 135, fig. 153. Watch out espe­
cially for small children and anima ls. The
rear view camera ca nnot always detect
them, posing r is k of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
g rou nd can appear to be further away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicle, a trailer
hitch, or the rear of a truck). In this case,
you shou ld not use the help lines to help
with parking, which poses danger of an accident!
(D Note
- Low obstacles a lready signaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's detection range as they are approached
and w ill not continue to be signaled. Ob­
jects such as barrier chains, trailer draw bars, th in painted vert ica l poles or fen­
ces may not be detected by the system,
posing risk of damage.
- In the MMI display, the di rection of trav­
el of the vehicle rear is represented de­
pend ing on the s teering wheel angle.
The vehi cle front swings out mo re than
the vehicle rear. Maintain plenty of dis ­
tance from an obstacle so that your out ­
side mirror or a corner of your vehicle
does not co llide w ith any obstacles -dan­
ger of accident!

138 Park ass is t
Parallel Parking
App lies to vehicles: with park ing system (rear, with rear
view camera)
Use parking mode 2 to help you park on the
edge of a street.
..
-...;~ !!!!la-lP.!""" --3.::JI
Fig. 157 MMI Display : blue surfa ce in the parking spot
Fi g. 158 MMI Display: Blue curve on the curb
The following steps apply only when there is
no obstacle (such as a wall) near the parking
spot. Otherwise, please read the "Tips on
Parking Next to Obstacles".
.. Activate the turn signal.
.. Switch the MMI on and select the reverse
gear. The parking aid turns on and parking
mode 1 appears on the disp lay.
.. Position your vehicle parallel to the edge of
the street, approximately 3 ft (1 m) from a
parked vehicle .
" Press the
Mod e ¢ fig. 15 7@ control but­
ton on the MMI contro l conso le. Parking
mode 2 appears.
.. Back up in reverse gear and align your vehi­
cle so that the blue area
@ borders on the
rear end of the vehicle or on the parking
spot line. The blue area represents an exten­
sion of the vehicle's outline by approximate­
ly 16 ft (5 m) to the rear . The long side of the blue area
should be on the curb. The en­
tire blue area must fit into the parking spot.
.. Wh ile the vehicle is stat ionary, turn the
steering whee l to the rig ht as far as it will
go.
" Back into the parking spot until the blue
curve touches the curb~
fig. 158. Stop the
vehicle .
" Wh ile the vehicle is s ta ti onary, tur n the
steer ing whee l to the left as f ar as it will go .
.. Continue to back up into the pa rking spot
until the vehicle is parked parallel to the
curb .@ marks the rear bumper. You should
stop driving in reverse as soon as and no lat­
er than when the red orientation line@
abuts an object¢_&. ! Keep an eye on the
front of your vehicle while do ing this
¢ 6) .
Parking ne xt to obstacl es
When there is an obstacle (such as a wa ll)
next to the parking spot, choose a spot with
more space on the sides. Positio n the long
s ide of the blue area so that there is suff ic ient
space from the curb . The area must not be on
the curb . You will a lso need to start tu rning
t h e steer ing wheel much ea rlier . There should
be a sufficient amount of space between the
curb and the bl ue curve, and t he b lue curve
¢ fig. 158 m ust not to uch the c urb.
A WARNING
- The rear view camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle
¢ page 135, fig. 153. Watch out espe­
cially for small children and anima ls. The
rea r view camera ca nnot always detect
them, posing risk of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
ground can appear to be further away
than th ey really are (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicl e, a trail er
h itch, o r th e rea r of a truck). In this case,
you s hould not use the help l ines to help
with parking, which poses dange r of an
accident!
'---------------_J ""

