
___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safe ty a nd the safety of your passengers, before
driving o ff, a lways:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
~ page 202,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly~ page 87,
- Wear safety belts properly~ page 214,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to pro tect
children~
page 245 .
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and w ith
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. There
fore in order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as
a driver and as a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keep ing room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fu lly and
comp letely and prov ide supplementa l protection in certain frontal
collisions =>
page 202, "Proper occupant seating positions". For
detai ls on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 87.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=>
page 245 .
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system.
P roper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. I f you have a physical impairment or
condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat
with the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, o r if
you have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, p lease contact your authorized Audi
dea ler or qua lif ied workshop, or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-800-
822 -2834 for possib le modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator wi ll fill the
airbags, break open the padded covers, and inflate between the
steering wheel and the driver and be tween the instrument panel
and the front passenger. The airbags wil l deflate immediate ly after
deployment so that the front occupants can see through the wind
shield again without interruption.
A ll of this takes p lace in the b link of an eye, so fast that many people
don't even rea lize that the airbags have dep loyed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they dep loy. Fron t airbags in combination wi th properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement.
T ogether they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside of the vehicle while reducing the
forces acting on the occupant during the c rash. In this way they he lp
to reduce the r isk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body .
Both front airbags w ill not in flate in al l fro ntal col lisions . The trig
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehic le decelerat ion
r ate caused by the colli sion and registe red by the electronic contro l
unit. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the
cont rol unit, the airbags w ill not be t riggered, even though the car
may be bad ly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage, .,,,.

vidual components. It regulates consumption, so that more elec
trical energy is not being used than is being genera ted and ensures
an optimal state of charge for the battery.
[ i ] Tips
• But even energy management cannot negate the limits of
physics. Consider that the power and life of a battery are limited.
• If starting ability is threatened, you are informed by a warning
~ page 277, "Driver notification in the instrument cluster
display". •
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining starting capa
bility.
The battery is severely taxed in short -distance driving, in city traffic
and during the cold time of year . Abundant electrical energy is
required, but only a little is generated . It is also critical if the engine
is not running and e lectrical components are turned on. In this
instance energy is being consumed but none is being generated .
It is in precisely these situations that you wi ll notice energy manage
ment actively regulating the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of several days or
weeks, electrical components are gradually cut back or switched off.
This reduces energy consumption and maintains starting capability
over a longer period.
Be aware that when you unlock your vehicle, some of the conve
nience functions may not operate, such as the Convenience key, the
remote control or the power seat adjustment. The convenience
functions will be available again when you turn on the ignition and start the engine.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Intelligent technology
With the
engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, with the engine turned off or
use other MMI functions, the battery is being discharged.
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy consumption, the
following warning appears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will switch off in 3
minutes .
The warning indicates that the system wi ll be turned off automati
cal ly after 3 minutes. If you wish to continue using the functions,
you have to start the engine .
With the engine running
Although e lectrica l energy is generated when the vehicle is being
driven, the battery can become discharged. This happens mostly
when little energy is being generated and a great deal consumed
and the battery's state of charge is not optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equi librium , consumers
which require especia lly large amounts of energy are temporarily
cut back or switched off. Heating systems in particular require a
great deal of energy. If you notice, for example, that the heated
seats* or the heated rear window are not heating, they have been
temporarily cut back or switched off. These systems will be available
again as soon as the energy balance has been restored.
You wil l also notice that engine idle speed has been increased
s lightly . This is norma l and not a cause for concern . By increasing
engine idle speed the additiona l energy required is generated and
the battery is charged. •
Driver notification in the instrument cluster
display
If the battery's state of charge is not in the optimal range, this driver
notification appears in the instrument cluster display:
Low battery charge: battery will be charged while driving ~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Alphabetical index
---=------------------------------------------------
Oil
See Engine oil .... .... ....... .... 311
Older children and safety belts . . . . . . . . 254
On-Board Diagnostic System (OBD) Data Link Connector (DLC) .. .... .... 28
Electronic speed lim iter ... .... .... . 28
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Mill . ... 27
Open door or rear lid warning ......... 26
Opening Power sunroof . .... .... ... .... .... 65
Operate your vehicle economically and mini-
mize pollution ... ..... ... .... ... 281
Outside air pollution
How to prevent from entering the vehicle
