ABS AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2013 Owners Manual

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Engine cooling system
•
Electromechan ica l park ing brake
r:::;,page 18 ¢page80
Steering column lock
[I]
Tire pressure monitor ing
r:::;,page 18
system./
¢page246
Ignition lock Tire pressure monitoring system
r:::;,page 18
lliliB r:::;, page 246
USA models:
~
Electronic power cont rol./
Speed warning system ¢page20
r:::;,page 82
-
Canada models :
•
Malfunction indicator Lamp
Speed warning system (MIL)
./
¢ page 21
r:::;,page82
Ad apt ive cru ise control./
111
Engine speed limitation
r:::;,page 21
r:::;,page 96
•
Engine o il level
Yellow indicato r lights r:::;, page 17
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 ma lf u nc-
-
•
Engine oi l sensor
tion -Warning!
r:::;, page 21
•
Power top operation
ri1
Battery
r:::;,page43 ¢page 17
Electronic Stabilization Control
-
II II
Tank system
(ESC) ./
¢page 21
r:::;, page 19
I
Electronic Stabilization Control
•
Warm up engine*
(ESC) ./ ¢
page 208
r:::;,page 19
•
Windshield washer fluid level
USA models : ¢page 21
~
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ./
m
Windshield w ipers
r:::;, page 19 ¢
page 21
Canada models :
!I
Remote control key
[I]
Anti-lock braking sys tem (ABS)
¢page 78
defective ./
--
r:::;,page 19
!!
Battery in remote control key
I
USA models: ¢page33
Safety systems ./
l:J
Defective light bulb warning ' r:::;,page20
¢page 21
Canada models :
El
Safety systems ./
•
Fog lights
¢page20 ¢
page 21
•
Worn brake pads
E
Rear fog light(s) *
¢page20 ¢page 21

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
II
Headlight range contro l*
¢ page22
Ill
adaptive light *
¢page22
-
m
Light-/rain sensor*
¢page 22
B
Adaptive dampers*
¢page22
ill
Sport differential*
¢page22
II
Ignition lock
¢page23
Ill
Steering column lock
¢page 18
£t·fi
Electromechanical steering,
dynamic steering *
./¢page 183
T ransmission
•
- multitronic, tiptron ic ®
~ page92
- S tro nic ® ¢ page 92
m
Transmission
- S tronic® ¢ page 92
Other indicator light s
1111
Turn signals
ii ¢page23
CRUISE
-
•
I
•
USA models: Cruise control
¢page84
C anada models : Cruise control
¢page84
Adaptive cruise control* ¢page96
Adaptive cru ise control*
¢page96
-High beam
¢page53
BRAKE /((J)) Brake system
T he light illuminates when the ignition is
swi tched on.
It goes out after the engine has
been started. This indicates that the b rake
warning light is functioning p roperly.
If th e brake warning light do es not light up
wh en th e eng ine i s cran king , th ere ma y be a
malfunction in the elect rical sy ste m . In thi s
ca se, cont act your Audi dealer.
If the brake system wa rning/indicator light
tu rns on, there is a brake system ma lfunction.
1111 (USA mod els)/ . (Canada mod els )
Stop v ehicle and ch eck brak e flu id le vel
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, proceed as fo llows:
.,. Pull off the road .
.,. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Turn off the engine .
.,. Check the brake fluid level ¢page 221.
.,. Contact your nearest authorized repair fa-
cility if necessary .
Warning! Fault in bra ke system. Contact
d eal er
If the ABS indicator light "1:l!I (USA models)/
(I] (Canada models), the ESC ind icator light
Jj] and the brake system indicator light
1111 (USA models)/ . (Canada models) turn
on and the message appears, the ABS, ESC
and braking d istr ibut ion are not working ¢,&..
Carefully drive to your author ized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunct ion correct ­
ed ¢,&. .
1111 (U SA model s)/. (Canada models)
Par king bra ke system fault! See own er's
manual
- If the indicator light and the message ap-
pear
when statio nary or after switch ing the
ignition on ,
check if you can release the
park ing brake . After releasing the parking
brake, carefully drive to your author ized
Aud i dea le r i mmediately to have the ma l­
function corrected. If yo u cannot release the
park ing brake, see k professiona l assistance . .,..

