ESP AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2011 Repair Manual

• in rear-end collisions
• in rollover s.
In some types of accide nts the front a irbags a nd side a irbags may be
t rig gere d together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide prote ction
when occupants are in the proper seating position=> page
219 .
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer. The airbag may not work properly when the vehicle acceleration in a side collision is high enough to activate the
airbag. •
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy ins tan tly an d can help reduce the risk
o f upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly
restrained.
Fig . 203 I nflated side
a ir ba gs on left side of
v eh icle
Wh en the system is trigge red, the airbag is filled w ith prop ellan t gas
and breaks through a seam in the seat s urface area marked
" AIR BAG".
It expand s between the side trim panel and the pa ssenger.
In order to he lp provide this additional protection, the s ide airbag
Safety
first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
must inflate w ith in a fract ion of a seco nd at ve ry high speed and w it h
great for ce. T he supp lemen tal side air bag cou ld injure you if yo ur
seating position is not proper or upr ight o r if items ar e located in the
area w here the s upplementa l side ai rbag expands. This applies espe­
cially to children=>
page 221, ''Child Safety" . S upplementa l side
air bags inflate between the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the ve hicl e that is st ruck in certain side collision=> fig. 203 .
Altho ugh they are not a soft pillow, they can "cushion" the impact
and in this way they ca n help to re duc e the ris k of injury to the u pper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develo p when the airbag deploys. This is normal an d
does not mea n the re is a fire in the vehicle. •
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbag s are o nly su pplemen tal rest raints . A lway s pr op ­
e rl y wear safety b elts and ride i n a pr op er se ating p osi­
tion .
There is a lot that you and yo ur passengers must k now and act accord­
ingly to help t he safety be lts and a irbags do t he ir job to provide
supplementa l protection.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cau se serious or fatal injury. Improp­
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating position s increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is
being used .
• In order to redu ce the risk of injury when the supplemental
side airbag inflate s:
- Alway s sit
in an upright position and never lean against the
area where the supplemental side airbag is located . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data

Child Safety -
-------------------"'---.,,.
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physical pr in ci ples o f wha t happens w hen yo ur vehicl e is in a crash
app ly a lso to children=>
page 191, "What happens to occupants not
wearing safety be lts?". But unlik e adu lts and teenagers, the ir
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In many respects c hildren
are at greate r risk of ser io us injury in cras hes than adults .
Because children 's bodies a re not f ully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especially designed fo r their size, weight, and body
st ruct ure. Many cou ntries and all states of t he Unite d States and
prov inces of Canada have laws req uiring the use of approved ch ild
restrain t sys tems for infan ts an d sm all ch ild ren .
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30-56 km/h) the forces
act ing o n a 13- pound (6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
we ight of the ch ild . This means the we ight of the child wo uld
suddenly be more than 260 po unds (120 kg). Unde r these conditions,
only a n app ropr iat e child restra int proper ly used can red uce the risk
o f serious injury. Child restrai nts must be used properly to be e ffec­
t ive. Used i mpro perly, t hey can increase the risk of serio us injury in an
acc ident.
C onsult the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's instr uctions in order to
be sure the seat is r ight for you r child's size=>
page 224, "Important
safety instructions fo r using child safety seats". P lease be s ure to
read and heed a ll of the important informa tion and WAR NINGS
about chi ld safety, Advanced Airbags, an d the installation of child
restra in ts in this chapte r.
There is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
vehicle and how t hey wo rk when inf ants and childre n in child
restra ints are on the front passenger seat. Beca use of t he large
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
amou
nt of importa nt info rmation, we cannot repeat i t all he re. We
urge you to read the detailed information in th is owne r's man ua l
abou t airbags and t he Advanced A irbag Syste m in your vehicle and the
very important information abo ut transporting c hildren on the front
p assenger se at. P lea se be sure to heed the WARNIN GS - they a re
extremely important for your safety and the safety of your passe n­
gers, especially infan ts and small ch il dre n.
& WARNING
• Accid ent statisti cs have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position. Always
re strain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle occupants and especially children must be
restrained properly when ever riding in a vehicle. An unre strained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the
interior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or improperly rest rained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflat ing airbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating posi tions provides the highest degree of protec­
tion for infants and small children in most accident situations.
& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with Advanced Airbags
can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A
c hild in a rearward -facing child safety seat ins talled on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflate s.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
child aga inst the backrest, or door. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

____ C_h _i_ld _ S_a _f ...;.e ....:t "- y ________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Alway s in stall rearwa rd-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in exceptional circumstance s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immed iately install the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immedi ­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child res traint on the front pas senger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by it s manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer 's instruction s provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the passenger seat into it s rearmost position in
the seat 's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the child restraint. The back­ rest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .•
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equi pped wi th a fron t "Advanced Airbag System" in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
( F MVSS) 2 08 as appli ca ble at t he time your ve hicle was manufa c­
tured. The Advanced A
irbag system in yo ur vehicle has been certif ied to
mee t the "low -r is k" requiremen ts fo r 3-and 6-ye ar old ch ildre n on
t he passenger side and small adults on the dr iver side . The low risk
dep loyment criteria are inten ded to reduce the risk of injury through
interaction with the a irbag t hat can occur, for example, by being too
close to the stee ring wheel an d instr ument panel when the airbag
inflates. In addi tion, the system has been certified to comp ly with t he
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
fron t air bag for infan ts up to 1 2 months who a re res train ed on the
front passenger seat in child restrai nts that are listed in the Stan­
d ar d.
Even thoug h your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system , a ll ch ildren, especially those 12 years and yo unger, should
always r ide in t he back seat p roperly restrained for t heir ag e and si ze .
Th e ai rbag on the passenge r si de makes the front seat a potentia lly
dange rous p lace for a child to r ide. Th e front seat is not th e safest
place fo r a child in a forward-facing c hild safety seat. It can be a very
d an ge rous p lace for a n infan t or a large r chil d i n a rea rwa rd-facing
seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
Th e Advanced A irbag System i n your ve hicle de tects t he p resence o f
an infa nt o r ch ild in a child rest rai nt on the fro nt passenger sea t using
the we ight-sens ing mat in the seat cushion and the senso r be low the
saf ety belt la tch o n th e front passenge r seat tha t measur es t he
tension on the safety belt.
Th e weigh t-sens ing ma t me asures tot al we ight of the child and the
child safety seat and a child blanket on the fro nt passe nger seat . The
we ight on the fro nt passenger se at is re lated to t he design of the
child res traint and i ts "footpri nt", the size and shape of t he bottom
of the ch ild restraint as it sits o n the seat . The weight of a child
restrain t an d its "foo tpr int" vary for differe nt k inds of child res tra ints .,_

ffl,___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t-= y ;....._ ____________________________________________ _
Model
Graco Infant 8457
Graco Snug ride
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP
IMUN00US
Manufactured on or
after
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
Subpart C -Fo rward-fa cing and con vertib le child
re straints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout E9 L02xx September 25, 2007
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22 -262
Cosco H igh Back Booste r 22-209 September 25, 2007
Evenflo Tr ibute V 379xxxx September 25, 2007
Evenflo Medallion 25 4 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations 352xxxx September 25, 2007
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety Seat Step 2 September 25, 2007
Graco P latinum Ca rgo September 25, 2007
& WARNING
To reduce the ri sk of serio us i njury , make sure th at the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight com es on and s tays on wh en ev e r a
c hild re straint is i nsta lle d on the front pas senge r seat and th e
ign itio n is s witch ed on .
& WAR NING (continu ed)
• Take the child re st raint off the front pa ssenger seat and in stall
i t properly at one of the rear s eat position s if the PASSENGER A IR
BAG OFF light doe s not stay on .
• Hav e the a irb ag sys tem in spect ed by your authori zed Audi
deal er immedi ate ly .
[I) Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have been tested by Audi
only for the Advanced A irbag function .•
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially reduces the
risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of everybody
in th e veh icle, especially children :
- Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly=>
page 22 7.
- Always carefully follow the child safety seat manufac­
turer's instructions on how to route the safety belt prop­
erly through the child safety seat .
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convert ible locking
retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from movi ng =>
page 231.
- Push the child safety seat down wit h your full weig ht to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm). ._

_____________________________________________ C_h _i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_. y'--- __
- If a stra p or tet her is be ing us ed to tie t he chil d safety seat
to t he fro nt passenger seat, make sure that it is no t so
tight that i t causes the weight-sens ing ma t to measure
more weight t han is act ually on the seat.
