2009 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET tow

__________________________________________________ D _r_iv _ in_ g=- S_ a_f _e _l..:.. Y _ ....... 911
& WARNING (continued)
• Always adjust the driver's seat and the steering wheel so that
there are at least 4 inches 110 cm) between the knees and the
lower part of the instrument panel.
• 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 seats
=> page 190. Special
precautions apply when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
=> page 168. •
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 pos ition:
- 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 151.
-Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the front
passenger seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly=>
page 163.
For detailed information on how to adjust the front passenger's
seat, see => page 92.
LJ}. 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 :
jll,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

________________________________________________ D_r_iv _ i _n_, g,::._ S_ a_ fe__, ly'-------.J"'
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free and can be
secured with floor mat fasteners.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal travel is required to
bring the vehicle to a full stop.
& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss of vehicle control
and increase the risk of serious injury.
• Never place any objects in the driver's footwell. An object could
get into the pedal area and interfere with pedal function . In case
of sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake
or accelerate!
• Always make sure 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 sure that the floor mats are properly secured and
cannot move and interfere with the pedals~&.
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area unobstructed and that
are firmly secured so that they cannot slip out of position. You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your authorized Audi Dealer.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached to these fasteners.
Properly securing the floor mats will prevent them from sliding into
positions that could interfere with the pedals or impair safe opera ­
tion of your vehicle in other ways .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a loss of vehicle
control and increase the risk of serious personal injury.
•
Always make sure that floor mats are properly secured .
• Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings in the
vehicle that cannot be properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering with the pedals or the ability to control the vehicle.
• Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings on top
of already installed floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
coverings will reduce the size of the pedal area and interfere with
the pedals.
• Always properly reinstall and secure floor mats that have been
taken out for cleaning .
• Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driver foot­
well while the vehicle is moving. Objects can become trapped
under the brake pedal and accelerator pedal causing a loss of
vehicle control . •
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly stowed
and secured in the luggage compartment.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can shift
suddenly, changing vehicle handling characteristics. Loose
items can also increase the risk of serious personal injury in
a sudden vehicle maneuver or in a collision.
- Distribute the load evenly in the luggage compartment . ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

• The tire pressure must correspond to the load -see the tire pres ­
s ur e s tick er on d river 's s ide B-p ill ar o r insid e t he f uel fill er fla p.•
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform
the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis­
tration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA re ceives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a
safety defects exists in a group of vehicles , it
may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However , NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you , your dealer,
or Audi of America , Inc.
To contact NHTSA , you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll -free at:
Tel.: 1 -888 -327 -4236 (TTY: 1 -800 -424 -9153)
or write to:
Admini strator
NHTSA
1200 New Jersey Avenue , SE
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Driving Safely 1111
Washington
, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor vehicle safety from:
http: //www.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
Canadian customers who wish to report a
safety -related defect to Tran sport Canada ,
Defect Investigations and Recall s, may tele­
phone the toll free hotline:
Tel.: 1 -800 -333 -0371
or conta ct Transport Canada by mail at:
Road Safet y and Moto r Veh icle Regulation
Directorate
Transport Canada
Tower C, Place de Ville, 330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, ON K1 A 0N5
For additional road safety information , please
vi sit the Road Safety web site at:
http:/ /www.tc.gc.ca /roadsafety /menu.htm •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNING (continued)
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation
=> page 162. •
Pregnant women must also be correct ly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly·
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig . 169 Safety belt
position during preg­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be posit ioned correctly on the wearer's body=>
page 164.
-Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
=>
page 92, "General recommendations".
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=> fig. 169, =>
&.
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat
until you hear it latch securely=>
page 163, fig. 167.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buck le.
Safety first
Safety belts
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• Expectant mothers must always wear the lap portion of the
safety belt as low as possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation =>
& in "Fastening safety belts" on page 163. •
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig . 170 Releasing the
tongue from the buckle
- Push the red release button on the buckle=> fig. 170. The
belt tongue will spring out of the buckle =>
&.
- Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you guide the belt
tongue to its stowed position.
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so
will increase your risk of being injured or killed. •
~ehicle care irechnical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a~g _ s_ y_ s_ t _e_ m ___________________________________________________ _
passenger seat shou ld be turned off o r not=> page 1 70, "C hild
r es train ts on the fron t sea t - som e impo rtant thin gs to kno w".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver and fo r the front
s e at pass enger that s enses w hether tha t sa fety b elt is la tc he d o r no t
and transmits this information to the el ectronic control unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly .
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from func ­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat .
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it .
• Never carry sharp object s in your pockets or place them on the
seat . If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the
passenger seat. Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight-sens ing mat and send the wrong information 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 damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats.
& WARNING (continued )
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
• Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly.
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel , foam cushion or something else to properly position
the child restraint , make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
i nstalled on the front passenger seat .
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , immediately install child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the si de airba gs supp lement
t h e protection offe red by the front three -point safety be lt s with
pretensioners and load limiters and the adjustab le head restraints
to help reduce the risk of in jury in a wide range of accident and
cras h situati ons . Be sure to read the im por tant in fo rmati on a bout
safety and heed the WARN INGS in this chapter.
De ploy men t of the Advanc ed A ir b ag Syst em and the activa tion of
th e safety belt pretens ioner d epends on the dece leration measured
b y the c ra sh se nsors and reg istered by the elec tronic co ntrol un it .
C rash severity depends on speed and dece leration as well as the
mass an d stiff ness of the vehicle o r obj ect invo lved in the c ra sh.
~