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
w hile dri ving , the emergency braking
function may not be available. It may not be
poss ible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set. Seek professional as­
s istance .
(USA models): If the warning light
1111 and
the warning light
EiJ appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
~ page 20 .
When the light comes on, an audible warning
signal is also given.
& WARNING
- Always observe the warnings in
~ page 205, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the brake flu id.
- Driv ing with low b rake fluid is a safety
haza rd. Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- USA models: If the 1111 warn ing light,
the . warning light and
thee warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels co uld lock up fi rst unde r hard
braking . Rear wheel lock -up can cause
loss of vehicle contro l and an accident.
Have your vehicle repaired immediately
by your authorized Audi dea ler or a quali­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
-Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light ., the
DJ warn ing light and the
ABS warning light
liJ come on togethe r,
the rear wheels could lock up fi rst unde r
hard bra king. Rear wheel lock-up can
c ause loss of vehicle control and an a cc i­
dent. Have yo ur vehicle repaire d immed i­
ately by your authorized A udi dealer or a
qualified wo rkshop . Drive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
parking brake is released, or lights up
whi le you are driv ing, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you believe that
it is safe to do so, proceed
immed iate ly at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualif ied repair
facility and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep in mind that after several
brake applications, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
veh icle. Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond with max imum stopping power
in critical s ituations. You m ust allow fo r
increased braking distances . The extra
d istance used up by fading brakes could
lead to an accident.
· ~fu /C®) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake.
If the indicator l igh t. (USA models)/ .
(Canada mode ls) turns on, t he p arking br ake
was set . If the parking brake is se t when the
ignition is
off, the indicator light turns off af­
ter abo ut 20 seconds .
The wa rn ing/i ndicator lig ht w ill go ou t when
the parking brake is re leased.
• (US A models ) ;a (Canada model s) Cau­
t ion: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicator light b links and the message
appears, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from roll ing . T he b rakes have
ove rheated. The veh icle cou ld roll away eve n
o n a sm all incline .
Press brake pedal to relea se parking brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the button(®) or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
~page 81.
Please release parking brake
To re lease the parking brake manually, press
the brake peda l and press the button<®) at
the same time. The parking brake only re leas­
es automatically if the driver's safety belt is
fastened. ..,.

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 19
I START ENGINE STOPI button because the en ­
gine cannot be started again after the ignition has been switched off.
(D Tips
The symbol's appea rance might be differ­
ent in some models .
;';.![J Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the JjJ indicator lamp blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Ant i-S lip Regulation) is active­
l y regulating.
If the
JjJ indicator lamp illuminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESC off. In this case, you
can switch the ignition off and then on to
sw itch the ESC on again. The system is func­
tioning completely whe n the indicator lamp
sw itches off.
If the I i ndicator lamp illuminates, the ESC
was switched off with the
I ~ OFF ! button.
Stabilization cont rol (E SC/A BS): Fault! See
owner 's manu al
If the indicator light G1 and the ABS indicator
light
E (USA models) ; (IJ (Canada mod­
els) turn on and the message appears, there is
a ma lfunction in the ABS system or e lectronic
d ifferent ial lock . This also interrupts the ESC.
The brakes still function with their normal power, but ABS is no t active.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea ler immedi ­
ately to have the malfunct ion corrected.
For more informat ion about the ESC
¢page 179.
ABS /(8 ) Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL).
The warning/indicator light E (USA mod ­
e ls)/ [§] (Canada models) wi ll come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is switched on.
The light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is completed .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
- The warning/indicato r ligh t does not illum i­
nate w hen you switch the ignition on.
- The warning/indicator l igh t does not go out
after a few seconds .
- The warning/indicato r light i llum ina tes
while driving.
The ESC i ndicator light also illuminates if
there is a ma lfunction in the ABS. The mes­
sage
Stabi liz ation control (ESC ): Fault! See
o wn er's manual
also appea rs in the ins tru­
ment cluster d isp lay and a warning tone
sounds.
Th e brak e sys te m will still re spond even
without the a ssista nce of the AB S system.
S ee y our autho riz ed Audi de aler a s soon as
po ssible to re store full braking perf ormance.
For more information regard ing the ABS
¢ page 179.
Malfunction in th e brake system
If the brake war ning ligh t ¢page 15 and the
ABS warning illum inate
together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS , and there may a lso
be a malfunction in the brake system itself
¢ A . The ABS will not work and you w ill no ­
ti ce a change in b raking response and per ­
formanc e.
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
s y stem
the warning/indicator light 11111
(USA models)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes¢
page 15.
Malfunction in th e electronic diff erential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together w ith the ABS. The
ABS warning light will come on if there is a malfunction in the EDL system ¢
page 179.
See your author ized Audi dealer as soon as
poss ible.
&, WARNING
- I f the E (USA mode ls)/ ti] (Canada
models) warning light does not go ou t,
or if it comes on whi le driving, the ABS
-

