airbag off AUDI A5 CABRIOLET 2017 Owners Manual

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Opening and closing
Central locking
General description
The power locking system locks or unlocks all
doors and the rear lid simultaneously.
You can lock and unlock the vehicle centrally. You
have the following choices:
- Remote master key ¢
page 30,
-Door handles with convenience key*
O?page 30,
-Lock cylinder at the dr iver's door ¢ page 32,
or
- Power lock ing switch ins ide ¢
page 31.
Automatic lo cking
The automat ic locking feature locks all the vehi­
cle doors and the rear lid when you drive faster
than 9 mph ( 15 km/h) .
The car is unlocked again once the ignition key is
removed . In addition, the veh icle can be unlocked
if the opening function in the power locki ng sys ­
tem sw itch or at one of the door levers is actuat­
ed. The A uto Lock funct io n can be tu rned on and
off in the rad io or MM I*
¢ page 32.
Additionally, in the event of a crash with airbag
deployment the doors are automatically un­
l ocked to allow access to the veh icle.
Selective unlocking
When you lock the vehicle, the power locking sys­
tem will lock the doors and the rear lid . When
unlocking, yo u can set in the rad io or MMI*
whether
only the d river 's doo r o r the entire vehi­
cle shou ld be un loc ked
¢ page 32.
Anti-theft alarm w arning system
If the anti-theft alarm warning system detects a
break-in into the vehicle, acoust ic and visual
warn ing s ignals a re triggered.
The anti-theft warning system is activated auto­
mat ically when you lock the vehicle. It is deact i­
vated when unlocking using the remote key, with the mechanical key, and w hen you switch on the
i gnit io n.
Op ening and cl osing
The alarm also t urns off when the alarm cycle has
expi red.
Turn signals
When you unlock the veh icle, the turn s ignals
flash twice, when yo u lock it once. If they do not
flash, one of the doors, the l uggage compa rt­
ment lid or the hood is no t locked or the ignition
is still switched on.
Unintentionally locking yourself out
In the following cases there safeguards to p re­
ven t you locking your remo te mas te r key in the
vehicle:
- The vehicle does not loc k w ith the power lock­
ing sw itch
¢ page 31 if the d river 's doo r is
open.
- On veh icles with co nvenience key*, if the most
re cent ly used master key is in the l uggage com­
pa rtment, the rear lid is a utomatically unlocked
aga in after it is closed.
Do not lock your veh icle w ith the remote master
key or conven ience key* until all doors and the
rea r lid are closed . In this way yo u avoid loc king
yoursel f out acc identally .
A WARNING
=
-When you leave the vehicle, always remove
the ignition key and take it with you. This
will prevent passengers (children, fo r exam­
ple) from accidentally being locked in the
veh icle should they accidentally press the
power locking sw itch in the front doors.
- Do not leave children ins ide the vehicle un­
supervised . In an emergency it would be im­
possible to open the doors from the outside
without the key.
(D Tips
- In the event of a crash wit h airbag dep loy­
ment all locked doors will be automatically
unlocked to give access to the vehicle occ u­
pants from the o utside.
- If the power locking system sho uld mal­
function, you can lock the driver's door us­ ing the mechan ica l key ¢
page 32.
27

