Seats and storage
General recommendations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only provide
maximum protection if the front seats are correctly
adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front seats to provide safe
and comfortable support for the driver and the front passenger.
Adjust your seat properly so that:
• you can easily and quickly reach all the switches and controls in
the instrument panel
• your body is properly supported thus reducing physical stress
and fatigue
• the safety belts and airbag system can offer maximum protec
tion
~ page 135.
In the following sections, you will see exactly how you can best
adjust your seats.
There are special regulations and instructions for installing a child safety seat on the front passenger's seat. Always heed the informa
tion regarding child safety provided in~
page 157, "Child Safety".
& WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and all other passengers
can result in serious personal injury.
• Always keep your feet on the floor when the vehicle is in motion
- never put your feet on top of the instrument panel, out of the
window or on top of the seat cushion! This applies especially to
the passengers. If your seating position is incorrect you increase
the risk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an accident. If
Controls and equip
ment
Seats and storage
& WARNING (continued)
the airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect this could
result in personal injury or even death.
• It is important for both the driver and front passenger to keep
a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cml between themselves and
the steering wheel and/or instrument panel. If you're sitting any closer than this, the airbag system cannot protect you properly. In
addition to this, the front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they can give you maximum
protection.
• Always try to keep as much distance as possible between your
self and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Do not adjust the driver's or front passenger's seat while the
vehicle is moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly, causing
sudden loss of vehicle control and personal injury. If you adjust
your seat while the vehicle is moving, you are out of position. •
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe and relaxed
driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's seat in the
following manner:
- Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so that you can
easily push the pedals to the floor while keeping your
knee slightly bent:::>
& in "Why is your seat adjustment
so important?".
Adjust the seatback so that when you sit with your back against the seatback, you can still grasp the top of the
steering wheel. _..
I • •
On the road
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel column
The steering wheel position can be continuously adjusted
in height and distance.
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly.
Fig. 78 Lever under
the steering column
-Pu sh the lever~ fig. 78 -Arrow- ~& .
- Move the steering wheel to the desired position.
Pu sh the lever against the steering column until it locks.
T here must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your chest and the
center of the steering wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if adaptive equipment is avail
able to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance from the
steering wheel.
For detailed information on how to ad just the driver's seat, see
=> page
71.
Con tro ls and eq uip
ment
On the road
& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment and improper seating
position can cause serious personal injury.
• Adjust the steering wheel column only when the vehicle is not
moving to prevent loss of vehicle control.
• Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel so that there is a
minimum of 10 inches (25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel=> page 116, fig.
96. If you cannot maintain this
minimum distance , the airbag system cannot protect you prop
erly .
• If physical limitations prevent you from sitting 10 inches (25
cm) or more from the steering wheel, check with your authorized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is available.
• If the steering wheel is aligned with your face, the supple
mental driver's airbag cannot provide as much protection in an
accident. Always make sure that the steering wheel is aligned with
your chest .
• Always hold the steering wheel with your hands at the 9 o'clock
and 3 o'clock positions to reduce the risk of personal injury if the
driver's airbag deploys .
• Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with
your hands 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
deploys .•
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data
Airbag system -----------------=~-
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 safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
~ page 116,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly~ page 70,
-Wear safety belts properly~ page 128,
- Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children~
page 157.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger are 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 keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions =>
page 116, "Proper occupant seating positions". For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 70
and=> page 71.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=>
page 157.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
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.
Proper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If 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, or if
you have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, please contact your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-800-
822 -2834 for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator will fill the
airbags, break open the padded covers, and inflate between the
steering wheel and the driver and between the instrument panel
and the front passenger. The airbags will deflate immediately after
deployment so that the front occupants can see through the wind
shield again without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy. Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement .
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside the vehicle while reducing the forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help to
reduce the risk 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 will not inflate in all frontal collisions. The trig
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration
rate caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control
unit. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car
may be badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage,
9J),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of 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 by your
Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install 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 manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible, before installing the forward-facing child
restraint . The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on. •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec
tronic control unit when the ignition is on. The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected. The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail below
. Because the front passenger seat contains important parts
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it
from being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acceleration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
Airbag System about the severity of the crash.
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impacts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the information received from the crash
sensors. The control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
steering wheel hub .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the instrument
panel for the front passenger.
• A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat.
The information registered is sent continuously to the electronic
control unit to regulate deployment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side.
• An airbag monitoring system and indicator light in the instru
ment cluster ~
page 146.
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
center of the instrument panel~
page 147, fig. 113 and tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to measure the tension on the safety belt. The tension on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the weight -sensing mat help the
control unit "decide" whether the front airbag for the front ..
______________________________________________ A_ l_,_ p _h_ a_ b_e _t_i c_ a _ l _in _ d_e _ x __ lll
Outside temperature display .. .. .. ... .. 22
Owner's manual How the Owner's Manual is organized . 6
p
Paint Touch -up . ... .... ...... ... .. ... .. 202
Paint No . .... .... .... .... .... .... ... 288
Parking . ...... .. ............ ....... . 94
Automatic transmission ... ... ... .. 102
Parking brake ........... .... ..... .. .. 94
Parking brake warning ................ 33
Parking on a decline (downhi ll) .. ... .. .. 94
Park ing on an incline (uphill) .. ..... .. .. 94
Parts replacement ..... .............. 295
P ASSENGER AI R BAG O FF light ... .. ... 147
Passive safety system ................ 114
Pedals .. ........ ... .... .... ........ 120
Physica l principles of a frontal collision 126
Polishing .......................... 201
Pollen filter ... .. ... ..... ... .... .... . 86
Pollutant fi lter . ... .. .... .... ... .... .. 86
P ower locking switch ... .... .... ...... 44
Power locking sys tem . ...... .... .... .. 41
Convenience close/open feature ... .. 49
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from inside .. .. ... ... .... ... .... .... . 44
Opening and c losing the windows .. . 49
Rear lid/trunk l id ... .. .... .... .... . 45
Remote control ...... .... ... .... .. 39
Un locking and locking vehicle ... .. .. 42
Controls and equip
ment Safety first
Power outlets .
