______________________________________________ D_ ri_v _ i_n _,,g ,c.._ S_a_ f_ e_ l..:: y __ _
& WARNING (continued)
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 deploys.
• 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 222.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
~ page 200. •
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 when
ever 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.
- Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the front
passenger seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly =:>
page 194.
For detailed information on how to adjust the front passenger's seat,
see ~
page 77.
& 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
Driving Safely 11111
----------------------------------------=--- =---
App lies to vehicles : w ith adjusta ble head restrai nts
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an important part
of your vehicle's occupant restraint system and can help
to reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations.
Fig. 180 Correctly
adjusted head
restraint viewed from
the side
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to achieve the
best protection.
- Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge of the
restraint is level with the top of your head, but no lower
than eye level and so it is as close to the back of your head
as possible~
page 181, fig. 180.
Adjusting head restraints=> page 82.
& WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injuriy dramatically. To help reduce the risk of injury:
• Always drive with the head restraints in place and properly
adjusted.
• Every person in the vehicle must have a properly adjusted head
restraint.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(continued)
• Always make sure each person in the vehicle properly adjusts
their head restraint. Each head restraint must be adjusted according to occupants' size so that the upper edge is as even with
the top of the person's head, but no lower than eye level and so it is as close to the back of to the head as possible.
• Never attempt to adjust head restraint while driving. If you
have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any reason,
first stop the vehicle safely before attempting to adjust the head
restraint.
• Children must always be properly restrained in a child restraint
that is appropriate for their age and size=>
page 222. •
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce the risk of
injury if vehicle occupants are properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious injury or death.
Safety belts can only work when they are properly positioned
on the body . Improper seating positions reduce the effective
ness of safety belts and will even increase the risk of injury
and death by moving the safety belt to critical areas of the
body. Improper seating positions also increase the risk of
serious injury and death when an airbag deploys and strikes
an occupant who is not in the proper seating position. A
driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occupants
and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect seating posi
tion when the vehicle is being used~ &.
The following bulletins list only some sample positions that will
increase the risk of serious injury and death. Our hope is that these .,_
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
------------------------------------------------=D __ r __ i..: v ....:..i.:...n :.::g ~ S:...:a=- f=-- e= ly~ _-
& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss of vehicle control
and in crease the risk of serious injury .
• Never place any objects
in the driver 's footwell. An object could
get into the pedal area and interfer e with peda l function . In ca se
of sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake
or accelerate!
• Always make su re that noth ing can fall o r move into the
driver' s footwe ll. •
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can b e securely attach ed to
the floor mat fasteners and do not interfere with the fre e
movement of the pe dals.
- Make sure that the floor mats are properly secur ed and
ca nnot move and i nte rfere with t he peda ls=> &.
Use on ly floor ma ts t hat leave the pe dal area uno bstr ucted and that
are firm ly sec ured so that they cannot slip out of position . You can
obtain s uita ble f loor mats from yo ur authori zed Audi dea ler .
Floo r mat fas teners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached to these fasteners.
P roperly secur ing t he f loor mats wi ll prevent them from s lid ing into
positions that cou ld interfere with the peda ls or impa ir safe opera
ti on of your veh icle in other ways.
& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can re sult in a loss of vehicle
control and inc rease the risk of serious personal injury.
• Alway s make sure that floor mats are properly se cured .
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Never place or in stall floo r m ats 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
c ontrol the v ehicle.
• Never place or install floor mat s or other floor coverings on top
of alr eady in stalled floor mats. Additional floor mat s and other
cove rings will reduce the size of the pedal area and interfere w ith
the pedals .
• Always properly rein stall 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 . Obje cts can become trapped
under the brake pedal and accele rator pedal causing a loss of
vehicle control. •
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and oth er objects must be properly stowed
and secured in the lu ggage comp artment.
Vehicle care
Fig . 181 Safe load
po sitio ning : place
heavy obje cts a s low
a nd as far f orw ard as
possible. .,_
Do-it-yourself service Technical data
________________________________________________ D_ r_ i_ v _i_n _,,,g "-- S_a_ f_ e_ l _,,y'-- __
& WA RNING (continued)
to get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury .
