wheel AUDI Q5 2016 Owner's Manual

Airbag syste m
also not infl ate in s ide or rear collisions, o r in
ro ll-overs.
Al wa ys rememb er: Airbag s will depl oy on ly once ,
a nd on ly in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions. Yo ur safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
dep loy, or when they have already 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 a irbag system works most
effect ively when used with the safety belts.
There fore, always properly wear your safety belts
r=;, page 143.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or in­
st rument panel will decrease the effective­
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
of personal 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
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, invest i­
gate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help yo u reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forwa rd, s it­
ting sideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
your risk of in jury is much h igher.
- Yo u will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, a lways wear safety belts properly
c> page 146, Safety belts.
-Always make certain that chi ldren age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil­ dren are not properly restra ined, they may
be severe ly injured or k illed when an airbag
inflates.
- Never let children ride unrestrained or im­ prope rly restrained in the vehicle . Adjust the
front seats properly.
152
-
- Never ride with the back rest recl ined.
-Always sit as far as possible from the steer -
ing wheel or the instrument panel
c> page 135.
- Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the ins trument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent serious injur ies to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recl ine 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 du ring brak ing or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
proje cti les and cause injury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags that have deployed in a crash m ust be
replaced.
- Use on ly orig inal equipment airbags ap­
proved by A udi and inst alled by a trained
technician who has the ne cessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to prope rly replace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assure system
effectiveness in a crash.
'
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your 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 fo r important details
about c hildren and Advanced A irbags
r=;, page 171 .
Even thoug h your veh icle is equipped w it h an Ad­
vanced Airbag Sys tem, make certa in that a ll chil­
dre n, espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and younger, al­
ways ride i n the b ack seat prope rly res trained fo r
their age and size. The airbag on the passenger
s ide makes the front seat a potentially dange rous
p lace for a child to r ide . The front seat is not the
safest place for a chi ld i n a forward-fac ing chi ld ...,.

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Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants .
Fig. 165 Loca tion of driver airbag: in steering wheel
Fig. 166 Loca tion of fron t passenger's airbag: i n the in­
st rument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at
the time your vehicle was manufactured . The
safety belts for the seats have "pretensioners"
that help to take slack out of the belt system.
The pretensioners are also activated by the elec­
tronic control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters to help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag fo r the driver is in the steering whee l
hub ¢
fig. 165 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel¢
fig. 166. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR­
BAG".
Airb ag sys tem
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detai led
information about airbags, safety belts and ch ild
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children .
_&. WARNING
Never rely on a irbags alone fo r protect ion.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used with proper ly worn safety be lts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
-A pe rson on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small ch ild ren, w ill receive
se rious inj ur ies and can even be k illed by be­
i ng too close to the airbag when it inf lates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossib le in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the "low risk" opt ion under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a ch ild that is
heavier than the typ ical one-year old ch ild is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear sea t area than
in the front sea ting pos ition.
- For their own safety, all c hildren, especially
12 yea rs and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age and size .
-
155

Airbag syste m
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equippe d with a fr ont Adva nce d
A irbag System in compl iance with Un ited States
F edera l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(CMVSS) 208 as applicable at th e tim e your vehi­
cle was manufactured .
The front Advanced Airbag System supp lements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the driv er's and front passenger's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes . The airbags in­
flate only in front al impacts when the veh icle de­
celerat ion is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety be lts . Rather, it is part of the overall occupant re­
stra int system in your vehicle. Always remember
that the airbag system can on ly help to protect
you, if you are sitt ing upr ight, wear ing your safe­
ty belt and wear ing it prope rly . This is why you
and your passengers must always be prope rly re­
s trai ned, not just because the law req uires yo u to
be .
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been ce rtified to meet the " low r isk" requ ire­
men ts for 3 and 6 yea r-old children on the pas­
senger side and very sma ll adults on the driver
side . T he low risk dep loyment criteria are intend­
ed to he lp reduce the risk of injury through i nter­
action with the front a irbag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering wheel
and ins trument pane l when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to
comply w ith the "suppression" requirements of
the Safety Standard, to turn
off the front a irbag
for i nfants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in c hild re ­
stra ints that are listed in the Standa rd
¢ page 173, Child restraints and Advanced Air­
bags.
"Suppression" requ ires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be t urned
off if:
- a chi ld up to about one year of age is restra ined
on the fro nt passenger seat in one of the rear­
facing or forward -facing infant restraints listed
156
in Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Standard 208
with which the Advanced Airbag System in your
veh icle was certified . For a list ing of the child
restraints that were used to cert ify your vehi­
cle's compliance with the US Safety Standard
¢ page 173,
-weight less than a threshold leve l stored in the
control un it is detected on the front passenger
seat .
When a person is detected on the front passen­ ger seat , weighing more than the total weight of
a chi ld that is about 1 year old restrained in one
of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant re ­
straints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith w hich the Adva nced Ai rbag
System i n your veh icle was certified), the front
a irbag on the passenge r side may or may not de­
ploy .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
whe n the elect roni c control unit detects a tota l
weight on the front passe nger seat th at req uires
the front airbag to be turned
off . If the PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not been
turned
off by the control unit and can dep loy i f
the control unit senses an impact that meets the
cond it ions stored in its memory .
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typ ica l 1 year-old, but less
than the weight of a small adult, the front airbag
o n the passenger s ide may deploy (the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on) .
For example , the ai rb ag ma y deploy if :
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typica l 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (regard less of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats listed¢
page 173),
-a child who has outgrown c hil d rest raints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is t urned
off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
the instr ument panel will come on and stay on .
The fro nt airbag on the passenge r side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) if : ..,.

