
___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y'-- b_e_ l_ t _s _____________________________________________ _
- Make sure that your passengers also buckle up a nd prop
erly wear their safety belts .
- Protect your children wi th a child restraint system appro-
p ria te for the siz e and age of th e ch ild ren.
The warn ing light ~ in the instrument cluster lights up when the igni
tion is sw itched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi
tion, you w ill hear a warning tone for a certa in period of t ime ..
Fasten your safety belt now and m ake sure that your passengers
also properly put on their safety belt s.•
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the Law of physics
Frontal crashes c reate very s trong f orces for people
riding in vehicles.
Fig . 18 6 Unbelted
occu pa nt s in a v ehi cle
h ea ding f or a w all Fig. 18
7 The veh icl e
c ra she s into the wall
The p hys ica l pr inc iples are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen
gers possess energy wh ich var ies wit h veh icle speed and body weight.
Enginee rs call th is ene rgy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the veh icle and the greater the vehicle's
we igh t, the more e ne rgy tha t has to be "abso rbed" in t he crash.
Vehicle speed is the most sign ificant factor.
If the speed doubles
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passenge rs of this vehicle a re not using safety belts
=> fig. 186, they w ill keep moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving j ust before the crash, unt il some thing stops them· here, the
wall => fig . 187 .
Th e same principles apply to people sitting in a vehi cle that is
involved in a frontal collision . Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30
to 50 km/h), the forces acting on the body ca n reach one ton (2,000
lbs . or 1,000 kg) or mo re . At greate r speeds, these forces are eve n
higher.
People who do not use safety bel ts are also not at ta ched to their
vehicle . In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
t he speed the ir veh icle w as t ravelling just befo re the crash. O f course,
the laws of p hys ics don 't just apply to frontal collis ions, they deter
mine wha t happens in a ll kinds of accidents and collisions .•

& WARNING (continued)
• 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.
• Always keep the belts clean . Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel=> page 2 72,
"Safety belts". •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Safety belts
Belt positioner
The driver and front passenger seats are equipped with
belt positioners.
Fig. 191 Driver's seat:
Be lt positioner
Th e front seats are equipped with belt positioners so it i s easier to
fasten the safety belts. The belt positioners automatically extend
when the door closes and the ignition switches on=> fig. 191.
The belt positioner returns to its starting position again when
• the tongue in the belt latch engages or the belt was not fastened
within 60 seconds .
• you switch the ignition off.
• you open the door .
& WARNING
• Only your authorized Audi dealer should work on the system or
remove and installing system components when performing other
work.
• The belt positioners could cause injury or damage if they pinch
people or objects when extending or retracting. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-Safety belts ----------------
Fastening safety
belts
Seat first -everybody buc kle up!
Fig. 192 Bel t buckl e
a n d ton gue on the
d riv er's se at
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always be
posit ioned cor rectly on the wearer's body.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=>
page 77, "General recommendat ions" .
- Make sure the seatbac k of the rear seat bench is in a n
upright posit ion and securely latched in place before using
the belt=> &.
- Hold the belt by the to ng ue and pu ll it evenly across t he
chest a nd pe lvis=> &.
- Insert the tongue into the corre ct buckle of your seat until
you hea r it latch secu re ly =>
page 194, fig. 192.
- Pull on the be lt to make sure t hat it is secure ly latched i n
the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractor s
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic be lt retractor on the
shoulder be lt . This feat ure locks the be lt when the belt is pulled out
fast, d uring hard braking and in an acc ident. The belt may also lock when you dr
ive up or down a steep hill or throug h a sharp curve .
Dur ing no rma l driv ing the be lt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety bel ts are eq uipped with a belt pretensioner tha t he lps to
tighten the safety be lt and remove slack when the pretensioner is
a cti vated. The fun ct ion of the pretensioner is mon itored by a w arning
light=>
page 14 .
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver seat is equ ipped with a
switchab le locking feature that
mu st be used when t he safety be lt i s
used to attach a chi ld safety seat. Be sure to read the important infor
mat ion abou t th is feat ure=>
page 231 .
& WARNING
Improperly po sitioned safety belts can cau se seriou s injury in an
accident
=> page 195 , "Safety belt position".
• Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seatba ck
is upright and belts a re prope rly po sitioned on the body.
• Never attach the safety belt to the buckle f or another seat .
Attach ing the belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safet y belt
effectivenes s and can cau se seriou s personal injury.
• A passenger who i s not p rope rly restrained can be ser iousl y
injured by the safety belt it self wh en it move s from the stronger
parts of the body into critical areas like the abdomen.