144 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures desc ribed in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of inj ury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts for d rive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- be lt fo rce limi ters fo r the seats,
- be lt p retensioners for the seats,
- head restra ints for each seating posit io n,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain a irbags,
- specia l LATCH an chorages for child re-
s tr aints,
- ad justab le steer ing colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to he lp protect you and
you r passengers in a w ide range of accidents .
T hese fe atures canno t work as a system if
they a re not always correct ly adjusted and co r­
rect ly used.
Safety i s everybody' s respon sibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
Fo r yo ur safety and the safety of you r passen­
gers,
before driv ing alway s:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals a re op­
erati ng correctly .
.,. Make su re that the tire pressu re is co rrect .
.,. Make su re that all w indows are clean and
afford good v is ib il ity to the o utside.
.,. Sec ure a ll lugg age and o ther items caref ully
qpage 76 .
.,. Make s ure that nothing can interfere with
the peda ls .
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir­
rors correc tly for your height.
.,. Instruct passenge rs to adjust the head re­
straints according to the ir height .
.,. Make su re to use the right child restraint
co rrectly to p rotect chi ldren ¢
page 186,
Child Safety. "'

.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same ¢
page 61,
General recommendations.
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly¢
page 154.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants. If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you a lso become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
~ .&,.
Therefo re:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVE R drive when yo ur driv ing ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions .
.,. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 145
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 162 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢&, .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact w ith it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone
~ fig. 162. If not possible, see your au­
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip­
ment.
.. Adjust the steer ing wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steering whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. App lies to vehicles with adjustable head re­
s tra ints: Ad just the head restraint so the up­
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this pos it ion as possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
¢ page 15 7 . .,.

148 Driving Safely
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed 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 ad­
just the head restraint so that it is as close to this position as possible
r::!) fig. 163.
Adjusting head restraints r::!)page 67.
A WARNING
-
Driving without head restraints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad­
justed increases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury dramatically. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts their head re­
straint. Adjust the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possible with
the top of your head . If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
straint.
- Children must always be properly re­ strained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their age and size
c:> page 186.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the
body. Improper seating positions reduce the effectiveness of safety
belts and will even in­
crease the risk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to critical areas of the body.
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position. A driver is
responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
... Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
r::!) ,& .
The following bulletins list only some sample
positions that will increase the risk of serious
injury and death . Our hope is that these exam­
ples will make you more aware of seating po­
sitions that are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never pu t your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
-
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
vehicle is being used.

area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
-If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the panoramic tilting sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the panoramic tilting sunroof* and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked
to reduce the risk of injury when the vehi­
cle is not being used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. On USA vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side B-pillar. On Canada vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located either on
the driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel
.
Driving Safely 151
filler flap. The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold tire inflation
pressures for the vehicle at its maximum
capacity weight and the tires that were
on your vehicle at the time it was manu­
factured . For recommended tire pres­
sures for normal load conditions, please
see chapter
~page 256.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie -downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly ~
page 150, Loading the luggage com­
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4.S kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
•
•

158 S afet y belt s
To provide maximum protection, sa fety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer 's body .
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restra int
properly ¢
page 61, General recommenda­
t ions .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright pos ition and securely
latched in place before using the belt¢ ,&.
.,. Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis ¢ ,& .
.,. Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hea r it latc h securely
¢fig. 171.
.,. Pu ll on the be lt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the b uckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped w ith an automat­
i c belt retracto r on the shoulder be lt. This fea­
ture locks the be lt whe n the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and i n an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or throug h a sharp curve.
During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioner s
The safety belts are equipped with a be lt pre ­
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety belt
and remove s lack when the pretensioner is ac ­
tivated. The funct ion of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning lig ht
Q page 15.
Sw itchable locking feature
Every sa fety belt except the one on the dr iver
seat is eq uipped with a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safe ty seat. Be sure to
read the important information about this
feature ¢
page 195.
A WARNING
Imprope rly positioned safety belts can
cause se rious injury in an accident
¢ page 1 58, Safety bel t position.
- Saf ety belts offe r optimum pro tection
only when the seatba ck is upright and be
lts are properly posit ioned on the
body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to wh ich the center rear safety
be lt is attached is securely latched when­
ever the rea r center safety belt is being
used. If the backrest is not secure ly
latched, t he passenger w ill move for­
ward with the ba ck rest dur ing sudd en
bra king, in a sudden maneuver and espe­
ci ally in a crash.
- Neve r attach the safety belt to t he buck­
le for ano ther sea t. At taching the belt to
the wrong buckle will redu ce s afety be lt
effec tiveness and can cause serio us per ­
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain­
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
be lt itself w hen it moves from the stro n­
ger parts of the body into cr itical areas
like the abdomen .
- Always loc k the convertible locking re­
tractor when you are secu ring a child
safety seat in the vehicle ¢
page 19 7.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 1 72 Head res tra in t an d safety be lt pos it ion as
see n from t he s ide
Standard features on your vehicle he lp you ad ­
just the position of the safety be lt to match
yo ur body s ize.
- he ight -adjus table fron t seats.