Airbag syste m
greater detail below. Because the front passen ­
ger seat contains important parts of the Ad­
vanced Airbag System, you must take care to pre ­
vent it from being damaged. Damage to the seat m ay prevent the Advanced Airbag for the front
passenger seat from doing its job in a crash .
The front Advanced Airba g Sy stem con sists
of the follo wing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the seve rity of the crash .
- An electronic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts . The
contro l unit "decides " whethe r to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit a lso "de­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
shou ld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the driver ins ide the steering
whee l hub .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pane l for
the front passenger .
- A weight -sensing mat under the upho lstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures th e total weight on the seat . T he
information registered is sent continuously to
the e lec tronic control unit to regu la te dep loy­
ment of the front Advanced A irbag on the pas ­
senger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indica tor
l ight in the instrument cluster
c> page 161 .
-A sensor in each front sea t registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­ mation reg istered is sent continuous ly to the
electronic control u nit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced A irbags.
- T he
PASSEN GE R AIR B AG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the inst rument
pane l
c> page 161 , fig . 168 and tells you when
the front Advan ced Airbag on the passenger
side has been turned off .
- A sensor below the safety belt la tch fo r the
front seat passenger to meas ure the tension on
158
the safety belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the weight reg istered by the weight-sens­
ing mat help the contro l unit "decide" whether
the front airbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not c> page 152, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know .
-A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the e lectronic
cont rol u nit.
_&. WARNING
Damage to the fron t passenge r seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from work ing properly .
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unctioning
proper ly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat mus t be
performed by qualified and proper ly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove pa rts from the
seat o r disconnect wi res from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pocke ts or
place them on the seat. If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is p unctured
it cannot work proper ly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­ jects on the passenger seat. Such items can increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in­
formation to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat . Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working properly .
- Never p lace seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced A ir­
bag System from recognizing child

-Never place or attach accessories or o ther
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, la rge, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or n ear t he area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and you rself . These objects
c ou ld cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never re cline the front passenge r's seat to
t ransport objec ts. Items ca n also move into
the area of the side airbag o r th e fron t air ­
bag dur ing braki ng or i n a sudden maneu­
ver . Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people w ith a
history of asthma or other b reathing condi ­
t ions .
-To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those w ith asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
gett ing out of the veh icle o r opening w in­
dows o r doo rs.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hand s and face wi th mild
s oa p and wa ter before eat ing .
- Be careful not to get the dust in to your eyes,
o r in to any cuts or s cratches.
- If the resid ue should ge t into yo ur eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
ti (USA models) / !f (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
,... BAG OFF
light. N
co
~ The Advanced Airbag System ( includ ing the elec-,...
~ tro nic cont rol un it, senso r cir cui ts and system
~ w iri ng) is monitored continuously to make s ure ....
Airb ag sys tem
that it is functioning properly whenever the igni­
tion is on. Each time you turn on the ignition, the
airbag monitoring indicator light
II (USA mod­
els)
; E,I (Canada models) wi ll come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The system must be in spected when the
indicator light
ffl (USA models) t E,I
(Canada models ):
- does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
sw itched on the igni tion, or
- comes on while driving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
indicator light will first start flashing to catch the
driver's attention and then stay on continuously
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys­
tem inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
lig ht will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on .
A WARNING
f-
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
e rly cannot provide supplemental protect io n
in a fronta l crash.
-If the a irbag ind icator light~ page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the sy stem inspec ted imme dia tely by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possi ble th at
the air bag will inflate when it is not sup ­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 1 68 Sectio n from the instrument panel: PASS ENGER
i a: CX)
"'
AIR SAG O FF light ...
161