• Always lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
s ecuring a child safety seat in the vehicle =>
page 233. •

_______________________________________________ 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 safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
=>
page 178,
- Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 78,
-Wear safety belts properly=> page 192,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children=>
page 221.
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 178, "Proper occupant seating positions" . For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 78.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=:,
page 221.
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, special
modifications to your vehicle may be necessary .
Contact your authorized Audi dealer, or call Audi Customer Relations
at 1-800-822-2834.
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 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 .._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_________________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,g :;..__ s-=y '"- s_ t_ e_ m __ _
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be su re to re ad t he i mpo rt a nt i nfo rmation a nd head the
WA RNINGS fo r i mporta nt details about chil dre n and
Advanced Airbags ~
page 221.
Even t hough your ve hicle is eq uipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, ma ke ce rtain that a ll chi ld ren, especia lly those 12 years an d
younger, always r ide in the back seat prope rly rest rained fo r th eir age
and si ze. The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a
po tentially da ngerous place fo r a child to r ide. The fro nt seat is not
the safest place for a ch ild in a forward-facing child safety seat. It can
be a very dange rous place fo r an i nfan t or a child in a rearward-fac ing
seat.
Th e Advanced Ai rbag System in your vehicle has been cer tified to
comply with the Req uirements of Uni ted States Federa l Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your veh icle
was ma nufact ured .
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be tu rne d off ("s uppressed") if a c hild up to abou t one ye ar of age
restra ined in o ne of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant
restra ints listed in Fed era l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
whic h the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle was cert ified has
been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the ch ild
restra in ts that were used to certify compliance with the US Saf ety
Standard =>
page 223.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t in th e in st rume nt p anel t ells you
when the front Advanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
tur ned off by the ele ct ronic con trol uni t.
Each time you t urn on the ignition, t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if th e front passenger se at is no t oc cupie d,
Controls and equip
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child restra int on the front
p assenge r se at,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occup ied by an adult as
reg iste red by t he weight -sens ing mat =>
page 210, "M oni tor ing t he
Advanced Airbag System" .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes o n when t he control unit
de tects a total weight on t he front passenger seat that req uires the
front airbag to be t urned off .
If th e total weight o n the front passenger seat is more than th at of a
typical 1 year-o ld child but less than the weight of a small adult, the
fr on t a ir bag on the passenge r si de c an deploy (t he
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on) . If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side has
not been turned off by the electronic co ntrol unit and can deploy if
the control unit senses an impact t hat meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year -old child is on the
front passenger seat (rega rd less of whether the chi ld is in one of the
child safety seats listed =>
page 223), or
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenger
sea t.
If the fro nt passenger a irbag is tur ned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht comes on in the instr ument cluster an d stays on.
Th e fron t airbag on t he pa sse nger side may
not de ploy ( the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not illum inate and stay lit) even
if a small a dult or teenager, o r a passenger who is no t sitti ng upright
with their back against a non-reclined backrest w ith the ir feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=>
page 178, " P roper seat ing pos itio n for the dr iver".
If the front passenger ai rbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
t he a irbag to mee t the "low risk" deployme nt cr iter ia to reduce the
risk of inj ury through interaction with the a irbag. "Low r isk" deploy
me nt o ccurs in those cras hes t hat tak e pla ce a t lower decelerat io ns as
I),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ i_r _b _a _, g,:;._ s_, y._ s _ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
defined in the elect ronic contro l unit~ page 211, "PASSE NGER AIR
BA G OFF l ight ".
Always r emembe r, a c hild safety seat o r infa nt ca rr ie r i nsta lled on th e
fro nt seat may be struc k and k noc ke d out of position by t he ra pidly
i nflat ing pass enge r's air ba g in a fr ontal c oll ision. Th e airba g could
g reat ly re duce the effectiveness o f th e ch ild restraint an d even seri
ousl y injur e th e child d uring inf lation .
For this r easo n, and b eca use the back seat is th e sa fest plac e for chil
dre n -whe n pro per ly restra ined acc ordin g to their age and size -we
s tr ong ly r ecommen d that childr en a lways sit in the back s eat
~ pa ge 22 1, "Child S afety".
& 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 or 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
passenger'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:
& 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 210, "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:

111,___A_ i_rb _ a_,g=-- s_, y:;.. s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
protection.
• Airbag work most effectivel y when used with properly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained.
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
c hildren, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the a irbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child i s on the front pa ssenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these spec ial conditions is
impos sible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in a ccordance with the
" low risk" option under the U.S . Federal Standard if a child that is
heavier than the typical one-year old child is on the front
passenger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating po sition .