Child Safety IJ!III _________________________________ __:::...:....:...:..::.:......:__ ___ ....:.!.-__
& WARNING (continued )
• Always make sure the seat backrest to which the child restraint
is installed is in an upright position and securely latched into place
and cannot fold forward . Otherwise , the seat back with the child
safety seat attached to it could fly forward in the event of an acci ­
dent or other emergency situation .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used
=> page 190 . Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front passenger seat=>
page 170 , "Child restra ints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".•
Deactivating the convertible locking retractor
The c onver tib le l ocking retrac tor for ch ild res tra in ts will
be d ea ctivat ed automat ically wh en the belt i s wound all
th e way ba ck in to the retractor .
-Pre ss th e red bu tton o n the sa fety be lt bu ckle . Th e b elt
t o ngue will pop out of the b uck le .
- Guide the be lt all the w ay b ack in to i ts s to w ed p osition.
A lways l et t he safety belt retract complet ely into its stowed pos itio n.
T he safety belt can now be used as an ord inary safety be lt w ithout
t he conve rtibl e locking retractor for chi ld restrain ts.
I f the converti ble locking retractor should be activated inadvert ­
en tly, the safet y belt must be unf astened and guid ed completel y
back into its stowed pos ition to deactivat e th is feature. If the
c o nver tible loc kin g re tractor is n ot deac tiva te d , th e safe ty be lt wi ll
g radua lly becom e tighter and uncomfortab le to w ear .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Improperly installed
child safety seats in crease the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate the convertible
locking retractor for child restraints while the vehicle is moving .
You would not be restrained and could be seriously injured in an
accident.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 190. Special precau ­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat=>
page 170 , "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".•
Additional Information
What types of child restraint anchors are
available and how are they related to child
safety?
F or years, chil d restraints have been installed using the safety belts
a lre ady pre s en t in ev ery ve hicle .
Sinc e Septem ber 1, 1999, c hild restraint manufactur ers have b een
providing tether straps that attach the top of the chi ld rest raint to
th e veh icles structure, on most of t heir forward -facin g syst ems in
order to com ply with U.S. Federal regulations for child restraint
per formanc e in a cras h. V ehi cle m anu fac tur ers a re r equi red to
phase -i n tether ancho rages for attach ment of the tether st rap in
their U.S. veh icles beginni ng Septem ber 1, 1999.
The combi nation of the t ether anc horag es and t he lower anchor ­
age s is now gene ra lly calle d th e
LATCH system f or "Lo w er An chors
and Tether for Children ". ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ ln_ te_ ll..,,ig ..,_ e_ n_t _t_ e_ c_ h _ n_o _ l_o _,.g= y,_ __________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your foot on the pedal when
you do not intend to brake. This may cause the brakes to overheat, premature wear and increased stopping distance.
• Under certain climatic and operating conditions such as
passing through water, driving in heavy rain or after washing the
vehicle, the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In winter,
ice can accumulate on the brake pads, linings, discs and drums .
Cautiously apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coatings
will be cleaned off after a few cautious brake applications .
• Driving for an extended period of time on salt-covered roads
without using your brakes can also affect braking efficiency. Clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake discs and pads with a few
cautious brake applications.
• If you damage the front spoiler, or if you install a different
spoiler, be sure the air flow to the front brakes is not obstructed.
Otherwise the brake system could overheat reducing the effective ­
ness of the entire brake system.
• Failure of one brake circuit will impair the braking capability
resulting in an increased stopping distance. Avoid driving the
vehicle and have it towed to the nearest Audi dealer or qualified
workshop. u
Brake booster
The brake booster adds extra braking power.
The brake booster works with vacuum pressure which is created
only when the engine is running~ &.
& WARNING
• Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the engine shut off.
• If the brake booster is not working, for example when towing
your vehicle, or because the brake booster has somehow been
& WARNING (continued)
damaged, the brake pedal must be pressed considerably harder to
make up for the lack of booster assistance. •
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up under braking.
The ABS contributes effectively to vehicle control since it prevents
the wheels from
locking when the brakes are applied. This means
that the vehicle remains steerable and is less likely to skid.
With ABS you do not need to pump the brake. Just hold the brake
pedal down.
However , do not expect that the ABS shortens braking distance
under
all circumstances. When driving on gravel or on newly fallen
snow on top of icy surfaces, braking distance may be even longer,
therefore, under these circumstances, it is especially important that
you drive slowly and with great care.
How the ABS system works
An automatic check is made when a speed of about 4 mph (6 km/h)
is reached. When this happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an individual wheel begins to rotate too slowly in relation to
vehicle speed and tends to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake pressure to prevent that wheel from locking.
This automatic adjustment process will cause a
slight vibration of
the brake pedal and some noises to alert you that vehicle speed
must be adapted to existing road and traffic conditions.
& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always remember that braking
capability is limited by tire traction . Always adjust your driving
speed according to the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the .,_