20 Instrum ent s a nd w arn in g/i ndic ato r light s
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You will not have the protection ABS provides .
Contact your authorized Aud i dealer as
soon as poss ible.
- USA models: If the
11111 warning light
and the
m!S warn ing light come on to­
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock­ up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an acc ident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop . Drive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light . and the ABS warning light
tiJ
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking . Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle
control and an acc ident. Have your vehi­
cl e repaired immediately by you r author­
ized Audi dea ler or a qua lified workshop.
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applications.
~ I !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models) ;fll (Canada models) in­
d icator light monitors the safety systems (e.g .
a irbags, pretensioners) and ill uminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on .
If the
fl (USA models)/ E,I (Canada mode ls)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates wh ile you are driv ing, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a ma lfunction somewhere
in the system . If the light does not illum inate
when you switch the ignition on, this also
means the re is a ma lfunction.
_&. WARNING
If you have a malfunc tion in the safety sys­
tems, contact your author ized Audi dealer
l ) - : USA mod els only
immediately . Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
(0) Worn brake pads
IIJ Brak e pad s!
lfthe warning light illuminates, immediate ly
contact your authorized Audi dealer or qua li­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­ ed. On USA models the warn ing light
IIJ
comes on together w ith the warning light
11111 . Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must a lways be replaced at the same time .
_&. WARNING
Driving w ith bad b rakes can cause a colli­
sion and ser ious perso nal in jury.
- If the warn ing light rlJ and the warn ing
light
111111 ) with the message Brak e
pads!
comes on in the inst rument cluste r
disp lay, immediately contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
T he ~ warning/indicator light (Elect ronic
Power Control) illuminates when you sw itch
t h e ignit ion on as a function check .
(D Tips
If this warning/ indicator ligh t illuminates
while yo u are driving, then there is a mal ­
funct ion in the engine electronics . Have
the malfunct ion corrected as soon as pos­
s ible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repa ir facility.
-

82 On the road
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline , do the following:
.,. Keep the switch@¢ fig. 92 pulled and de­
press the accelerator . The parking brake
stays applied and prevents the vehicle from rolling backward .
.,. You can release the switch @once you are
sure that you a re develop ing enough dr iv ing
f orce at the wheels by dep ress ing the accel­
erator.
Depending on the weight of the r ig (veh icle
and tra iler) and the seve rity of the in cli ne , you
may roll backwards as you start . You can pre ­
vent rolling backwards by holding the parking brake switch @ pulled out and accelerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill with
a conventional hand brake.
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys­tem
foils or locks.
... In an emergency, pull the switch @
¢
fig. 92 and continue to pu ll it to slow your
vehicle down with the parking brake.
.,. As soon as you release the sw itch @ or ac-
celerate, the braking process stops.
If you pu ll the switch @and ho ld it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen­
cy braking function is in iti ated. The vehicle is
braked at al l four wheels by activating the hy­
d raul ic brake system . T he brake performance
is simi lar to making an eme rgency stop¢.&. .
In order not to activate the emergency brak­ ing by mistake, an audible warning tone (buz­
zer) sounds when the switc h@ is pulled . As
soon as the switch @is released, or the accel­
e rator pedal is dep ressed , emergency b ra ki ng
stops.
.&_ WARNING
Emergency braking sho uld only be used in
an emergency, when the normal foot brake
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed . Using the par
king brake to pe rform emer­
gency braking will s low your veh icle down
as if you had made a full brake application.
The laws of p hysics cannot be suspended
even with ESC and i ts associated compo­
nents (ABS, ASR, EDS). In corners and
when road o r weathe r cond itions are bad,
a full brake appl ication can ca use the vehi­
cle to s kid or the rear end to break away -
risking an acciden t.
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep
your driving speed below a set speed limit.
T he speed warning system warns if the driver
e xc eeds a previously stored max imum speed .
A warning tone w ill sound as soon as the vehi ­
cle speed exceeds the set speed by abou t
3 mph (3 km/h) . At the same t ime, a warning
symbol appears in the display . T he symbol's
appea rance might be different in some mod­
els .
The speed warn ing system has two warning
t hr esholds that funct io n in dependent ly of
each other and that have somewhat diffe rent
purposes:
Speed wa rning 1
You can use speed warning 1 to se t the maxi­
mum speed while you are driving . T his setting
will remai n in effect unt il you turn off the ig ni­
t io n, assuming that you have not changed or
r ese t the sett ing.
The . (USA mode ls)
I. (Canada mode ls)
speed warning symbol in the warning 1 dis­
play appears when you exceed the maximum
speed .
It goes ou t when the speed falls be low
the stored maximum speed .
T he speed warn ing symbol will also go out if
the speed
exceeds the stored maximum speed
by more than about 25 mph (40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds. The sto red max imum speed
is de leted . .,..