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~ & in General description on page 2 7. Do not
reach inside the door handle.
The vehicle can be locked and un locked at any
door. The remote contro l key cannot be more
than 1.5 m away from the door handle. It makes
no difference whether the master key is in your
jacket pocket or in your brief case.
If yo u grip the door handle while locking, this can
adversely affect the lock ing function .
It is not possible to re-open the doo r for a b rief
period directly after closing it . This allows you to
ens ure that the doo rs are prope rly locked .
It depends on the sett ings i n the rad io or M MI*
whether the entire veh icle is unlocked or one of
the doors
~ page 32.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS ~&. in Gener­
al description on page 2
7 .
@ Tips
If your vehicle has been stand ing fo r an ex­
t ended pe riod, please note the fo llow ing :
- The proximity sensors are deactivated after
a few days to save power. You then have to
pull on the door h andle once to unlo ck the
vehicle and a second time to open the vehi ­
cle.
- To prevent the battery from being d is ­
charged and to preserve your vehicle's abili­
ty to start fo r as long as possib le, the ener­
gy management system gradually switches
off unnecessary convenience functions. It is
possible that you will not be able to unlock
your vehicle using these convenience func­ tions .
- For Declaration of Compliance to Un ited
States FCC and Industry Canada regu lations
<::;> page 2 49.
Op enin g an d clos ing
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside
Fig. 2 1 Drive r's door; power lock ing sw itch
"' Press the button @ to lock the vehicle ~ ,&. .
"' Press the button 63 to un lock the veh icle
~ fig. 21.
If you lock the veh icle using the power lock ing
switch, p lease note the following:
- If a door is open, the veh icle cannot be locked
using the power locking system switch .
- You cannot open the doors or the rear lid from
the
outside (increased security, for example
when you are stopped at a red light) .
- The diodes in the power locking switch illumi­
nate when a ll the doors are closed and locked .
- You can unlock and open the doors from the in­
side by pulling on the door handle .
- If you have a crash and the airbag is act ivated,
the doors automatically unlock .
A WARNING
--The power lock ing switch works with the ig-
n ition off and automatically locks the ent ire
veh icle when it is actuated.
- On a vehicle locked from the outs ide the
power locking system switch is inoperative .
- Locked doors make it more difficult for emergency workers to get into the vehicle,
which puts lives at r isk. Do not leave anyo ne
behind in the ve hicl e, especially children.
@ Tips
Your vehicle is locked automatically at a
speed of 9 mph (15 km/h) (Auto Lock)
<::;> page 27. You can un lock the veh icle agai n
31

Lights and Vision
The co ming home and leaving h ome functions
only operate when it is dark and t he light switch
is in the AUTO position
~ page 48, fig. 53.
Auto headlights*
W hen the light swi tch is in the A UTO ~ page 48
position, the sw itch-on po int of the lights can be
cha nged in the automatic driving light function.
Daytime running lights
USA models :
You can switch the daytime r unning
lights
on and off .
Canada models: The funct ion cannot be tu rned
off .
It is activated automatically each t ime the ig­
n ition is switched on.
Tra vel mode*
The headlight beam is asymmetrical. This pro­
vides stronger illumination on the side of the
road on which you are driving.
If you are driving
in a cou ntry that dr ives on the opposite side of
the road from you r own country, this will cause
g lar e fo r oncom ing dr ive rs . To p revent glare:
- Travel mode must be selected in veh icles w ith
Xenon headlights* .
- In vehicles with halogen headlights, certain
areas of the headlight lenses must be cove red
with waterproof adhesive covers that prev ent
l ight from passing through. For more informa­
tion, ple ase see you r auth orized Audi dea le r or
a uthorized repair fa ci lity .
When travel mode is ac tiva ted, a disp lay in
t he dr ive r inf orm ation sys tem in dicates this
e ach t ime yo u sw itch the ignition on .
50
Emergency flashers
Fig. 55 Center console: emergency flashe r switc h
The emergency flashers makes other motorists
aware that you or your ve hicle are in an emergen­
cy situat io n .
.. Press the switch~¢
fig. 55 to turn the emer-
gency flashers on or off .
When the emergency flashers are on, all four
turn s ignals b link at the same time. The turn sig­
nal indicator lights
RB i n the instrument clus­
ter, as well as the light in t he emergency flasher
switch
IA] blink likewise .
You can indicate a lane change or a turn when the
emergency flashers are switched on by using the
turn signal lever . The emergency flashers stop
tempora rily .
The emergency flashe rs a lso work when the igni­
tion is turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn on automatical­
l y if you a re in an accident where the airbag has
deployed .
@ Tips
You should turn on the emergency flashers
when:
-you are the last vehicle standi ng in a traffic
jam so that any other vehicles com ing can
see yo u, or when
- yo ur ve hicle has broken down or yo u are in
an eme rge ncy sit uat ion, or w hen
-your vehicle is be ing towed by a tow tru ck or
if yo u are towing another vehicle behin d
you.