___ ln_ te_ ll..,,ig ..,_ e_ n_t _t_ e_ c_ h _ n_o _ l_o _,.g= y,_ __________________________________________ _
• If the power steering system should fail entirely, or if the engine
is not running (for example, while being towed), you will still be able
to steer the vehicle . However, considerably more effort will be
required to do so.
• If the power steering system should have a leak, or is not func­
tioning properly, contact your authorized Audi dealer immediately.
• The power steering system requires a specially formulated
hydraulic fluid. The power steering reservoir is the one located most
forward on the left side of the engine compartment=> page 251. The
correct fluid level in the reservoir is important for proper func­
tioning of the power steering. •
Driving with your quattro®
With All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are driven.
General information
With All Wheel Drive, power is distributed to all four wheels. This
happens automatically depending on your driving style and the
road conditions at the time. See also=> page 213, "Electronic differ­
ential lock (EDU".
Winter tires
When driving in the winter, your vehicle with All Wheel Drive has an
advantage, even with regular tires. In winter road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all-season tires) for improved
driveability and braking: these tires must be mounted on
all four
wheels.
See also => page 284, "Winter tires".
Snow chains
Where snow chains are mandatory on certain roads, this normally
also applies to vehicles with all -wheel drive => page 285, "Snow
chains".
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles with All Wheel Drive must always have tires of the same
size. Also avoid tires with different tread depths. For details see
page => page 279, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels".
Off-Road driving?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as an
off-road vehicle. It is therefore best to avoid rough tracks and
uneven terrain as much as possible. Also refer to=> page 221.
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic conditions. Do not
let the extra safety afforded by the all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
• Although the quattro®all-wheel drive is very effective, always
remember that braking capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces.
• On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive too fast because
the front wheels could begin to slide on top of the water (hydro­ planing). If this should occur, you will have no warning from a
sudden increase in engine speed as with a front-wheel drive
vehicle. Always drive at speeds which are adjusted to the road conditions -risk of crash! •