Homelink®
Universal remote
control
Description
Applies to vehicles: with Home link
The HomeLink universal remote control con
be programmed with the remo te control for
devices that ore already present.
With Home Link, you can control devices such
as the garage door, secu rity systems, ho use
lights , etc. comfortably from the inside of you
veh icle .
H omelink makes it poss ible for you to rep lace
t hree different remote controls from dev ices
in your home with one un ive rsal remo te. Th is
featu re works for most garage door and exte­
rior door motor signals. Programming the in­
d ividual remote control for your remote con ­
trol takes p lace near the center of the radiator
grille. There is a control module attached at
this location .
A one-t ime programm ing of the sensor must
be performed before you are able to use sys­
tems with Homelink. If the system does not activate after performing the one-t ime pro­
gramming, check whether the system uses a rolling code
¢ page 120 for veh ides without
the MMI*.
& WARNING
-
-Never use the Homelink ® transmi tter
with any garage door opener that does have not the sa fety stop and reverse fea ­
ture as requ ired by federa l safety stand­
ards. Th is includes any garage door open­
er mode l manufactured before April 1,
1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards . Us ing
a garage door
opener without these features increases
r isk of serious inj ury or death.
Homelink ® 11 7
-For safety reasons never re lease the
parking brake or start the eng ine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in motion when the
Homelink ® remote control is being pro­
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac­
tivated, th is can overstrain motor and
damage its e lectrical compon ents -an
overheated mo to r i s
a fire hazard!
- To avo id possib le injuries or property
damage, please always make abso lutely
certa in that no person s or objects are lo­
cated in the range of motion of any
equ ipment being operated .
(0 Tips
-If you would like more information on
Homelink ®, where to purchase the
Home link ® compatib le products, or
would like to purchase the Homelink ®
Home Lighting Package, please ca ll toll­
free: l-800-355-3515.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada reg ula­
tions ¢
page 2 72.
- For security reasons, we recommend that
you clear the programmed b uttons be­
fore selling the veh icle.
Operation
App lies to vehicles : with Homeli nk
Fig . 1 29 Head li ner: controls
Req uirement : The buttons must be program-
med
c!) page 118 or ¢ page 119. ..,_

128 Driving Safely
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 power top,
- 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 power top and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle 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. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended 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 manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
r::::>page 231.
Tie-downs
Applies to vehicles: with tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and o ther
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
r::::> page 12 7, Loading the luggage com­
par tmen t.
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
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying

Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 140 U nbe lted occupa nts in a ve hicle hea ding for a
wall
F ig. 141 T he ve hicle c ras hes into t he wall
The physical principles are simp le. Both the
ve hicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith vehicle speed and body
weight . Enginee rs call this energy "kinetic en ­
e rgy ."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle 's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" i n the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most sign ificant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h) , the energy inc reases 4 t imes !
Because t he passengers of t his ve hicle are not
using safety belts
c:> fig . 140, they w ill keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, unt il something
stops them -here, the wall
c:> fig . 141 .
The same pr inc iples apply to peop le sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal co llision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to
50 km/h) , the forces act ing on the body can
Safety belts 133
reach one ton (2,000 lbs . or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are
even
higher .
People who do not use sa fe ty belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal coll i­
sio n they wi ll also keep moving forward at the
speed their veh icle was t ravell ing just before
the crash. Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of acc idents and col ­
lis ions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelt ed o ccupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fi g. 142 A dr ive r n ot wea ring a safety be lt is vi olently
throw n fo rwa rd
F ig . 14 3 A rear passenger no t wea ring a safety belt
w ill
fly forwa rd and strike the dr ive r
Unbelted occ upants a re not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves . Without the benefit of
safety restra int systems, the unrestrained oc­
cupant will slam violently into the steer ing
whee l, instrument pane l, w indshield, o r what ­
ever else is in the way c:> fig . 142. This impact IJll-

134 Safety belts
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­
gers~
fig. 143. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
Fig. 144 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudden brak·
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference . Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent
the uncon trolled movement that can
ca use serious injuries. In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"abso rbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable " and less
likely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­ ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen ­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision. For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not eno ugh deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!