Airbag system
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing , remov­
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system and prevent that system from working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust , or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
164
who has the training and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
- The airbag system can be activated only
once . After an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical
information, training and special equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once . After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag compo­
nents must be performed by qualified work­
shops only. Make sure that any airbag serv­
ice action is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- In accidents when an airbag is deployed, the
vehicle battery separates the alternator and
the starter from the vehicle electrical sys­
tem for safety reasons with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
dealer - risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions
must be followed.
llll-

Child safety
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions provided with the child safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the child
restraint. The backrest 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.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­ stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
172
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand ­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride
in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
· Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight-sensing mat in the seat cushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight
of the child and the child safety seat and a child
blanket on the front passenger seat . The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re­
straint as it sits on the seat . The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of­
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NH TSA has specified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants
and typical 1 year -old child have been stored in ..,.

Intelligent Technology
shared, please see your contract with the
wireless te lecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI*:
I MENU ! button > Audi connect > About
Audi connect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
The Electroni c Stab ili z at ion Control (ESC) re infor­
ces driver safety. It reduces the r isk of slipping
and improves driving stability. ESC detects crit i­
cal s ituations suc h as the vehicle overstee ring
and understeering o r the wheels sp inning. The
ve hicl e is stab ilized by applying the b rakes o r re­
ducing e ngine torque . Once t he ESC is acti ve , the
i n dicator light
m bli nks in the instrument cl us­
ter.
The fo llow ing sys tems a re integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock b rake system (ABS)
ABS preve nts the wheels from lock ing up when
b raking . The veh icle can sti ll be steered even dur ­
i n g ha rd brak ing . Apply steady press ure to the
b rake pedal. Do no t pump t he pedal. A pulsing in
the brake pedal indicates tha t the system i s help ­
i n g you to br ake the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing dis ­
tance . It increases brak ing power when the d river
p resses the brake pedal q uic kl y in eme rgency si t­
uations . You m ust press and hold t he b rake pedal
until the situa tion is over. In vehi cles w it h ad ap­
tive cruise contro l* , the brake assist system is
mo re sensit ive if the distance detected to the ve ­
h icle ahead is too small.
Anti -slip regulation (ASR)
A SR re duces eng ine power when the drive w heels
begin to spin and adapts the force to the roa d
conditions. This makes it easie r to sta rt, acceler ­
ate and drive up hi lls.
190
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spi nning and
transfers the drive power to the other w heels .
This function is not ava ilable at higher speeds.
I n ext reme cases , ED L automat ica lly swi tches off
to help keep the b rake on the bra ke d whee l from
overheating . EDL will sw itch on again automa ti­
ca lly w hen conditions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC he lps to stabilize the vehicle by cha ng ing
t h e s teer ing torque .
On vehicles with dynam ic steering*, ESC helps
stab il ize the steer ing in crit ica l sit uat ions .
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel torque cont rol is used when d riv­
i ng o n curves. The front whee l on the inside of
the curve or both wheels on the i nside of the
curve are braked selectively as needed . Th is al­
l ows mo re prec ise driving in c urves . The applica­
ble sys tem may not a ctivate w hen d riv in g in we t
o r snowy cond it ions.
_8. WARNING
- The ESC and i ts integ ra ted systems cannot
overcome the laws of physics . This is espe ­
cially important on slippery or wet roads. If
the systems begin act ing to stab ilize your
veh icle, you should immediately change
your speed to matc h the road and traffic
conditions. Do no t let the increased safe ty
provided by t hese systems tempt yo u to
t ake risks. Doing so will i ncreas e th e risk of
a loss of vehicle con trol, collisi on and se ri­
ou s person al injur ies .
- Always a dap t your spee d to road , traffic and
weather condi tions. The risk of los ing con ­
t rol of the vehicle in cr eases w hen driving
t oo f ast, es pecially throu gh curves and on
slippe ry or wet roads, and when driving too
close to ve hicles up ahea d. The ESC and its
integ rated systems cannot always prevent
col lisions - there is still a risk of accidents!
- Always accelerate w ith special ca re on even,
smooth surfaces s uch as those that are wet
o r covered with ice and snow. The drive .,..