• For their own safety , all children , especially 12 years and
younger, should alway s ride in the back properly re strained for
the ir age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced A irbag System in
comp li a nce wi th Unit ed State s F edera l Motor Vehicle Sa fety Sta ndar d
208 as applicable at t he time your veh icle was manufactured.
Th e front A dvanced A irbag System s upplements the safety belts to
prov ide addit ional p rotect ion fo r the driver's a nd front passenger's
hea ds and uppe r bodies in fronta l crashes . The airbags inflate only in
fronta l impa cts when the vehicle dece leration is high enoug h.
T he front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is not
a subs titu te for your s afe ty be lts. R athe r, it is part o f the ove rall occu
pant restra int system in your ve hicle. Always remember t hat the
airbag sys tem ca n on ly hel p to protect you, if yo u are sitting upr igh t,
wearing your safety be lt and wear ing it prope rly . T his is why you and
your passengers must always be p roperly restra ined, not just beca use
t he law requires you to be .
The Advanced A irbag System in your veh icle has been cert ified to
meet the " low r isk " req uirem ents fo r 3 a nd 6 year-old childre n on the
passenger s ide and very small adu lts on the driver s ide. T he low r isk
dep loyme nt crite ria are in tende d to hel p r educe t he ris k of injury
throug h interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for example,
by being too close to the steering wheel and instr ume nt pane l whe n
t he airbag i nflates.
In addit ion, the system has been cert ified to comply with t he
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand ard, to turn off the
front airbag for infants 12 mont hs old and younger who are
res trained on the fron t passenger sea t in child re strai nts th at ar e
listed in the Standard~
page 223, "Child restraints and Advanced
Air bags".
" Sup pression" requ ires the front a irbag on the passenger side to be
turned off if:
• a chi ld up to about one year o f age is restra ined on the fron t
passenge r seat in one of t he rear-faci ng or forward-facing infant
res train ts lis ted in F eder al Motor Vehicle S afety Stand ard 208 wit h
w hich the Advanced A irbag System in yo ur vehicle was ce rtified . Fo r a .,_

_________________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,g :;..__ s-=y '"- s_ t_ e_ m __ _
listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the US Safety Standard ~
page 22 3,
• weight less than a threshold level sto red in the contro l unit is
de tected o n the front p assenge r seat.
When a person is detected on t he front passenger seat, weigh ing
more tha n the tota l we ight of a child that is about 1 year old
restra ined in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant
restraints (listed in Federal Motor Ve hicle Safety Standard
208 with
w hich t he Advan ced Ai rbag System in your veh icle was cert ified), the
front airbag on the passenger s ide may or may not dep loy.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on when the elect ronic
control u nit detects a tota l weig ht on the front passenger seat that
req uires the front airbag to be turned off . If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OF F
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the
cont rol un it senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
If the tota l we ight on the fro nt passenger sea t is more than th at of a
typical
1 year-o ld, but less than the weight of a small adult, the front
airbag on the passenger side may dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on) .
For example, the airb ag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heav ie r than a typical 1 year-old child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whether the ch ild is in one of the
child safety seats listed ~
page 223),
• a child who has outgrown child restra ints is on the front passenger
sea t.
If the front passenger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the center of the instr ument panel will come on and stay
on .
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not i llumi nate and s tay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
a passenger w ho is not sitt ing uprig ht with their back against a
non-recline d backrest wi th t he ir feet on the veh icle floor in fro nt o f
the seat is o n the fro nt passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Federa l Standard requires
t he a irbag to mee t the " low ris k" deployment c riter ia to help reduce
the risk of injury through interaction with the a irbag. "Low risk"
dep loyment oc curs in those c rashes that ta ke p lace at lowe r de cele r
ations as defined in the electronic contro l unit.~
page 210
Alw ays remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle is eq uipped with
Advanced A irbags, the safest place for children is properly restrained
on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important information in
the sections t hat follow and be su re to heed all of the WAR NINGS.
& WARNING
To reduc e the ri sk of injury w hen an airbag inflate s, alwa ys w ear
safet y belt s properly .
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward , sitting sidewa ys or
out of po sition in any way , your ri sk of injury i s much high er.
• You will also recei ve serious injurie s and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it wh en it inflates -
e ven with an Ad vanced Airbag ~
page 199.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
pa ssenger seat will be seriou sly injured and can be killed if the
front a irbag inflates · even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• Although the Ad vanced Airb ag System in your v ehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward-facing child
re straint has been installed on the front pas senger seat , nobody
c an absolut ely guarantee th at deployment is impo ssible in all
c onceivable situation s that may happen during the u seful life of
your vehicle. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data