160 Safety belts
_& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the veh i­
cle is moving . Doing so will increase your
r isk of being injured or killed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries.
Wear ing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious in jury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correct ly positioned on
the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effect iveness of safety belts and will even
increase the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety belt to critical areas of the
body. Improper seating positions also in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and str ikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion . A driver is responsib le for the safety of
a ll vehicle occupants and especially for chi l­
dren. Therefore:
• Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
s itting position in the veh icle wh ile traveling
Q 8_ .
_& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu-
pants are correct ly restrained and stay in
a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is be ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
Qpage 157.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity, safety belts are tensioned
automatically.
T he safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners. The system is activated by sen­
sors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great severity. This tightens the belt and takes
up belt slack
Q & in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 161.
Taking
up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
([) Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat­
back that has been fo lded forward.
(D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be
activated once.
-In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions, in a rollover and in
accidents involving very little impact
force, the safety belt pretensioner are
not activated .
- In the case of a side crash, the safety
belt pretensioners will activate on the
driver's or front passenger's sides only,
depending on which side of the veh icle
the crash occurs.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are
act ivated, a fine dust is released. This is
normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The relevant safety requ irements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped. An au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop is familiar with these regulations
and wi ll be pleased to pass on the infor­
mation to you.

162 Airbag sys tem
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job , occupants must al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, a lways:
• Adjust the dr iver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 145,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 62,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 15 7,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
stra int to protect children¢
page 186.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force .
The supplementa l airbags can cause injuries if
the dr iver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Therefore in order to he lp the
a irbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r 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 ca n inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supp lemental p rotec­
tion in ce rtain frontal collisions¢
page 145,
Proper occupant seating positions .
For detai ls
on the operat ion of the seat adjustment con­
trols ¢
page 63.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained ¢
page 186.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individua l
safety features ins talled in your A udi work to­
gether as a system.
Prope r seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver s ide can do i ts
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con- dition that prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the peda ls , spec ial
modifications to your vehicle may be necessa­
ry.
Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler, or call
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834 .
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener­
ator will f ill the ai rbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inf late between the steering
whee l and the dr iver and between the instru ­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after dep loy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
th rough the w indshield aga in without inter­
ruption .
All of th is take s place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have dep loyed . The airbags also
inflate with a g reat dea l of force and nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy.
F ront a irbags in combination with properly
worn safety bel ts slow down and lim it the oc ­
c u pant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the drive r and front seat pas­
senger from hitting parts of the inside the ve­
hicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant dur ing the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and uppe r body i n the c rash . A irbags do not
protect the a rms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front a irbags w ill not i nflate in all fronta l
collisions . The t rigge ring of the a irbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
c aused by the co llision and reg istered by the
elect ron ic cont ro l u nit. If t his rate is below
the re ference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be trigge red ,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a res ult of the collision . Veh icle damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is no t necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inflate or not .
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possib le kind and .,.