AUDI Q5 2014 Owners Manual

Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section - for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations .
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an
Driving Safely 139
accident. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi :
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- belt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags,
- special LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­ gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor­
rectly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed
and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen ­
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and af­
ford good visibility to the outside .
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
qpage 76.
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
.,. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height .
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children ¢
page 178,
and~~~-~
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•

140 Driving Safely
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 61,
General recommendations.
• Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly¢
page 149 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants . If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
9 .&,.
Therefore:
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEVER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense.
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions .
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
> Do NOT drive when you are tired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 151 Correct seat ing position
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
following position:
• Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢,&. .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast
bone ¢
fig. 151. If not possible, see your au­
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip­ ment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
• Grasp the top of the steering wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint 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.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 152.

~ Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c:;, page 62.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de­
ploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in-
Driving Safely 141
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c:;, page 178. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c:;, page 157.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom ­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position:
~ Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving .
~ Adjust the head restraint 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
c:;, page 142.
~ Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:;,page 152.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:;, page 61.
A WARNING ,_
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it
•
•

142 Driving Safely
unfolds with great force in the blink of
an eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- 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
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c::> page 178. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c::> page 15 7 .
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 vehicle is in use .
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas­
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following :
.. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seating pos ition, slide the center head re­
straint upward at least to the next notch
c::> page 65.
.. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position
c::> page 67.
.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
.. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c::>page 152.
.. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age
c::> page 178.
_& WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash .
- 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 protec­
tion when the seatback is securely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
-
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re ­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations.
Fig. 152 H ead restra int: vi ew ed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust-
ed to achieve the best protection. .,.

~ Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is as even as possib le with the top of yo ur
head. If that is not possib le, try to ad just
the head restraint so that it is as close to
th is position as possible¢
fig. 152.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center
seat ing pos ition, slide the center head re­
stra int upward at least to the next notch .
Adjust ing head restra ints ¢
page 65.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
straints. Dr iv ing without head restra ints or
w ith head restra ints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
t al neck injury dr amat ic a lly. To help reduce
t he risk of in jury:
- Alw ays drive with the he ad restraints in
pla ce and properly adjusted.
- E very pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly adj usted head restr aint.
- Always make sure each pe rson in the ve­
hicle properly adjus ts the ir head re­
st rain t. Ad just the head rest rain ts so the
upper edge is as even as possib le with
the top of your head. If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restra int so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint wh ile driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the dr iver head rest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be­
fore attempting to adjust t he head re­
st raint.
- Children must always be properly re­
st rained in a ch ild restraint that is appro­
pr iate for their age and siz e ¢
page 1 78.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re ­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Imp rope r seat ing pos it ions can cause serious
in ju ry or death . Safety belts can on ly wor k
when they a re properly posit ioned o n the
Dr iving S afel y 143
body. Improper seating positions re duce the
effectiveness of safety belts and wi ll even in­
crease the r is k of i njury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions a lso increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an a ir ­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant w ho is
not in the p roper seating posit ion. A dr iver is
responsible fo r the safety of all veh icle occu ­
pan ts and espec ially for children. The re fore :
~ Never allow anyone to assume a n incor rect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
Q ,& .
The following bulletins list on ly some samp le
pos itions tha t will increase the risk of serious
i njury and death . Ou r hope is that these e xam­
ple s will ma ke yo u mo re aware o f seati ng po­
s itions tha t are d angerous.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stand up in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- never ride w it h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never s it on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out the window
- neve r put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instr ument panel
- neve r rest your feet on the seat cush ion or
back of the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the cargo area
A WARNING ~
Imp ro p er seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu-
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
veh icle is being used .
-
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144 Driving Safely
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without
interference and that nothing prevents them
from returning to their original positions .
Only use floor mats that leave the peda l area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten­
ers.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake peda l
travel is required to bring the vehicle to a full
stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause
loss of vehicle control and increase the r isk
of serious injury.
- Never place any objects in the driver 's
footwell. An object could get into the
peda l area and interfere w ith pedal func­
tion. In case of sudden braking or an ac­
cident, you would not be ab le to bra ke or
accelerate!
- Always make su re that nothing can fall
or move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals .
.,. Make su re that the floor mats are properly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the pedals~ .&_.
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal a rea
unobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot s lip out of position. You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your author­
ized Audi dealer.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi . Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at
­
tached to these fasteners . Properly securing
the floor mats will prevent them from sliding
into positions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operat ion of your vehicle
in other ways.
A WARNING ,-
Pedals that cannot move freely can result
i n a loss of vehicle control and increase the
r isk of ser ious persona l injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are
p roperly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
f loor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be prope rly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfer ing wi th
the peda ls or the ability to contro l the
vehicle.
- Never pla ce or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already instal ­
led floor mats . Additiona l floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
pedals.
- Always properly reinsta ll and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the dr iver footwell while the ve­
hicle is moving . Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.

Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
partment.
Fig . 153 Safe load pos ition ing: place heavy objects as
low and as far forward as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can also increase
the r isk of serious personal injury in a sudden
veh icle maneuver or in a collision .
~ Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
~ Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as poss ible
<=> fig. 153.
~ Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid­
ed
¢ page 68.
~ Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an acc ident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment us ing the tie-down eye lets
and suitable straps .
Drivin g Sa fely 145
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve­
h icle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing<=>
page 139 .
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
-
those fitting comp letely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fu lly
closed.
- If you absolutely must dr ive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof *,
- Open all air outlets in the inst rument
panel,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh a ir fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the doo rs, all win­
dows, the Pano ramic s liding sunroof* and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked

146 Driving Safel y
to reduce the risk of inj ury when the vehi­
cle is not be ing 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 . Be ing trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious persona l injury.
- Never let children p lay in or around the
vehicle .
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle occupan ts must
always be proper ly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging . Sta le air escapes to the o utside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The t ire pr essure is shown on the
tire p ressu re label. The tire pressure la­
bel is loc ate d on the driver's s ide B-pi lla r.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
men ded cold t ire inflat ion pressu res for
the veh icle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufact ured.
For recommended t ire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
Q page 251.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly ¢ page 145, Loading the luggage com ­
partment .
In a coll is ion, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause se
rious injury. Items in t he vehi cle possess en ­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of t he item . Vehicle speed is the most
s ignificant factor.
F or example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10 -lb (5 kg) object a re abo ut 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would sudden ly be
about 200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imag ine the
injur ies that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing
fr ee ly t hro ugh the passenger compa rtment
cou ld cause in a col lision like this.
_& WARNING
We ak, damaged or imprope r straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
i ng hard braking or in a collision and cause
se rious pe rsonal injury.
-Always use s uita ble mo unt ing straps an d
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp pre­
vent items from shift ing or fly ing fo r­
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rea r seat backrest is folded
down, a lways use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to hel p prevent items from fly ing for­
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas­
senger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat t ether
s trap to a t ie-down .
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u b eli eve that your vehi cle
has a def ect whi ch could cau se
a crash or could cau se injury or
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Traffic Safet y Administration ""

(NHTSA) in addition to notify­
ing Audi of America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com­
plaints, it may open an investi­
gation, and if it finds that a
safety defects exists in a group
of vehicles, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. Howev­
er, NHTSA cannot become in­
volved in individual problems between you, your dealer, or
Audi of America, Inc.
To contact the NHTSA, you may
either call:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
or
1-800-424-9 3 9 3
or you may write to: NHTSA
U.S. Department of Transporta­
tion 1200 New Jersey Ave., S. E.
West Building
Washington, DC 20590
You can also obtain other infor­
mation about motor vehicle
safety from:
http:/ /www.safercar.gov
Driving Safely 147
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you believe that your vehicle has a
defect that could cause a crash,
injury or death, you should im­
mediately inform Transport
Canada, Defect Investigations
and Recalls. You should also no­
tify Volkswagen Group Canada, Inc.
Canadian customers who wish
to report a safety-related de­
fect to Transport Canada, De­
fect Investigations and Recalls,
may either call Transport Cana­
da toll-free at:
Tel.: 1-800-333-0510 or
Tel.: 1-819-994-3328 (Ottawa region and from other coun­
tries)
TTY for hearing impaired: 1-888-675-6863
or contact Transport Canada by
mail at:
Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga­
tions Laboratory
80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J8Z 0Al
•
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148 Driving Safely
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http://www.tc .gc.ca/eng/
roadsafety/menu. htm