
________________________________________________ D_r_iv _ i
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& 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 breastbone 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 personal 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. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the
driver's airbag inflates
• Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decreases the
ability of the supplemental driver's airbag to protect you in a colli
sion.
• Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or
place any part of your body too close to the area where the airbags
are located.
• Before driving, always adjust the front seats and head
restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are properly
restrained.
• Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is moving . Your seat
may move unexpectedly and you could lose control of the vehicle.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted 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 210.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
~ page 187 . •
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
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 recommend that you adjust the
seat for the front passenger to the following position:
- Move the front passenger seat back as far as possible.
There must be a minimum of 10 inches (25 cm) between
the breastbone and the instrument
panel=> &.
-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 that the upper edge is as
even with the top of your head as possible but not lower
than eye level and so that it is as close to the back of your
head as
possible => page 171.
-Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the front
passenger seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts
correctly=> page 181.
For detailed information on how to adjust the front passenger's
seat, see
~ page 95.
& WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too
close to the airbag can be seriously injured or killed by the airbag
as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
.,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can fly through the
vehicle causing serious personal injury in the event of hard braking
or an accident. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
• Always put objects, for example, luggage or other heavy items
in the luggage compartment .
• Always secure objects in the luggage compartment using the
tie-down hooks and suitable straps .
& WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle 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 center of gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
-Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compart-
ment as possible.
• Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating specified on the safety compliance sticker on the left door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight standards
can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
• Please observe information on safe
driving => page 166.
& WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
& WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows, the power roof*
and the read 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 especially 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.
[ i] Tips
Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes to
the outside through vents in the trim panel, on the left side of the
luggage compartment. Be sure to keep these slots free and open. •

/b, WARNIN G (conti nued )
• Never remove , modify , di sass emble , or try to repair the safety
belt s yourself .
• Always keep the belt s cl ean . Dirty belt s may not work properly
and can impair the fun ction of the i nertia ree l
=> pag e 265, "S afety
belt s".•
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first
-everyb ody buckle up!
Fig . 17 2 Bel t buckle
an d to n g ue on th e
driver' s se at
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be positioned co rrect ly on the wearer's body.
-Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=> page 95, "General recommendat ions".
Safety first
Safety b elts
-Make sure the seat back of the rea r sea t bench is in an
uprig ht p osit ion and sec ure ly la tch ed in place before
us ing the
belt=> &-
-Ho ld the belt by t he to n gue and pull it evenly across the
c h es t an d
pelvis => &-
-Insert t he tongue into the correct buckle of you r seat
unti l you hear it latch
securely => fig. 172.
-Pu ll on the belt to make su re that it is securely latched in
t h e buckle.
Automati c safety b elt r etr ac tors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic belt retractor on the
shoulder belt. This feature locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock
when you dr ive up or down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
Dur ing normal d riving the belt lets you move free ly .
Sa fety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equip ped with a belt pretensioner tha t he lps to
tighten the safety belt and remove slack when the pretensioner is activated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a
warning
light=> page 20.
Sw itchable l ocking featur e
Every safety be lt except the one on the driver seat is equipped with
a switchable locking feature that
mu st be used when the safety be lt
is used to attach a child safety seat . Be sure to read the important
informat ion about this
feature => page 220.
& WARNING
Improperly po sitioned safety belt s can cau se seriou s injury in an
a c cident =>
page 182 , "Safety belt p osition ". ...
irechnical data

___ s_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
& W ARNING (continued )
• Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seat back
is upright and belts are properly positioned on the body.
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to which the
center rear safety belt is attached is securely latched whenever
the rear center safety belt is being used. If the backrest is not securely latched, the passenger will move forward with the back
rest dur ing sudden braking , in a sudden maneuver and especially
in a crash.
• Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat.
Attaching the belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effectiveness and can cause ser ious personal injury .
• A passenger who is not properly restrained can be ser iously
injured by the safety belt itself when it moves from the stronger
parts of the body into critical areas like the abdomen .
• Always lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
securing a child safety seat in the vehicle
=> page 222. •
Safety belt position
Corre ct be lt posit ion is th e key to get ting maximum
p ro te ct ion fro m sa fe ty belt s.
Fig . 17 3 Head restraint
and safety belt posi
tion as seen from the
side
Sta ndard fea tures on you r veh icl e help yo u a djust the po sit io n of
the safety belt to match your body size .
• b elt heig ht adj ustm ent for th e fron t sea ts ,
• automatic belt height ad justment for the rear se ats .
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident .
• The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body
=> fig . 173. Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen . Make _.