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never l et passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicl e
occupants must alwa ys be p roperl y res trained in one of the
vehicle 's seat ing posi tions.
(I) Tips
• Air circula tion helps to reduce window fogging. Sta le air escapes
to the outside thro ugh vents in the tr im panel. Be sure to keep these
slots free and ope n.
• Th e tire p ressure m ust co rrespon d to the load . The tire pressure is
show n on the tire p ressu re label. O n USA v ehicles, the tire p ress ure
label is located on the driver's side 8-p illar. On Canada veh icles, the
ti re pressu re lab el is locat ed either on the driver' s sid e B-pillar or
inside the fuel fi lle r flap . The t ire pressure labe l lists the recom
mended co ld tire in flati on press ures f or th e ve hicle at its max imum
capacity weight and the tires that were on yo ur vehicle at the time it
w as m anuf acture d. F or re co m mended ti re p res sur es for normal loa d
conditions, p lease see chapter=>
page 300 . •
Tie-downs
T he l uggage c omp artm ent is equipped with fo ur tie
d ow ns to sec ure l ug gag e a nd oth er ite ms.
Use the t ie-downs to secu re yo ur cargo properly => page 183,
"Lo ading the lugg age comp artmen t" .
I n a co llision, t he laws of physics mean that ev en sma ller items that
are loose i n the vehicle will become heavy missiles t hat can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess e nergy wh ich vary w ith
vehicle speed and the we ight of the item. Vehicle spee d is t he most
signifi cant factor.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
For example,
in a frontal collis io n at a speed of 30 mph (48 km/ h),
t he forces a ctin g o n a 1 0-lb (4 .5 kg) objec t are ab out 20 times the
normal weight of the item . T his means that the weight of the item
wou ld s udden ly be abo ut 200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagine the inju
ries that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing freely through the passenger
compartment could cause in a collision like this .
& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure item s to tie
downs can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
• Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items
to the tie -downs in the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dangerous missiles.
• When the rear seat backrest is folded down, always us e suit
able mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs
in the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying
forward as dangerous missiles into the passenger compartment .
• Never attach a child safety seat tether strap to a tie-down .•
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehi cle has a defect
whi ch could cause a crash or could cau se injury
or death, you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
Ameri ca, Inc. -.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Active rollover protection system
Function
The rollover protection system helps protect vehicle occu
pants in the event of a rollover.
. .
! :'
Fi g. 182 Rear sea ts:
R oll bar d eploym ent
r an ge
Fig . 183 Rear seat s:
r o llba r deplo yed
Th e active rollover protect ion sys tem cons ists of :
• two rollbars
• t he safe ty be lts wi th belt ten sione rs
• the windshield frame
• the rollover se nsors
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Driving Safely
The active rollover protect io n system provides add itional safety .
Within m illiseconds, sensors dep loy two rollbars loc ated behi nd the
headrests in the rear seats=>
page 187, fig. 183.
T he ro llbars, reinforced windshie ld frame and belt tensioners he lp
protect front and rear passengers in the event of a rollove r.
T he rollover protection system functions when the power top is both
open and closed.
& WARNING
Do not u se the area behind the rear seat headr ests ::::> page 187 ,
fig. 182 as a storage area . Thi s is the area whe re the rollbars
depl oy . If the rollover protect ion sy stem i s triggered , object s
pla ce there can be propelled through the vehicle and make it more
difficult for the rollbar s to deploy. Thi s increases the risk for
serious or life-threatening injuries. •
When is rollover protection deployed?
Roll ove r pr otectio n depl oys in a collis ion or rollover .
Depending on the co llision, sensors thro ughout the vehicle and the
cont rol mo dule trigger the rollove r system to deploy .
For safety reasons, rollover protect ion a lso deploys during front, side
and rear collisions above a certain level of sever ity. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
______________________________________________ D_ ri_v _ i_n _,,g ,c.._ S_a_ f_ e_ l..:: y __ _
& WARNING (continued)
• Work on the rollover protection system should only be
performed by your authorized Audi dealer. Otherwise the system
may not function correctly in a collision or it could deploy unex·
pectedly.