...... ....... .. .. .... .. 83
Power seats
Adjusting the seatback .... .... .... . 73
Adjustment . ...... .... .... .... ... . 71
Fo lding the seatback forward .. ...... 73
Power steering
See Electro-mechanica l power assist 20,
188
Power window switches ... .. .... .... .. 48
Reactivating the system ...... ...... 50
Pregnant women Specia l considerations when wearing a
safety belt . .... ....... .... .... . 131
Prog ramming the Homelin k® universal re -
mote control .... ... ..... .... ... 107
P roper occupant seati111g pos itions ... .. 11 6
Proper safety belt posi tion ............ 130
P roper seating position
Front passenger .................. 117
Occupants ......... .. ... ... .. .... 116
Rear passengers ................. 118
a
Quartz clock .... .... ..... .. .... .... .. 13
quattro®
See All Wheel Drive .. .... .... .... . 189
Ques tion
What happens to u nbelted occupan ts? .
127
Why safety belts? ................. 125
R
Radiator fan ...... .. .... ........ .... 226
Rain sensor defective ..... ... .... .... . 37
Reading lights ....................... 59
Rear lid . ......... ... .... ..... .. ... .. 45
Emergency release ................ 46
Rear light defective ...... .... .... ... .. 36
Rear spoiler . .... ........ .... ...... . 185
Rear window defogger ... .... ... ..... . 89
Rear window shelf ... .... .... .... ... .. 76
Rearview mirror Inside rearview mirror .. ............ 64
See also Mirrors ... ... ... .. ...... .. 64
Refuelling .......................... 213
Release lever for hood . ...... .... .... 216
Remote control .. .... .... ...... .... .. 39
Resetting remote control ........... 43
Remote control garage door opener (Homelin k®l ................... 107
Remote control key Unlocking and locking .. ...... ... ... 42
Remote master key
Batte ry replacement ...... .... .... . 39
Check light . ...... .... ..... .. .... . 39
Remote rear lid release .... ... ... ... .. . 45
Repair manuals .. .... .... ........ ... 293
Repairs Airbag system .... .... .... ...... . 149
Replacement parts ... .... ... ... .... . 295
Replacing Wheel rims .................. 2 46, 248
Vehicle operation Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
-Alphabetical index
---=------------------------------------------------
Replacing a fuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Rep lacing light bulbs . .... .... ...... . 278
Replacing tires and wheels ........... 246
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . . . . . . 123, 124
Reset button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Resetting remote control ............. 43
Retractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Reverse Automatic transmission ....... .... 100
Rims Cast a lloy .. ... .... .... ..... .. ... 204
Replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246, 248
Steel rims ....................... 203
Roof rack Loading ......................... 80
Mounting locations ............ .... 80
Safe mounting .................... 79
Roof weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Run-flat tires .... .... .... .... ...... . 258
Driving ......................... 259
Introduction .. ........ ....... .... 258
Rep lacing defects parts . . . . . . . . . . . 260
s
S tronic .... ... .. .... .... ...... .... . 99
Driving Notes ...... .... ...... .... 102
Emergency program . ...... ...... . 105
Kick -down ............... ...... . 105
Launch Control Program .... ...... 105
Selector lever lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Tiptronic
.. .. .. ... ... ... ... .. .. .. 103
Tiptronic controls on the steering wheel .
104
SAFE .... .... .... ....... .... .... .... 14
Safe driving habits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Safety belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Safety belts worn by pregnant women 131
Safety belt pretensioner Service and disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Safety belt warning light .... ...... 19, 126
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Cleaning ........................ 209
Danger to passengers who do not wear a safety belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Fastening ... .. ...... .... ... .. ... 1 29
Improperly worn ........... ...... 132
Not worn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
pretensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Safety belt position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Safety instructions ............... 128
Securing child safety seats ..... ... 168
Specia l considerations for pregnant
women . .... ....... ...... .... .. 131
Unfastening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Warning/indicator light ...... .. ... 126
Why YOU MUST wear them . .... ... 125
Worn properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Safety compliance sticker ............ 288
Safety equipment .... ....... .... .... 114
Safety features for occupant restraint and
protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Safety guidelines
Seat adjustment ... .... ... .... .... 69
Safety instructions Engine compartment ...... .... ... 217
for booster seats ................. 165
for using child safety seats . ....... 160
for using convertible child seats .... 163
for using infant seats ...... .... ... 162
For using safety belts ...... .... ... 128
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System 148
Safety lock Ignition key, automatic transmission 92
Seat adjustment Driver's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Front passenger's seat . .... .... .... 70
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Head restraints .................. 119
Head restraints, front seat .......... 74
Lumbar support . ...... .... .... .... 74
Manual controls ... .... .... .... .... 70
Power seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Safety guide lines ...... .... .... .... 69
Seat back angle .. ... ... .. .... .... . 71
Seat position Incorrect seat position ... .... ... .. 119
Seating capacity .................... 125
Seating position Driver ... ... .. .... .... ...... ... . 116
Front passenger ........... ... ... 117
How to adjust the front seats ...... 117
Occupants ...................... 116
Rear passengers ................. 118