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a-' g=- s_ y=-- s_t _e _m ______ lfflll
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
N
-M -J., a, cc
Fi g. 18 0 Sec tion fr om
t h e i nstr um ent pa nel:
P ASSE NG ER AI R BA G
OFF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center o f the
ins trumen t panel
=> fig . 180 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wil l come on and stay on to te ll
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic control unit. Each time you turn on
the ign it ion, the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light wi ll fl as h for a few
seconds and :
• will stay on if t he front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if there is a small child or chi ld restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the we ight -sens ing mat.
The
PA SS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light mu st come on and stay on if the
ignition is on and
• a car bed has been instal led on the front seat, or
• a rearward -facing chi ld restraint has been installed on the front
passengerseat,or
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• a forward -facing child restraint has been instal led on the front
passenger seat, or
• the weight register ed on the front passenger seat is equa l to or
less than the combined weigh t of a typica l 1 year-old restrained in
one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant restraints listed in
Federa l Motor Veh ic le Safe ty S tandard
208 with wh ich the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag will not
dep loy, and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay on . Never
insta ll a rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest place for a child in any kind of ch ild restraint is at one of
the seating positions on the rear
seat => page 189, "Ch ild restraints
on the front sea t-some important things to know"
and => page 210,
"Chi ld Safety" .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
condit ions listed above is met , be sure to check the light regu lar ly
to make certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light stays on
cont inuously whenever the ignition is on . If the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not appear and not stay on all the time , stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turning the ignition off and then turning
it on again;
• remove and reinstall the ch ild restraint. Make sure that the child
res tra int is proper ly instal led and t hat t he sa fety be lt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed around the child restraint
as described in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenger seat has been activated a nd that the safety
belt has been pulled t ight . The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so t hat t he sensor below t he safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job
=> page 220.
• make s ure that th ings that may inc rease the we ight of the child
and child safety seat are not being transported on the front
passenger seat;
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

__ .....;.A..;.;.;. ir.;;b ;..; a;;;. g=.... s;;;..!. y.;;s ;.;;t ..;;e ;.;.m.;..;... ________________________________________________ _
• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked.
Shake the safety belt latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
• If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes
the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on
the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and does
not stay on continuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspec ted by your Audi dealer immediately .
• move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the
child is properly restrained in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on or flashes for about 5 seconds while driving,
under these circumstances, make sure that:
• the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the
center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the back
rest and the backrest is not
reclined~ page 168, "Proper occupant
seating positions",
• the adult is not taking weight off the seat by holding on to the
passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or
supporting their weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is being properly worn and that there is not a lot
of slack in the safety belt webbing,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect reading or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upholstery of the seat have been removed from the front
passenger seat, •
a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety belt latch for
the front passenger seat.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of the
instrument panel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will briefly appear in the instrument cluster
display. This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
airbag status. •
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System. It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi
dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a child restraint, in a
rearward-facing child safety seat or
in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their age and size .
• Always install forward or rear-facing child safety seats on the
rear seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
.,_

Child Safety -
---------------''------'
C. Forward-facing convertible child restraint systems,
manufactured on or after September 1, 2004:
• Britax Roundabo ut 161
• Brit ax Expressway
• Century Encor e 4612
• Century STE 1000 4416
• Cosco Olympian 02803
• Cosco Touriva 02519
• Evenflo Horizon V 425
• Evenflo M edallion 254
• Safety First Comfor t Ride 22-400
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition
is switched on.
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
[ i] Tips
Th e child s eats lis ted in cat egori es A to C have been tes ted by Audi
only for the Advanced Airbag function. •
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Important safety instructions for using child
safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially reduces the
risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of every
body in the vehicle, especially children:
- Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly :::>
page 215.
-Always carefully follow the child safety seat manufac
turer's instructions on how to route the safety belt prop
erly through the child safety seat.
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat , you must first activate the convertible locking
retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety
seat from
moving => page 220.
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety
seat to the front passenger seat, make sure that it is not
so tight that it causes the weight-sensing mat to
measure more weight than is actually on the seat.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size .
..,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

/b, WARNING (continued)
-Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost
position of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the front
passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in
its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in the upright posi
tion.
• Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a
child is not sitting in it. A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being
used=> page 176, "Safety belts",
=> page 187, "Airbag system" and=> page 210, "Child Safety".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a child
restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition
is switched on.
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately. •
Safety first
Child Safety
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and 22 lbs or
10 kg need special rearward-facing child restraints that
support the back, neck and head in a crash.
I a. C0 a,
Fig . 185 Rearward
facing infant seat,
properly installed on
the rear seat
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convertible locking retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety
seat from
moving~ page 220 or install the seat using
the LATCH attachments.
-Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cml.
Infants up to about one year (22 lbs . or 10 kg) are best protected in
special infant carriers and child safety seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infants and small children should
ride only in special restraints in which the child faces the back of the
vehicle. These infant seats support the baby's back, neck and head
.,_
irechnical data