window AUDI A5 2015 Owner´s Manual

Driving safety
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safe ty 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 summar­ ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Al­
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers .
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the fea­
tures described in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual.
It is in your interest and in the in­
terest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Litera­
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the driver and
passengers.
-
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
tions .
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re­
straint system and work together to help reduce
the risk of injury in a wide variety of occident sit­
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in tech­
nology have made a variety of features available
to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
112
The following is a list of just a few of the safety
features in your Audi:
-sophisticated safety belts for driver and all pas-
senger seating positions,
- belt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain airbags,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- adjustable steering column.
T hese individual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide range of accidents . These
features cannot work as a system if they are not
always correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care­
ful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals are operat­
ing correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outside .
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
Q page 60.
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals .
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct rear seat passengers to adjust the
head restraints according to their height.
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rectly to protect ch ildren
c> page 151 , Child
safety .
.,. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
Q page 54, Seats
and storage.

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-Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, a lways ad just the front pas­
senger seat and head restraint properly.
- Always keep your feet on the f loor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you properly and can even in ­
crease the risk of injury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest recl ined or
t ilted far back! The farther the backrests are
t il ted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect pos ition ing of the safety belt
and improper seating posit ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats¢
page 151. Spe cial preca utions ap­
ply when installing a ch ild safety sea t on the
front passenger seat¢
page 129.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve­ hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or an accident, yo ur passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow­
in g:
~ Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright pos ition ¢
page 64.
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
~ Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢ page 124.
~ Make su re that c hildren are always proper ly re­
stra ined in a chi ld restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age¢
page 151 .
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously in jured in a crash .
Drivin g s afet y
-Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and proper ly fasten and wear the
safety belt be long ing to that seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the seatback is secure ly latched in the
upright pos ition and the safety belts are
properly pos itioned on the body . By not sit­
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint p roperly so
that it can give maximum p rotection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to veh icles: w it h adjustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor ­
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys­
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
F ig . 1 20 Head restra int: v iewed from t he front
The head restra ints must be cor rectly adjusted to
achieve the best protect ion.
~ Adj ust the head restraints so the upper edge is
as even as possib le w ith the top of your head. If
that is not possible, t ry to ad just the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible ¢
fig. 120.
Adjusting head restraints ¢page 57.
A WARNING
--
All seats are equ ipped with head restraints.
Driving w ithout head restraints or with head
restra ints that a re not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck in ju ry
d ramatically. To help reduce the r isk of injury: ..,.
115

Driving safety
-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 vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints so the upper edge is as
even as possible with the top of your head.
If that is not possible, try to adjust the head
restraint so that it is as close to this position
as possib le .
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint wh ile driving .
If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at­
tempting to adjust the head restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a chi ld restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size ~
page 151 .
Examples of improper seat ing positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in­
jury or death . Safety be lts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body. Im­
proper seat ing pos itions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and wi ll even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit­
ical areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag 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
~ .&. -
The following bulletins list only some sample po­
si tions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death . Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous.
116
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 s it sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put 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 occupants stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used .
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
' Important safety instructions
Applies to vehicles : wit h knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can in­
flate without interference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in­
to you as the airbag deploys.
- No persons (children) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat .
If the airbag deploys, this can result in
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping bags, for example) can hamper or prevent

Driving safet y
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All Luggage and other objects mus t be properly
stowed and secured in the Luggage compart ­
ment.
F ig. 121 Saf e load pos itio ning : place heavy objec ts as low
an d a s far forwa rd as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handli ng charac­
ter istics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious pe rsonal i njury in a s udden vehicle ma­
neuver or in a coll is ion.
• Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment.
• Always place and p roperly secu re heavy items in
the luggage compartment as low and as far for­
ward as poss ible
c> fig . 121.
• Secure the load with the cargo net* or with
non-e lastic straps secured to the tie-downs
c>page 65.
• Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly th rough the veh icle caus ing serious per­
sonal i njury in the event of ha rd braking o r an
ac cident . To help redu ce the r is k of serious
personal inju ry:
- Always put objec ts, for examp le, l uggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compa rt­
ment.
- Always secu re objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down eye lets and
s u itable straps.
118
A WARNING
H eavy loads w ill influence the way your vehi­
cle handles . To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transpo rting
heavy objects, that a change i n the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possib le .
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Ax le Wei ght Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
do or jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
handle d ifferently.
- Please observe informat ion on safe driv ing
c>page 112 .
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into t he vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed wh ile driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must dr ive with the rear lid
ope n, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoni ng :
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
- Open all air outle ts in the ins trument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doo rs, all windows,
the sunroof and the rear lid are secu rely
closed a nd locked to reduce the ris k of injury
whe n the vehicle is no t be ing used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
th at it is p rope rly closed and lo cked.

-Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially w ith the rear lid left open. A chi ld
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
persona l inju ry.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle occupants m ust al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seat ing pos itions.
-Air c irculation helps to reduce window fog­
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re to
k eep the se slots free and open.
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
l oad. The t ire pressure is shown o n the tire
pres sure label. T he tire pressure l abe l is lo­
cated on the d river 's side B-pi llar . The t ire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
max imum capacity weight and the t ires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load cond it ions, please see chap­
te r
c:> page 215.
Tie-downs
App lies to vehicles: wit h 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 proper ly
¢ page 118, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of phys ics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle w ill
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in­
jury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which
va ry w ith vehicle speed and the weight of t he
item . Vehicle speed is the most s ignificant factor .
For example, in a frontal collis ion at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
Dr ivin g s afet y
weight o f the item . This means that the weight
of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment co uld cause in a col­
li sion like this .
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or imprope r straps used to
secure it ems to tie-downs can fail d uring ha rd
b raking o r in a coll is ion and cause seriou s per­
son al injury .
- Always use s uitable mount ing straps and
p roperly se cu re i tems to the tie-downs in
the l ugg age compa rtment to he lp prevent
items from sh ifting or flying forward as dan ­
ge rous missi les.
- W hen the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use s uita ble mo unting straps an d
properly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp prevent
items from f ly ing forward as dangerous mis­
siles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
has a defect which could caus e a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in­
form the National Highway Traffic
Safet y Adm ini stration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA re ceives simila r com ­
pl aint s, it may open an inve stig a­
tion , and if it find s that a safety
d efe cts e xis ts in a group of ""
119

Safety belts
_& WARNING
Not wearing safety bel ts 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 driv ing off and make sure al l passen­
gers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be pos itioned properly on the body .
- Never strap more than one person, includ ­
ing small ch ild ren, into any belt .
- Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap .
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat wh ile the vehicle is be ing driven .
- Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or st icking 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 in jured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted .
- Never wear belts
over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your cloth ing, such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc ., as these may cause
i njury .
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat hard ­
ware.
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position .
- Several layers of heavy clothing may inter­
fere w ith correct pos itioning of belts and re ­
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
- Always keep belt buckles 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
c ial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci­
dent . Inspect belts regularly. If webb ing,
bind ings, buckles, or re tractors are dam-
124
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dea ler.
- Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be rep laced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au­
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen . Anchorages that were loaded must al­
so be inspected.
- Never
remove, modify, d isassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself .
-Always keep the belts clean . Dirty belts may
not work properly and can impair the func­
tion of the inert ia reel
¢ page 184.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 128 Belt buckl e and to ngue o n th e dri ver's se at
To provide maximum protection, s afety belts
must a lways be positioned correctly on the wea r­
er's body .
... Adjust the front seat and head restra int proper ­
ly ¢
page 54, Seats and storage.
... Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
in an upr ight position and securely latched in
place before using the belt
q &_ .
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even ly
across the chest and pelvis ¢ &_ .
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat unt il you hear it latch secure ly
¢ fig. 128.
... Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle .
II>

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How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 139 Inflated side a irbags on left side of veh icle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas­
senger . In order to help provide this additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with great force. The supplemental side airbag could injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­
plies especially to children
¢page 151, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collis ion
¢fig. 139.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are 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 act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacemen t
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where the side 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 with the way the airbag unfolds or
~
147