Alw ays reme mbe r: Even though yo ur vehicle is equip ped with an
Adva nced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially those 12 years a nd
younger, should a lways ride in the bac k seat proper ly rest ra ined for
their age and size .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong child safety seat or
improperly in stalling a child re straint in crea se s the ri sk of serious
personal injury and death .
• All vehicle oc cupants and e specially children mu st always be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained child can be injured or killed by being thrown against the inside of the
vehicle or by being ejected from it during a sudden maneuver
or impact .
- An unre strained or improperly restrained child is at much
greater risk of injury or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag .
• Commercially a vailable child safety seats are requi red to
c omply with U .S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS )
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213 ).
- When buying a child restraint, select one that fits your child
and the vehicle.
- Only u se child restraint sy stem s that fully contact the flat
portion of the seat cushion . The child rest raint must not tip or
lean to either side . Audi does not recommend using child
s a fety seats that rest on legs or tube-like frames. They do not
provide adequate contact with the seat .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
-Always heed all legal requirements pe rtaining to the in stal­
lation and use of child safety seat s and carefully follow the
inst ructions provided by the manufacturer of the seat you are
using.
• Never allow child ren under 57 inches (1.5 meters ) to wear a
normal safety belt . They must always be restrained by a prop er
child restraint system . Otherwise , they could sustain injuries to
the abdomen and neck areas during sudden braking maneuvers or accidents.
• Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
• Never let babies or olde r children ride in a vehicle while sitting
on the lap of another passenger.
-Holding a child in your arms is never a sub stitute for a child
restraint system .
- The stronge st p ers on could not hold the child with the force s
that e xist in an accident . The child will strike the interio r of the
v ehicle and can also be struck by the pa ssenger.
- The child and the passenger can also injure each other in an
accident.
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front pas senger seat. A child will be seriously injured and can
be killed when the passenger airbag inflates - e ven with an
Advanced Airbag Sy stem .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
child aga inst the bac krest, center arm rest, door o r roof.
• Always in stall rear -facing child safety seats or infant carriers
on the rear seat .
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on th e front
passenger 's seat can interfere w ith the airbag when it inflates and
c ause seriou s injury to the child . Always install forward-facing
c hild safet y seats on the rear seat . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

____ C_ h_ il_d _ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y;....._ ____________________________________________ _
- Do not use the convertible locking retractor when using
the vehicle's safety belt to restrain a child on a booster
seat.
- Always position the shoulder portion of the safety belt midway over the child's shoulde r.
- Always make sure that the shoulder portion of the safety belt never rests against or across the child's neck.
- Always make sure that the child can properly wear the lap
portion of the belt low across the thighs or pelvis and
never over the stomach or abdomen.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or 18 kg) are best
protected in child safety seats des igned for their age and we ight.
Experts say that the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these ch ild ren is not fully developed, and they must not use the
veh icle safety belts w ithout a suitable ch ild restraint .
Children up to about 40 lbs (18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats des igned for their age and weig ht. Expe rts say that the skeletal
structure, particularly the pelvis, of these children is not fully devel­
oped, and they must not use the vehicle safety bel ts witho ut a suit­
able child restraint .
It is usually best to put these chi ldren in appropriate booster seats.
Be sure the booster seat meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the child and reposition
both the lap and sho ulder parts of the safety bel t so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The routing of the belt over
the ch ild 's body is very impo rtant for the chi ld's p rotection, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12 and under must always
ride in the rea r seat.
Chi ld ren who are at least 4 ft. 9 in . (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall can
generally use the vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts . Never
use the lap belt port ion of the vehicle 's safe ty belt alone to restra in
any child, regard less of how big the child is. Always remember that children do not have the pronounced pelvic structure requ
ired for the
proper func tion o f lap belt por tion of the vehicle's three poin t lap and
shoulder belts . The ch ild's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portio n of the safety be lt be fastened snugly and as low as possible
around the pelvis. Never let the lap belt portion of the safety belt
pass over the child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags m ust inflate with in a blink of an eye and with
considerable force. In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to
inflate so tha t it w ill be the re to protect t he occ upant as the occupant
moves forward into the a irbag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating a irbag. When a n occupant is too close,
he or she will be struck violently and will receive serious or possibly
even fata l injury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all
vehicle occupants, especia lly any ch ild ren, who must be in the front
seat because of exceptional circumstances, be properly restra ined
and as far away from the airbag as possib le .
