Driving Safely ---------------=------------'-
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. 182 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 173, fig. 182.
Adjusting head restraints=> page 76.
& WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with improperly adjusted head
restraints increases the risk of serious injuries in a collision . 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 213. •
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce the risk of
injury if vehicle occupants ore 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 effectiveness 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 .,_
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& 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.
& 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.
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• 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.
Vehicle care
Fig. 183 Safe load
positioning: place
heavy objects as low
and as far forward as
possible. ...
Do-it-yourself service Technical data
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& WA RNIN G (continu ed )
to get out . Being tr apped in a vehi cle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle .
• Never let pa ssengers ride in the lugg age compartment . Vehicle
occupants must always be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle 's seating po sitions.
[ i ] Tips
• Air circu lation helps to reduce window fogging . Stale air escapes
to the outside through vents in the tr im panel. Be sure to keep these
s lots free a nd ope n.
• T he tire pressure must correspond to the load. The ti re pressure
is shown on th e tire pressure label. On USA vehicles, the tire pres
sure label is located on the driver 's side 8 -pillar. On Canada vehicles,
t he t ire pressure la bel is located e ither on the driver's s ide 8 -p illar
or ins ide the fuel fil ler flap. The tire pressu re labe l lists the recom
m en ded c old tire in flati on press ures for the vehicle at i ts m axim um
capacity weight and the tires that were on your vehicle at the time
i t w as manu factur ed. F or rec ommend ed tire pressu res for normal
load conditions, p lease see chapter=>
page 291 . •
Tie-downs
T h e lu gga ge compart ment is equipped with four tie
do wns t o sec ure lu gg ag e and oth er item s.
Use the tie -downs to secure your cargo properly=> page 175,
"Lo adi ng th e luggag e compartm ent".
I n a co llis ion, the laws of physics mean that even smaller items that
are l oose i n t he vehic le wi ll become heavy mis siles that can ca use
serious injur y. It e ms in the vehicle possess energy which vary with
veh ic le speed and the weight of the item . Vehic le speed is the most
s ign ificant factor.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
F
or example, in a frontal co llision at a speed of 30 mph ( 48 km/h),
t he forces acting on a 10 -lb (4. 5 kg) o bjec t are abo ut 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that the we ight of the item
wo uld sudden ly be about 200 lbs . (90 kg) . Yo u can imagine the inj u
ries that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying free ly through the passenger
compa rtment cou ld cause in a coll ision like this .
& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure items to tie
downs can fail dur ing 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 ba ckrest is folded down , always use 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 atta ch a ch ild safety seat tether strap to a tie -down . •
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, In c. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how
they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instruct ions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci
dents . For your protection and that of your passengers , always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts . Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts . The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions: two in the front and
two in the rear. Each seating position has a safety belt .
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death .
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint. •
Safety belt warning light ~
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver and (on
USA models only) front seat passenger to remind you
about the importance of buckling-up.
Before driving off, always:
Fig . 184 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster -
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly.
1J,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
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Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig . 193 Releasing the
tongue from the buckle
-Push the red release button on the buckle~ fig. 193. 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. •
Improper ly worn safetY belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju
nes.
Wearing safety be lts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness 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 seat ing positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating
position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi
tion in the vehicle while traveling
~ &_.
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants are correctly
restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor
mation
~ page 182. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensianers work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners. The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rear-end collisions
of great severity. This tightens the belt and takes up belt slack~,&
in "Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner " on
page 187 .
Taking up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant movement
during a collision. .,
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0 Note
Never let the be lt remain over a rear seat back that has been fo lded
forward.
[ i ] Tip s
The sa fety belt pr etensioner can on ly be activated once .
• I n minor frontal and side collis ions , in rear-end collisions, in a
rollover and in accidents involving very litt le impact force, the safety
belt pretension er are not activa ted.
• I n the case of a side crash, the safety belt p retensioners will acti
vate on the driver 's or front passenger 's sides only , depending on
which s ide of the vehic le the crash occu rs.
• When the safety be lt pretensioners are activated , a fine dust is
released . This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
• T he relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehic le o r componen ts of the sys tem are scrapped . An au thor ized
Audi dealer or qua lified workshop is familiar with these regula tions
and wil l be p leased to pass on the information to you .
• Be sure to observe all safety, environmenta l and other regula
tions if the vehic le or individual parts of the system, particu larly the
safety belt or airbag , are to be disposed . We recommend you have
your au thorized Audi dea ler perform this service for you .•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety bel t pretensio ners are parts of the sa fety be lts on your
Audi . Installing , removing, servicing or repairing of bel t preten
sioners can damage the safety be lt system and prevent it from
working correctly in a collision .
