2010 AUDI S6 service

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Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four tie­
downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure yo ur cargo properly ~ page 181,
"Loading the luggage compartment".
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even sma ller items that
are loose in the vehicle will become heavy missiles t hat can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess energy wh ich vary w ith
vehicle speed and the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For examp le, in a frontal coll is ion at a speed of 30 mph (48 km/h),
the forces acting on a 10-lb (4 .5 kg) object a re ab out 20 times the
normal weig ht of the item. This means that the weight of the item
wou ld s uddenly be abo ut 20 0 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the inju­
r ies that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely throug h the passenger
compartment could cause in a collision like this .
& WARNING
Weak, damag ed or improper straps u sed to secure item s to tie ­
downs can fail dur ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
s eriou s personal injury.
• Always u se suitable mounting straps and prope rly se cure 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 ckre st is fold ed down, always u se suit­
able mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie -downs
in the luggage compartment to help prevent item s fr om flying
forward as dangerous missiles into the p assenger compartment.
• Never atta ch a child safety seat tether strap to a tie-down .•
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
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 immedi ately inform the
National Highway Traffi c Safet y Admini stration
(NHTSA) in addition to notif ying Audi of
America, Inc.
If N HTSA rece ives similar complaint s, it may
open an in vestigation, and if it find s that a
safet y defe cts exist s 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:
Administrator NHTSA
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C . 20590
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
instructions 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 five seating positions: two in the front and
three 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 t
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver and front
seat passenger ( on USA models only) to remind you about
the importance of buckling-up.
Before driving off, always:
Fig. 170 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster -
enlarged
- Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly .
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Because the passengers of this vehicle are not using safety belts
=> page 186, fig. 171 , they wi ll keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was mov ing just before the crash, until someth ing stops them
- here, the wall =>
page 186, fig. 172.
Th e same principles apply to people sitting in a veh icle that is
involved in a frontal collis ion. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30
to SO km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000
lbs. or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher .
People who do not use safety be lts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they wi ll also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was t ravelling just before the c rash . Of course,
the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they deter­
mine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions.•
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Safety first
Fig. 173 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Fig. 174 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the
driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestra ined occupa nt w ill sla m
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, winds hield, or
whateve r else is in the way=> fig. 173. This impact with the veh icle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags prov ide only additional protection. Airbags are not supposed
to dep loy in all kinds of accidents. Alt hough your Audi is equipped
with airbags, all veh icle occupants, including the driver, must wear
safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of severe injury or
death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and that your
safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accide nts i n
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the vehicle
where even more severe or fatal injur ies can occur .
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly. Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not on ly
themse lves but a lso the driver and other passengers=> fig . 174. In a
frontal collision th ey w ill be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

& WARNING (continued)
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct
positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the
system.
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
• Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
& WARNING (continued)
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel=>
page 269,
"Safety belts". •
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 176 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To provide maximum protection , safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=>
page 75 , "General recommendations" .
- Make sure the seat back of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before using
the belt =>& .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=>& . _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident. • The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body => fig. 177. Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen. Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug =>fig. 177. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary.
• A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner­
able, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information =>
page 188. •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Pregnant women mus.t also be c:orrectly
restra ined
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 178 Safety belt
position during preg ­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body=>
page 190.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
=>
page 75, "General recommendations".
- Make sure the seat back of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before using
the belt .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=> fig. 178 , =>
/1 .
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely =>
page 189, fig. 176.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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[I) Tips
• T he shoulder belt part shou ld route approximate ly over the
middle of your shoulder -under no circumstances should it route over
you r neck a nd throat area~
& in "Safety belt position" on page 190.
• With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also
be used to adjust the position of the safety belts. •
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
nes.
Wearing safety belts 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
ris k 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 str ikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi­
tion in the vehicle while traveling
~ & .
& WARNING
Impr ope rly w orn safet y belts inc re a se the ris k of se rious pe rsonal
injury and de ath whenever a vehi cle i s be ing u sed .
• Alway s mak e sure th at all vehicle occupants are corre ctl y
r es trained an d stay in a correct seating po sition wh enever the
v eh icle is being used.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WA
RNING (continu ed)
• Alw ays re ad and heed all WARNINGS and o ther imp ort ant
information ~
page 188. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear -end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
Th e safety belts are equipped with safety belt p retensioners. The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great sever ity. This tightens th e be lt and ta kes up belt slack~
& in
"Service and disposal of safety belt pretens ioner". Taking up the slack
helps to reduce forward occ upan t movement during a coll is io n.
0 Note
Never let the bel t remain over a rear seat back that has been folded
forward.
[I) Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be act ivated once.
• In minor fronta l, side and rear -end collis ions, in a rollove r and in
acc idents involving very little impact force, the safety belt preten­
sioner are not activated .
• When the safety belt pretensioners are activated, a fine dust is
re leased. This is norma l and is not ca used by a fire in the vehicle.
• The relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehicle o r components of the system a re scrapped. A q ual ified deal­
ersh ip is familiar with these regulat ions and will be pleased to pass on
the information to you .
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ s_a_ f_ e_ t_ y _ b_e _l_t _s ___________________________________________ _
• Be sure to observe all safety , environmental and other regulations
if the vehicl e or ind iv idu al parts of the system, particular ly the safety
belt or a irbag, are to be disposed. We recommend you have your
authorized Audi dealer perform this service for you.•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
Th e safety belt pretensioners are parts of the safety belts on your
Audi. Installing, removing, servicing or repairing of belt preten­
sioners can damage the safety belt system and prevent it from
work ing correctly in a collision.
T here are some important things you have to know to make sure that
the effective ness of the system will not be impa ired and that
discarded components do not cause injury or pollute the environ­
ment.
& WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretensioner from activating when needed or activating it unex­
pectedly:
• The belt pretensioner system can be activated only once. If belt
pretensioners have been activated, the system must be replaced.
• Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the safety belt
system.
• Safety belt systems including safety belt pretensioners cannot
be repaired . Special procedures are required for removal, installa ­
tion and disposal of this system.
• For any work on the safety belt system, we strongly recom­
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified tech­
nician who has an Audi approved repair manual, training and
special equipment necessary .
W For the sake of the environment
Un deployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified as
Perch lorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dts c.ca.gov/ha zardouswas te/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing a irbag modu les safety belts
w ith pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your author ized Aud i dealer is familiar with these
req uirements and we recommend that you have your dealer perform
this service for you. •

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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 176,
- Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 76,
- Wear safety belts properly=>
page 188,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children=>
page 217.
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 is not seated properly. Therefore 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 176, "Proper occupant seating positions" . For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 76.
It 's especially important that children are properly restrained
=:,
page 217.
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 condi­
tion 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 windshield 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 of 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, repair
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data