121
Outside mi rrors . ... .. .... .... ...... .. 84
Outside temperature display ........ .. 25
p
Paint
Touch -up
294
Paint No. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Automatic transmission . ...... .... 166
Caution when parking near a parking bar -
rier or curb ...... ... .... .... ... 135
Low bumper cover, spoilers and
suspension ......... ....... .... 135
Parking brake
See Electromechanical parking brake 134
Parking on a dec line (downhill) ....... 135
Parking on an incline (uphill) ..... .... 135 Parts replacement
.... ........ .. .. .. 384
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF light ........ 232
Passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Pass enger 's seat memory .. .... ....... 95
Passive safety system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Pedals ... ..... .. ...... ............ 206
Physica l principles of a frontal collision 212
Pockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
o
Polish ing ... ...... ... .... .... .... .. 293
Power locking switch ........ .... .... . 53
Power locking system ................ 49
Convenience open feature ....... ... 64
Locking and unlock ing the vehicle from
inside ............. ...... .... ... 53
Opening and closing the windows ... 64
Rear lid/trunk lid .. .... .... .... .... 54
Remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Selective unlock feature ... .. .. ... .. 52
Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Un locking and locking vehic le ... .... 51
Power roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Power seat Contro ls .. ....... .... ........ .... 87
Massage function ....... ...... .... 89
Seat adjustment ........ ....... ... 88
Upper th igh support .... .... ....... 88
Power side door closer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Pow er steering ... .......... ........ 275
Power sunroof Emergency c losing ............. 66, 67 Power
window switches .. .. .. .... .... . 61
In the driver's door ................ 62
In the front passenger's door ... .... 63
Reactivating the system .... ..... .. . 64
Power windows
Settings ... .... .... ... .... ....... 64
Pregnant women Special considerations when wearing a
safety belt ... .... .... ...... .... 217
Programming the HomeLink® universal re -
mote control .... .... .... ....... 194
Proper occupant seating positions .. ... 202
Proper safety belt position
Proper seating position 216
Front passenger ................ . 203
Occupants .... .... .... ..... .. ... 202
Rear passengers ... .... ... .... ... 204
a
Quartz clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
quattro®
S ee All Whee l Drive .... .... .... ... 275
Question
R
What happens to unbelted occupants? . .
213
Why safety belts? .. ... .... .... ... 211
Radiator fan ......... ... .... .... .... 319
Rain sensor .. .. .. ........ .... ...... . 80
Rain sensor defective ...... ... .... .... 36

___ A---" lp_h_ a_b_ e_ t_ i_ c _ a_ l_ in_d_ e_x ______________________________________________ _
Safety guidelines
Seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Safety instructions Engine compartment ..... .... .... 309
for a booster seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
for side curtain airbags .... ....... 243
for using a conver tible child safety sea t .
251
for using an infant seat .. ......... 250
for using child safety seats ........ 248
forusingsafetybe lts ... ... .... ... 214
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 233
Safety lock Ignition key, automatic transmission 130
Seat adjustment Adjusting the seatback ............. 89
Driver 's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Driver's seat memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Fron t passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Head restraints ............. .. 91,205
Lumbar support .. ............... . 90
Power seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Safety guidelines .. ... .... ..... ... 86
Seat belts Why YOU MUST wear them ..... ... 211
Seat memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Seat position Incorrect seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Seating capacity . .... .... .... ... .... 211 Seating position
Driver . ... .... ...... ...... ...... 202
Front passenger .. .... .... .... ... 203
How to adjust the front seats .. .... 203
Occupants .... .... .... ... ....... 202
Rear passengers
Seats Number of seats 204
211
Selective unlock feature .... ....... ... 52
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Service and disposal Safety b elt pret ensioner . ... .... ... 219
Service interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Service position Windshield wipers . .... .... ....... 82
Servotronic Power steering ...... ...... .... ..
2 7 5
Shift buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Ship Transporting your vehicle . ........ 371
Side airbags Description .... .... .... .... .... .. 239
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Side assist Activating and deactivating ........ 156
Description .......... ...... .... .. 156
Informationa l and alert stage signals 158
Messages in instrument cluster display .. 163
MMI settings ............ .. .. .... 162
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Safety tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Sensor detection area . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Side curtain airbags .
... .. .... .... .. . 242
Description ..... ... .... .... .... .. 242
How they work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Safety instructions . ... .... .... ... 243
Side marker lights .. ....... .... .... ... 69
Sk i sack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Snow chains ....... .... ....... .. ... 344
Sockets ........................ 107, 108
Solar blower fan/solar roof . .... ..... . 123
Sound system display Driver information disp lay . .... .... . 25
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Speed control sys tem
See Adaptive Cruise Control ...... .. 139
Speed rating letter code .. .... .... ... 340
Speed warning system ........ .... .. . . 37
Speedometer .. .... .... ... ...... ..... 14
Sport Suspension
See Adaptive Air Suspension . .... .. 188
Starting off with a trailer ... ... .... ... 136
Starting the engine .... .... ... ... 129,130
What should I do if the engine does not
start? ... .... .... .... ...... ... . 130
Steering . .... .... .... .... ... .... ... 128
Adjusting s teering column .. .... ... 128
Easy entry feature . .... .... .... ... 129
Locking the steering ....... ....... 129
Malfunction .. .. .. .... .... .... .. . . 33
Steering wheel heating .... .... ... ... 119
Steps for determining correct load limit 336
Stopping the engine .... ... .... .... .. 131