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Seats and storage
General information
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide maximum protection if the front seats are corr ectly adjusted .
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger . Adjust
your seat properly so that:
- you can easily and quickly reach all the switches
and controls in the instrument panel
- your body is properly supported thus reducing
physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and a irbag system can offer
maximum protection
Q page 130.
In the following sections, you will see exact ly
how you can best adjust your seats.
There are spec ial regulations and instr uctions for
installing a child safety seat on the front pas­
senger's seat . Always fo llow the information re ­
garding child safety provided in
¢ page 150,
Child safety.
A WARNING -
Refer to Q page 111, Driving safety for im­
portant information, tips, suggestions and
warnings that you should read and follow for
your own safety and the safety of yo ur pas­
senge rs.
A WARNING
Incorrect seat ing position of the driver and all
other passengers can result in serious person­
al injury .
- Always keep yo ur feet on the floor when the
vehicle is in motion -never pu t your feet on
top of the instrument pane l, out o f the win ­
dow or on top of the seat cushion. This ap­
plies especially to the passengers. If your
seating pos it ion is incorrect, you increase
the risk of injury in the case of sudden brak­
ing or an accident. If the airbag inflates and
Seat s and sto rage
the seating position is incorrect, this could
result in persona l injury or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and front
passenger to keep a distance of at least
10 inches (25 cm) between themselves and
the steering wheel and/or instrument pan­
el. If you're sitt ing any closer than this, the
airbag system cannot protect you properly .
In addition, the front seats and head re­
stra ints must be adjusted to you r body
he ight so that they can g ive you maximum
p rotection.
- Always try to keep as much dis tance as pos­
sible between yourself and the steer ing
wheel or instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r front passeng­
er 's seat while the veh icle is moving . Your
seat may move unexpectedly, causing sud­
den loss of vehicle contro l and personal in­
jury. If you ad just your seat while the veh icle
is moving, you are out of pos ition.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's seat
in the following manner:
.,. Adjust the seat in fo re and aft direction so tha t
you c an ea sil y push the pedals to the floor
while keeping yo ur knees s light ly bent ¢.&.
in
Why is your seat adjustment so important? on
page
57.
.,. Adj ust the seatback so that when you sit with
your back against the seatback, you can still
grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. App lies to ve hicles w ith ad justable head re ­
stra ints: Adjust the head rest raint so the upper
edge is as even as possible w ith the top of your
head. If t hat is not possible , try to adjust the
he ad restraint so that it is as close to this pos i­
tion as possible ¢
page 60.
A WARNING ~
Never place any objects in the driver 's foot-
well. An object could get into the pedal area and interfere with pedal function. In case of
57

Sea ts and stor age
sudden braking or an accident, you would not
be able to brake or accelerate.
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the
rearmost position.
To avoid contact with the a irbag while it is de­
p loying, do not sit any closer to the instrument
panel than necessary and a lways wear the three­
point safety belt provided adjusted correctly. We
recommend that you adjust the passenger's seat
in the following manner:
.,. Bring the backrest up to an (a lmost) upright
position .
Do not ride with the seat reclined.
.,. Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re­
straints: Adjust the head restra int so the upper
edge is as even as poss ible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust the
head restraint so that it is as close to th is posi­
tion as poss ible
¢ page 60.
.,. Place your feet on the floor in front of the pas­
senger's seat.
Front seats
Power seat adjustment
App lies to: vehicles with power adjustable seats
Fig . 66 Fro nt seats: power seat adjustment
Controls
@ -Adjusting the lumba r support*: press the
button in the corresponding position¢& .
@-Movi ng the seat up/down: p ress the but ton
up/down¢ &.
@ -Moving the seat forward/back: press the but­
ton forwa rd/back ¢,& .
58
©-Adjusting the backrest ang le: press the but­
ton forward/back ¢
.&..
©-Raising/ lower ing* the head restra ints: press
the button up/down ¢& .
@ -Lengthening/sho rtening the upper th igh
suppo rt*: lift the handle. A spr ing moves the
front seat cushion forward ¢
,&.
& WARNING
-Never ad just the driver's or front passeng­
er's seat while the vehicle is moving.
If you
do this while the veh icle is moving, you will
be out of posit ion. Always ad just the driver's
or front passenger's seat when the vehicle is
not moving .
- Be carefu l when adjusting the seat height .
Check to see that no one is in the way, or se­
rious injury could result!
- Because the seats can be electrically adjust­
ed w ith the ignition off or with the ig nition
key removed, never leave children unattend­
ed in the vehicle. Unsupe rvised use of the
electric seat adj ustments may cause ser ious
m Jur y.
- To red uce the r isk of injury in the case of
sudden b raking or acc ident, front passen­
ge rs must neve r ride in a moving ve hicle
w it h the backrest reclined. Sa fety belts and
the airbag system on ly offer maximum pro­
tect ion when the backrest is upr ight and the
safety belts are properly positioned on the
body. The more the backrest is reclined, the
greater the risk of personal injury from an
incorrect seating position and improper ly
positioned safety belts.
-