By keeping room
between the child's body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and provide supplemental
protection in certa in frontal collisions .
& WARNING
Not using a booste r s eat, using the boo st e r se at improperl y, incor ­
r ectl y installing a boo st e r seat or u sing the vehicle saf ety belt
i mp rope rly incre ases th e ris k of s eri ou s per sonal injury and d eath
i n a colli sion o r other emergenc y situatio n. To he lp reduce the risk
of s eri ous p ersonal injury and /or d eath:
• Alwa ys make su re to po sition the shoulder portion of the three­
p o int belt o ver the m iddle of child' s shoulder .
• Never let the sh o ulde r por tio n of the belt re st agai nst or ac ros s
the ne ck, f ace, chin , or throat of the ch ild. .,_

_______________________________________________ C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t..,. Y :...._ __
& WA RNING (c on tinued )
• Always make sure the lap belt portion of the three-point belt is
worn snug and pa sses as low a s pos sible across the ch ild 's pelvis .
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route safety belts over a child's body will
c ause severe injurie s in an accident or other emergen cy situation
:::> page 189.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates .
• Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat, for e xample the
front seat.
• Ne ver let a child ride in the cargo area of your vehicle .
• Alway s remember that a child leaning forward, sitting side­
ways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck
by a deploying airbag . This will result in seriou s personal injury or
death.
• If you must install a booster seat on the front pas senger seat
because of exceptional circumstances the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on, whenever the ignition is
switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, perform the checks described=>
page 210, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System ".
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on wheneve r the ignition is sw itched
on.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle i s being used =>
page 189, "Safety belts ",
=>
page 199 , "Airbag system " and => page 221, "Important
things to know ".•
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
lnstalli ng a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
S
afety belts for the rear se ats an d the fro nt passen ger 's
seat can be l ock ed with th e conv ertible loc kin g ret ractor
to pro perly secur e ch ild safety seats.
T he safety belts emergency locking retractors for the rear seats
safety belts an d for the front passenge r's se at safety b elt hav e a
convertib le locking retractor for child restrai nts. The safety belt must
be locked so that belt webbing canno t unreel. The retra ctor can be
act ivated to lock the safety belt and prevent the safety belt webb ing
fr om loosen ing up du ring normal dr iv ing. A child sa fe ty sea t can on ly
be properly installed when the safety belt is locked so that the child
and child s afety sea t will s tay in place .
A lways r emembe r: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equipped w ith a n
Advanced Air bag system, all ch ild ren, espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and
younge r, should always ride in t he back seat properly res tra ined for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a chi ld safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or
in a crash .
• Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
child is not sitting in it. A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
• If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child
restraint will be thrown forward together with the backre st and
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Child Safety Ill
-------------------"'---
& WARNING (continued)
• A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the
front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center arm rest, door or roof.
• Always be especially careful if you must install a rearward
facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat in exceptional
circumstances.
• A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on
the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier weight registered can make
the system work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy
the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious
or even fatal injury to the child.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, immediately install the rearward-facing child safety seat
in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer. •
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a child
restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer 's instruc­
tions when installing a child restraint in your vehicle. To acti­
vate the convertible locking retractor:
- Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on the rear
seat .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
Slowly pull the belt all the way out.
-Route it around or through the child restraint belt path
=>& .
- Push the child safety seat down w ith your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight .
- Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that seating
position.
- Guide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat.
- You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
into the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pulling on the belt. You should no longer be able to pull
the belt out of the retractor. The convertible locking
retractor is now activated.
- Make sure that the red release button is facing away from
the child restraint so that it can be unbuckled quickly.
- Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is properly
tight and fastened so that the seat cannot move forward
or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
& WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improperly installed child
restraint can cause serious personal injury or death in a crash.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or
in a crash.
• Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
child is not sitting in it. A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
~----------------------------------------------
Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modu Les
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieval after an accident or crash event. EDR's are
sometimes called "crash recorders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored
by ED R's that were installed in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped with
a number of e lectronic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, eng ine function, emission control, as well as for
the airbags and safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record vehicle-related data
during normal vehicle operation for diagnostic and repair purposes .