..... N
co ~ CX)
..... I.Cl U"I
.... I.Cl .....
wheels can spin even with these ass istance
systems that cannot always he lp to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle control.
@ Tips
-ABS and AS R on ly work correctly when a ll
fo ur whee ls are e quipped w ith ide ntical
Switching on /off
Intelligent Technology
tires. Diff eren t tire s izes can lead to a red uc­
tion i n engine po wer .
- You may hear noises when t he sy stems de­
scribe d are workin g.
- Whe n in sta lling a facto ry-s up plied roo f ra ck
system o n the roof r ailing , the ESC wi ll
adapt itself to a different center of gravity .
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig . 18 5 Versio n A: Lowe r cente r conso le,~ OFF b utto n
The follow ing s ituations are except ions where it
may be usef ul to sw itch on offroad mode to allow
the wheels to spi n:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
Offroad mode on
~ Q:)01_1 _ --.!'3.- -ft. Fig. 18 6 Version B: Uppe r center console,~ OFF button
- Driving with snow chains
- Dr iving down hill wh ile braking on loose ground
- Dr iving on ro ugh te rra in when m uch of the car's
weight is lifted off the wheels (axle articula­
tion)
Offroad mode off
Behavio r
The ESC and AS R stabilization f unctions Th
e fu ll sta bilization f unction of the ESC
a re limited
c:> &. .
Operation Press the 1.$ OFF I button.
Indicator II turns on.
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization
control (ESC): Offroad.
sages Wa rning! Restricted stability
A WARNING
- You should only sw itch o ffroad mode o n if
yo ur dr iv ing abilit ies a nd road cond it io ns
permit.
- The stabilization function is limited when offroa d mode is switched on. The dr iv ing
wheels co uld spi n and th e vehicle cou ld
swerve, es pec ially on s lick o r sli ppery roa d
s ur fac es. and ASR
is avai lab le again.
P ress t he
1.$ OFFI button aga in.
II turns off.
Stabilization control (ESC ): On
(D Tips
Offro ad mode ca nno t be switche d on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntro l* is switched on.
191

Intelligent Technology
Hill descent assist
The hill descent assist makes it possible to drive
down an incline at a constant speed .
~~,·~ ('l)ofF ___ P..1 --- fl~ IIL..~
---
Fig. 187 Top of the center conso le: hill descent assist but­
ton
Fig. 188 Display: hill descent assist
.. Press the~ button in the center console
¢ fig . 187 or on the shift gate . The button will
illuminate .
" Press the button again to switch it off. The di-
ode in the button will go out .
Hill descent ass ist brakes all four wheels auto­
matically in order to limit speed when driving ei­
ther forwa rd o r reverse on hills with a grad e up to
approximately 50%.
When the hill descent assist is on, the current
driving speed, when your vehicle entered the in­
cline is maintained.
It is only possible to switch
on the assist when driving slower than 37 mph
(60 km/h). The assist works between app roxi ­
mately 2 and 19 mph (4 and 30 km/h) . The driver
can increase or decrease the vehicle speed within
these limits by depressing the accelerator or
brake pedal In addition, vehicle steerability is in­
creased due to the braking distribution when
driving in reverse .
192
There must be however sufficient ground adhe­
sion . The hill descent assist can
not do its job if
the incline is icy or if the incl ine ground is loose
¢ &.
The system does not work at speeds between 19
and 37 mph (30 and 60 km/h). The system is
then in the ready-mode. The diode in the button
will come on . The system automatically sw itched
off when you drive faster than 37 mph (60 km/ h) . The diode will go out in this case .
Active control at a specific speed up to approxi ­
mately 19 mph (30 km/h) will appear in the in­
strument cluster display
c:> fig. 188 . Two dashes
" •• " w ill appear in the ready mode .
Hill descent assist is automatically activated un­
der the following conditions:
- the diode in the button illuminates,
- veh icle speed is below approximately 19 mph
(30 km/h)
- the incline is 10%.
& WARNING
-Always adapt your speed to the weather,
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let the
increased safety provided tempt you into
taking risks.
-
-The hill descent assist system cannot over­
come the laws of phys ics. Your driving style
must always be adapted to the current road
and traffic conditions.
- The hill descent assist may not be ab le to
hold your vehicle at a constant speed under
all cond itions wh ile driving on an incline (for
example if ground under the vehicle is
loose).
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
Du ring the first 2 50 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess their full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first
c:> &. ..,_