Driving safety
-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, always adjust the front pas­
senger seat and head restraint properly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor 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 reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
t il ted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats¢
page 150. Special precaut ions ap­
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 130.
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, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow­
i ng:
... Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright position ¢
page 64.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
... Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢ page 125 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age¢
page 150.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
114
-Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the seatback is securely latched in the upright position and the safety belts are
properly positioned on the body . By not sit­
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to: vehicles with 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.
Fig. 129 Head restraint: viewe d from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
... Adjust the head restraints so the upper edg e is
as even as possible with the top of your head. If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ fig . 129 .
Adjusting head restraints¢ page 60 .
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints.
Driving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury
dramatically . To help reduce the risk of injury:
-Always drive with the head restra ints in
place and properly adjusted.
-

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-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 possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while 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 restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
q page 150.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in­
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body. Im­
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will 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
q& -
The following bulletins list only some sample po­
sitions 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.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
Driving safety
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never 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 ser ious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
-Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating posit ion and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to: vehicles with 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 injur ies.
- 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
proper deployment of the airbag. Small ob­
jects can be thrown through the vehicle if
115

Safe ty belts
Never rely o n airbags alone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection. A irbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor ­
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in­
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are a lways there
to offer protect ion in those accidents in wh ic h
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready dep loyed. Unbel ted occupants can
a lso be thrown o ut of the veh icle where eve n
mo re severe or fatal injur ies can occur .
It is also important for the rear pass enge rs to
wear safety belts co rrectly. Unbelted passengers
i n t he rea r seats endanger no t on ly themse lves
but also the drive r and other passengers
~ fig . 139. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
in jure the driver and/or front seat passenger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true!
F ig . 14 0 Driver is correctly restrai ned in a sudde n braking
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a b ig d iffer­
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap­
plied to the body in an accident, and he lp prevent
the uncont rolled moveme nt that can cause seri­
ous injur ies. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of being thrown out of the veh icle .
124
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car an d give
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "soft ly" thro ugh the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety feat ures engi­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
k inet ic energy over a longer per iod of t ime, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tole rab le" and less likely to cause inj ury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety be lts ca n also substantially re ­
duce the r isk o f injury in ot her kinds of crashes.
So, whethe r yo u're on a long trip or just going to
the cor ne r store, a lways b uckle up and make s ure
othe rs do, too. Ac ciden t stat ist ics show that veh i­
cl e o ccupants prope rly wearing safety bel ts have
a lowe r risk of being injured and a m uch better
chance of surviving an acc ident . Properly using
safety be lts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
li sion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for examp le, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i­
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear co l­
li sions, in roll overs or in cases where the re is not
eno ugh deceleration throug h impa ct to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other a irbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly rest rained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de ­
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety be lts are always
ready fo r use a nd are not damaged .