M N
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the circumst ances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important facto rs in­
clude, for example, t he nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc .
¢ page 149, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from the ir norma l safety func tion, safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curta in a irbags 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 vehicle . Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
p rotect you if you are wear ing your safety be lt
and wear ing it prope rly. This is another reason
why you should a lways we ar your safety belts,
not just because the law req uires you to do so
¢ page 121, General information.
It is impor tant to remember that whi le the side
cur tain a irbag sys tem is designed to he lp redu ce
the like lihood o f serious injuries, other injur ies,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and minor abra ­
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags .
Remember too, these airbags wi ll dep loy only
once and only in certain k inds of accidents -yo ur
safety belts are always there to offer protect ion.
The side curt ain airbag sy stem basically
con sists of :
-The electronic control mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side w indows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored elect ronica lly to
make certain it is f unctioning proper ly at a ll
times. Eac h time you turn on the ign ition, the a ir­
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curt ain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignitio n is turned off,
~ - in s ide coll isions when the acce leration meas-.,.,
~ u red by the sensor is too low, ,....,
Airbag syste m
- in rear -end co llisions,
- in rollove rs.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
p rovi de p rotection when occ upants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 54,
Seats and storage.
- If the ai rbag indicator light ¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle 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 will not infla te when it s hould.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re ­
strained .
E
Fig. 14 1 Illus trati on of pr inc ip le : Inf lat ed s ide curtain a ir­
bags o n the left s ide
The side curtai n airbags inflate betwee n the oc­
cupant a nd the w indows on the side of the ve hi­
cl e that is st ruck in a side collision
¢ fig. 141.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with prope llant gas and breaks
t hr ough a seam above the front and rear side
windows ident ified by the AIR BAG label. In o rder
to help provide this addi tional p rotec tion , the
s ide cu rtain airbag mus t in flate w it hi n the blin k
of an eye at very high speed and wi th great force.
The side c urtain airbag co uld inj ure you if yo ur
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the s upple­
mental s ide curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to ch ildren
¢ page lSl. .,..
149

Child safety
• Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing
• Loosen the tension on the straps following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
• Depress the spring catches to release the an­
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in place.
8_ WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in an accident.
- These anchors were developed only for child
safety seats using the "LATCH" system.
- Never attach other child safety seats, belts or other objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click when
latching the seat in place. If you do not hear
a click the seat is not secure and could fly
forward and hit the interior of the vehicle,
or be ejected from the vehicle.
8_ WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury in an accident.
- Always follow the child restraint system manufacturer's instructions for proper in­
stallation of the child restraint system and
proper use of tether straps as well as the
lower anchorages or safety belts in your ve­
hicle.
-Always read and heed the important infor­
mation and WARNINGS about child safety
and the installation of child restraint sys­
tems ¢
page 151, Child safety.
166
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 151 Tether an ch ors : recess flaps beh in d th e rear seat­
backs
The tether anchors for the rear seating positions
are located in recesses in the rear window shelf
¢fig. 151.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at­
taches the top part of a child restraint to special
anchorage points in the vehicle .
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child restraint in a crash,
in order to help reduce the risk of head injury that
could be caused by striking the vehicle interior.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with child head move­
ment performance requirements. These new per­
formance requirements make a tether necessary
on most new child safety seats.
8_ WARNING
-
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you
intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors (in­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a collision . The anchors are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by cor­
rectly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage .

Smart Technology
according to the needs of the individual compo­
nents. It regulates consumption, so that more
electrical energy is not being used than is being
generated and ensures an opt imal state of
charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot neg­
ate the limits of physics. Consider that the
power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica­ tor light (•) appears ¢
page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start­
ing capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the cold time of
year. Abundant electrica l energy is requ ired, but
only a little is generated. It is also critical if the
engine is not running and electrical components
are turned on. In th is instance energy is being
consumed but none is being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you will no­
tice energy management actively regulating the
d istr ibut ion of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, e lectrical components are
gradually cut back or switched
off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca­ pability over a longer period . Some of the con­
ven ience funct ions may not operate, such as the
interior lights or the powe r seat adjustment. The
conven ience functions w ill be available again
when yo u sw itch on the ignition and start the en­
gine.
With the engine turned off
I f you listen to the radio, for example, with the
engine turned
off or use other MMI functions,
the battery is being discha rged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy
consumption, a message appears in the MMI dis­
p la y. The message indicates that the system will
176
be switched off automatically in a moment . If
you wish to continue using the functions, you have to start the eng ine.
With the engine running
Althoug h elec trical energy is generated when the
vehicle is being driven, the battery can become
discharged . This happens mostly when litt le en ­
ergy is being generated and a great dea l con­
sumed and the battery's state of charge is not
optimal.
To bring the energy ba lance back into equilibri­
u m, consumers which require especially large
amounts of energy are temporar ily cut back or
switched
off. Heating systems in part icular re­
quire a great deal of energy. If you notice, for ex­
ample, that the heated seats* or the heated rear
window a re not heating, they have been tempo­
rarily cut back or switched
off. These systems w ill
be ava ilable again as soon as the energy ba lance
has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly . Thi s is normal and not a
cause for concern. By incr easing eng ine idle
speed the additional energy required is generated
and the battery is cha rged.