The recording capacity of the electronic control modu les is limited to
data (no sound is recorded) and only a sma ll amount of data is actu­
ally recorded over a very limited period of time and stored when a
system fault or other condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction, braking
as well as restraint system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and down­
loaded with special equipment .•
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP}
Ce-ieral lnforrrc:t~on
The ESP improves the vehicle stability.
Fig. 212 ESP button
Fig. 213 Center
console with ESP
switch
ESP is designed to he lp you maintain vehicle control in situations
where the car approaches the limits of "grip", especially when accel­
erating and cornering. ESP reduces the risk of skidding and improves
stability under all road conditions.

Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' "---.L==--
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination
w ith the ABS sys tem. If the A nti-L o ck Brak e System (A BS) mal fun c­
tions, the ESP will also shut down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Elect ronic D ifferential Lock (EDL)
and the Anti-Slip Regul ation System (AS R) are in teg rated in the e lec ­
tronic stab ilizat ion program . In addition to the data prov ided by
th ese fun ctions, the ESP control unit re quires addi tional meas ure ­
ment data provided by hig h pe rformance senso rs . The ro tat ional
speed of the vehicle about its vertical axis, veh icle acceleration in the
fore-and-a ft and lateral d irect ions, the brake pressure , a nd the
steerin g ang le are all measured .
Th e d irec tion in whi ch the driver w ishes to tra ve l is d ete rm ined wi th
the a id of the steering a ngle and ve hicle speed and is con tinually
c omp ared wi th the a ctu al b ehavior o f the ve hicl e. If t he two do no t
match, for example, when the vehicle starts hydroplani ng on a wet
roa d, E SP w ill automatica lly bra ke the approp riate whee l to correct
the problem.
Th e ve hicle is t hen stab ilized by the fo rces acting on the whee l during
bra king .
If the ve hicl e is oversteering (the vehicle tu rns too s harp ly
and the rear whee ls slide toward the outside of a curve), the brakes
a re mainly a pplied on the whee l tha t is o n the o uts ide of t he curve. In
the case of a vehicle that is
understeering (the vehicle does not turn
shar ply enough and push es out o f a curve), the b rakes are ap plied as
needed on the whee l th at is on the inside of the curve or additionally
on the ot her wheels . An acoustic s ignal indicates w hen ESP bra ke
applica tion cuts in=> &.
T he system operates across the entire speed range in combination
w ith the A BS system =>
page 245. If the A nti-Lo ck Br ake Sys tem
(ABS) ma lfunctions, the ESP w ill be o ut of act ion as we ll.
Activating
When you turn on the engine, ESP wi ll automatica lly be activated and
w ill pe rfor m a self- tes t. As soo n as t he tes t is c om plete d, th e sys tem
is in normal operating mo de.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Yo
u can activate a deactivated ESP or deactivated ESP/ ASR if required
b y pressi ng the =>
page 240, fi g. 2 13 => page 240, fig. 2 12 bu tton.
Wh en they are activated, the message
Stabilisation program on
appears briefly in t he di sp lay .
Deactivating
The ES P shoul d no rma lly be acti va te d a ll the tim e. I f necess ary, y ou
can deact ivate A nti-Slip Reg ulat io n (ASR) or th e Electro nic Sta biliza ­
t ion Progr am ( ES P) by p ress ing the button =>
page 2 40, fig. 213.
• Deactivating ASR: Tap th e button . In cer tain exceptional s itua­
t ions (e.g. driving with tire chains), the Anti -Slip Reg ulation (ASR) can
be dea ct iva te d =>
page 242. The m ess age ASR off Caution! Limited
driving stability
a pp ears in the d isp lay as well.
• Deactivating ESP/ASR Press the but ton for mor e tha n 3 seconds .
With the ESP/ASR deactivated, t he ESP check light comes o n, see
=>
p age 14. The m ess age Warning! Restri cted stability ap pears in
the display as we ll.
& WARNING
The Electronic Stabilization Program is nevertheless subje ct to the
laws of physics . It is particularly important to pay attention to
this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefore important that
you always adapt your driving to the condition of the road and
traffic conditions . Do not allow the increased safety provided by
the Electronic Stabilization Program system to lull you into accepting additional safety risks .
u
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data