• Have the system inspected at service intervals. This ensures the
system will always be ready for use. Have your authorized Audi
dealer check the rollover protection system every two years at the
latest. •
Controls and equip· ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
-Make sure that your passengers also buck le up and prop
erly wear the ir safety belts .
- Protect your children with a child restraint system appro-
priat e for the si ze and age of the child ren.
The warn ing light tin the instrument cluster lights up when the igni
tion is switched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi
tion, you wi ll hear a war ning sound.
After the ignition is switched on, the warning tone will come on for abou t 6 seconds along with a t warn ing light in the inst rument
cluster if e ither the driver or (on USA models o nly) front seat
passenge r has not fastened their safety bel t. As soon as the driver
and front seat passenger have fastened the safety belt, the warning
tone will stop and the warning light will go out.
If both the driver and front seat passenger have not buckled- up
within about 24 seconds after the warning tone has stopped, the
wa rning tone w ill sound aga in for about 6 seconds. The warn ing tone
w ill sound repeatedly for about 6 seconds at 24 second interva ls unt il
bo th the driver and fron t passenger have bu ckled -up. The safety belt
warning system is active for about 5 minutes and during this time the
warning light in the instrument cluster wi ll stay on.
Fasten your safety b elt now and make sure that your pa ssengers
also properly put on their safety belt s. •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for people
riding in vehicles .
Fig. 18 7 Unbe lted
occu pant s in a veh icl e
h ea din g for a wall
Fig . 18 8 T he veh icle
cr ash es into t he wall
Th e physical pr incip les are simple. Bot h the vehicle and the passen
gers possess energy which varies with vehicle speed and body weight.
Enginee rs call th is energy "kine tic en ergy ."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the veh icle's
weight, the more energy that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
If the speed doub les
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to SO km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
~
•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to brace the
body in a minor collision. It's simply not true!
Fig . 1 9 1 Driv er is
c or re ct ly re stra ine d in
a s udden bra k ing
m ane uv er
Safety belts used properly can make a big diffe rence. Safety belts
help to keep p assengers in the ir seats, gradually reduce energy leve ls
applied to the body in an accident, and help prevent the uncontrolled
movemen t that can cause serious injuries . In add ition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and give them the benefit of
being slowed down mo re gent ly or "softly" through the "give" in the
safety belts, crush zones and other safety features engineered into
today 's vehicles. By "absorbing" the k ineti c ene rgy over a longe r
period of time, the safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Al though these exam ples are based on a frontal co llision, safety belts
can also substantia lly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whethe r you're on a long tr ip or just go ing to the corner
store, always bu ckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident statis
ti cs show t hat vehicle occupants properly weari ng s afety belts have a
lower risk of being injured and a much better chance of surviving an
acc iden t. Prope rly usi ng sa fe ty belts a lso great ly increases the ab ility
of the supplemental a irbags to do their job in a collision. For this
reaso n, wearing a safety belt is lega lly requ ired in most countr ies
including much of the United States and Canada.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Although your Audi is equipped with a irbags, you still have to wear
the safe ty belts provi ded. Fron t airbags, for ex ample, are activa ted
only in some frontal collisions. The front a irbags are not act ivated in
all fronta l co llisions, in side and rear co llisions, in roll overs or i n cases
whe re there is not enough decelerat ion through impact to the front
of the vehicle . The same goes for the ot her airbag systems in your
Audi. So, always wear your safety bel t and make sure eve rybody in
your vehicle is properly restrained! •
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned across
the strongest bones of your body.
- Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
this chapter.
- Make sure that your safety belts are a lways ready for use
and are not damaged .
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of seriou s personal injury and death. Safety belts can work
onl y when used correctly .
• Always fa sten your safety belts correctly before dr iving off and
m ake sure all passengers are correctly restrained .
• For ma ximum protect ion, safety belts must always be posi
tioned properly on the body .
• Never st rap more than one person , including small ch ildren,
into any belt.
• Never place a safet y belt over a child s itting on you r lap.
• Always keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
veh icle is being driven. .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data