There are some important things yo u have to know to make su re
that the effectiveness o f the system w ill not be impaired and that
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
discarded components do not cause injury or po
llute the environ
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care, servicin g and repair procedure s can increase the
ri sk of personal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
preten sioner from a ctivating when needed or activating it unex
pe ctedly :
• The belt preten sioner system can be a ctivated only once. If belt
pretens ioners have been a ctivated , the syste m must be repla ced .
• Never repair , adjust , or change any parts of the safet y belt
system .
• Safety belt system s incl uding safety belt pretensioner s cannot
be repaired . Speci al procedures are required for removal , installa
tion and di spo sal of this sy stem .
• For any work on the safety belt system , we strongly re com
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified techni
cian who has an Audi approved repair m anual , train ing and spe cial
equipment nece ssary .
ffi For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be c lassified
as Perch lorate Material -specia l handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca .gov /hazardouswaste /perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules safety be lts
with prete nsioners are scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regu la
tions must be observed . Your authori zed Audi dealer is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dea ler
perform this service for you .•
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repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessari ly an
indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle speeds that will cover
every possible kind and ang le of impact that wil l always trigger the
airbags, since the circumstances wil l vary considerab ly between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or so ft) of the object which the car hits, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags wi ll also not inflate
in side or rear co llisions, or in roll -overs .
Al way s rem ember : Airbags wi ll deploy only once, and on ly in certain
kinds of coll isions . Your safety belts are always there to offer protec
tion in those situat ions in wh ich airbags are not supposed to deploy,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehic le
strikes or is struck by another a fter the first coll ision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplementary
restraint and is not a substitute for a sa fety be lt. The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the safety be lts. Therefore ,
a lways prope rly wea r your safety belt s =>
page 179 .
& WARNING
Sitting too clo se to the steering wheel or in strument panel will
de crease the effect ivene ss of the airbags and will incr ease the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 in ches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
in strument panel.
• If you c annot sit more than 10 in ches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , inve stiga te whether adaptive equipment may be available
to help you reach the pedal s and in crease your se ating dist ance
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestra ined , leaning forward , sittin g side ways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury i s much higher .
• You will also receive serious injur ies and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airba g or too clo se to it when it infl ates -
ev en with an Advanced Airbag .
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WAR N IN G ( continued )
• To reduce the ri sk of injury when an airbag inflate s, alw ays
wear safety belt s prope rly~
page 183 , "Safet y belt s".
• Always make certain that ch ildren age 12 or younger alway s
ride in the rear seat. If children are not p rope rly re str ained , they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflate s.
• Never let children ride unre str ained or impr operly rest rained in
the vehicl e. Adju st the front seat s properly .
• Never ride with the b ackrest r eclined .
• Alway s sit a s far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument p anel
~ pag e 170.
• Alway s sit upright with your back again st the backre st of your
seat .
• Ne ver pla ce your feet on the instrument panel or on the seat .
Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent seriou s injurie s to the leg s and hips if the airbag inflate s.
• Nev er r ecline th e front passenger 's seat to transpo rt obje cts .
Item s can al so mo ve into the area of the side a irbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden m aneuver . Obje cts near the
a irbags can become pro je ctile s and cau se injury when an airbag
inflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be repla ced.
• U se only original equipment airbags approved by Audi and
in stalled by a trained technician who ha s the neces sary tool s and
diagnostic equipment to properly r epla ce any airb ag in your
vehicle and as sure sy stem effectivenes s in a crash .
• Never perm it salvag ed or re cy cled airb ag s to be i nstall ed in
your vehicle. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
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as defined in the electronic control unit~ page 200, "PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF lig ht" .
A lways remember, a chi ld safety seat or infant carrier insta lled on
the front seat may be struck and knocked out of position by the
rap id ly i nfla ting pass enger 's airbag in a frontal c olli sion . The airba g
co uld greatly reduce the effectiveness of the chi ld re straint and
e ven s eriously in ju re the chi ld dur ing infla tion.
F or this reason, and because the bac k seat is the safest place for
chi ldr en -when prop erly res traine d acc ordi ng to th eir age an d size
- w e stro ngly recom mend that c hildren a lwa ys s it in th e bac k seat
~ page 213, "Chil d Safe ty ".
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat o r infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest , center armrest , door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
• 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
authorized Audi dealer.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
pa ssenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause serious personal injury to the child .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances , you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
Controls and equip ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• 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.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on , perform
the checks described
~ page 199 , "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• 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 .
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat :
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data