Airbag syste m
Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop ­
er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
ge rs , before driving off, always :
"' Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 112,
"'Adjust the front passenge r's seat properly
¢ page 58,
"'Wear safety belts p roperly ¢ page 124 ,
"'Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children
¢ page 150.
In a coll is io n airbags must inflate wi thin the b link
of an eye and with cons iderable force . The sup­
p lemental airbags can cause injuries if the driver
or the front seat passenger is not seated proper·
Ly. T herefore in order to help the airbag to do its
job, it is important, both as a dr iver and as a pas­
senger to sit properly at all t imes .
By keeping room between your body and the
steering whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the a irbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protect ion
in certain frontal collisions
¢ page 112, Correct
passenger seating positions .
For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment con trols
¢ page 58.
It's especially important that children are proper ­
ly restra ined
¢ page 150 .
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the ind iv idual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system .
Proper seating posit ion is important so that the
front airbag on the drive r side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or cond ition that
prevents you from s itting properly on the driver
seat with the safety be lt properly fastened and
130 reaching the peda
ls, special modifications to
your vehicle may be necessary.
Contact yo ur aut ho rized Aud i dea le r, or call A udi
C u stomer Rela tions a t 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag sys tem dep loys, a gas generator
will fill the a irbags, b reak open the padded cov­
e rs, and inflate betwee n the steering wheel and
the driver and between the inst rument pa nel and
the front passenger . The a irbags w ill deflate im­
mediate ly after dep loyment so t hat the front oc­
cupants can see th ro u gh the windsh ie ld again
without interruption.
A ll of th is takes p lace in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even rea lize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be i n the ir way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and lim it t he occupant's forward move­
ment . T ogether they he lp to prevent the driver
and front sea t passenger from h itti ng pa rts of
t h e i nside the veh icle w hile reducing the fo rces
acti ng on the occupant dur ing the cras h. In th is
way they help to reduce the risk of inju ry to the
head and uppe r body i n the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not infla te in all frontal
collisions . The trigge ring of the airbag system de ­
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the coll is ion and registered by the electronic con­
tro l unit . If this rate is be low the reference value
programmed into the contro l unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be badly damaged as a resu lt of the co llision. Vehi­
cle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack of vehi­
cl e damage is not ne cessari ly an indication of
whethe r an a irbag should infla te o r not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cove r every possible k ind and an­
gle of impa ct that will always tr igger the airbags ,
s in ce the circumst ances w ill vary cons iderably be ­
tween one collision and anot her. Important fac­
tors include, for examp le, the natu re (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, t he angle of
i mpact, vehicle speed, etc . The front airbags will ..,_

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LL 00
also not inflate in side or rear collisions, or in
ro ll-overs.
A lwa ys rememb er: Airbags will deploy only o nce,
and on ly in certain kinds of coll is ions. Your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have a lready deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most effect ively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
r:::;,page 122.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing whee l or in­
st rument panel will decrease the effect ive­
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
o f persona l injury in a co llision.
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit mo re than 10 inches
( 2 5 cm) from the steering wheel, inves ti­
gate whethe r adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrest rained, leaning forward, s it­
ting s ideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of in jury is much h igher.
- Yo u will also receive serious injur ies and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inf lates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the risk of in jury when an airbag
inflates, a lways wear safety belts p roperly
i=> page 125, Safety belts .
-Always make certain that ch ild ren age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil­ dren are not properly restra ined, they may
be severe ly injured o r kill ed when an airbag
inflates .
- Never let children ride unrestrained or im­ prope rly restrained in the veh icle. Adjust the
fro nt sea ts properly.
-
Airb ag sys tem
-Never ride with the back rest recl ined.
-Always sit as fa r as possible from the steer-
ing wheel o r the instrument panel
r:::;,page 112.
-Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent ser ious injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to transpo rt objects. Items can also move into
the area of the s ide a irbag or the front air­
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects nea r the airbags can become
p roje ct il es and cause injury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags tha t h ave deployed in a cr ash m ust be
r e p laced.
- Use o nly orig inal equipment airbags ap ­
p roved by A udi a nd insta lled by a trained
technici an who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assu re system
effect iveness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in you r vehicle .
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be sure to read the important i nformat ion and
head the WARNINGS for important deta ils
about ch ildren and Advanced A irbags
r:::;, page 150.
Even though your veh icle is equipped wit h an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System, make certa in that a ll chil­
dre n, espec ia lly those 1 2 yea rs and yo unger, al­
ways r ide in the back se at prope rly res train ed fo r
their age and size. The ai rbag on t he p asse nger
s ide makes t he fron t seat a potentia lly dange rous
place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the
sa fest p lace for a child in a forward-facing child .,.
131