Driving Safely ---------------------"~'----
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant safety
always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving always:
- Make sure that all lights and signals are operating
correctly.
- Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
- Make sure that all windows are clean and afford good visi-
bility to the outside.
- Secure all luggage and other items carefully::::>
page 87.
-Make sure that nothing can interfere with the pedals.
- Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors correctly for your height .
- Instruct passengers to adjust the head restraints according to their height.
- Make sure to use the right child restraint correctly to
protect children ::::,
page 221, "Child Safety".
- Sit properly in your seat and make sure that your passen gers do the same::::,
page 77, "General recommenda
tions".
- Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly. Also instruct
your passengers to fasten their safety belts properly
=:> page 189. •
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of the
vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's ability to concen
trate on the road without being distracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the vehicle and all
of its occupants. If your ability to drive is impaired, safety
risks for everybody in the vehicle increase and you also
become a hazard to everyone else on the road::::,,& . There
fore:
Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers or by using
a cellular telephone.
NEVER drive when your driving ability is impaired (by
medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
- Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and speed limits
and plain common sense .
- ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and weather
conditions.
- Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
- Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pressure or when
you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
______________________________________________ D_ ri_v _ i_n _,,g ,c.._ S_a_ f_ e_ l..:: y __ _
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 221.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 199. •
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.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is as even as
possible with the top of your head. If that is not possible,
try to adjust the head restraint so that it is as close to this
position as possible.
- Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the front
passenger seat .
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly ::::>
page 193.
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:
• Passengers must always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too close to
the airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
• Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the front passenger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Before driving, always adjust the front passenger seat and
head restraint properly.
• Always keep your feet on the floor in front of the seat. Never
rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the window, etc.
The airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you properly and can even increase the risk of injury in a crash.
II>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
________________________________________________ D_ r_ i_ v _i_n ""'g "-- S_a_ f_ e_ l _,,y'-- __
Adjusting head restraints=> page 82.
& WARNING
Driving without head rest raints or with head restraint s that are
not properl y adju sted increa se s the risk of seriou s or fatal neck
injuriy dram atically. To help reduce the risk of injury :
• Always drive w ith the h ead restraints in place and properly
adjusted.
• Every person in the vehicle must have a prope rly adju sted head
restraint.
• Always make sure each person in the vehicle properly ad justs
their head restraint. Adju st the head restraints so the upper edge
i s as even a s pos sible with th e top of your head . If that i s not
possible, try to adjust the head re straint so that it is as close to
this position as po ssible.
• 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 adju st the head
restraint.
• Children must alwa ys be properly restrained in a child re straint
that is appropriate for their age and size
=> page 221 . •
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant res traint sy stem can o nly redu ce the risk of
injury i f veh icle occup ants are properly sea ted .
Im proper seati ng positio ns can caus e ser ious inju ry o r death .
Safety belts can on ly work w hen t hey are pro perly posi tio ned
on t he body. Impro per sea tin g posit io ns re duce the effect ive
ness of safety belts and w ill even increase the risk of i njury
and deat h by moving the s afety belt to crit ic a l areas of the
body. Imp roper seati ng positions also increase the r is k of
serious injury and death when an airbag deploys and str ikes
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
an occ
upan t who is not in th e proper s eati ng pos ition . A
d river is respons ib le f or t he safe ty o f all vehic le occu pants
a nd especial ly for children . Therefore:
- Never allow anyone to a ssum e an in correc t sea ting pos i-
t ion whe n the v ehic le is bei ng us ed::::;, &.
The follow ing b ulletins list only some sample positions that will
increase the risk of serious in ju ry and death. O ur hope is that these
examples will ma ke you mo re awa re of seat ing posi tions t hat are
dangero us.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving :
• never stand up in the vehicle
• never stand on the seats
• never knee l on t he se ats
• never ride with the seatback reclined
• never lie down on the rear seat
• never le an up agains t th e ins tru ment panel
• never sit on the edge of the seat
• neve r sit s ideways
• never lean o ut the win dow
• never put your feet out the window
• never p ut yo ur feet on the ins trumen t panel
• never rest your feet on the seat c ush ion or back of the seat
• never ride in the footwell
• never ride in the cargo area
& WARNING
Improper seating position s in crease the ri sk of seriou s personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used. _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
• ....__D_ r_iv _i_ n_, g=-- S_ a _ f_e _,Ly _ ______________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can fly through the
vehicle causing serious personal injury in the event of hard braking
or an accident. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
• Always put objects, for example, luggage or other heavy items
in the luggage compartment .
• Always secure objects in the luggage compartment using the
tie-down eyelets and suitable straps.
& WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle handles. To help
reduce the risk of a loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
• Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a
change in the center of gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
-Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compart-
ment as possible.
• Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating specified on the safety compliance sticker on the
left door jamb . Exceeding permissible weight standards can cause
the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
• Please observe information on safe driving=>
page 176.
in. WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
& WARNING (continued)
• If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open , observe the
following notes to reduce the risk of poisoning:
-Close all windows,
- Close the power top,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
in. WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows, the power top and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
injury when the vehicle is not being used.
• After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly
closed and locked.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open. A child could crawl into the vehicle through the luggage
compartment and close the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicle
occupants must always be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle's seating positions .
(I) Tips
• Air circulation helps to re du ce win dow fogging. Stale air escap es
to the outside th rough vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep t hese
slots free and open.
• Th e tire pressure must correspond to the load . The tire pressure is
shown on the tir e pressure label. The tire pressure label is located on .,_
___ s_a_ f_ e_ t_ y _ b_e _l_t _s ___________________________________________ _
Safety be lts attach passe ngers to t he car an d give th em the benef it of
b ei ng s lo we d d own mor e gentl y or "so ftly" throu gh th e "give" in the
sa fety bel ts, crush z ones a nd oth er safety feat ures engin eered in to
today 's vehicles . By "absor bing" the kinetic e ner gy over a lo ng er
p eriod of time, th e saf ety belts make the forces o n th e body mor e
"to lerable" and less likely to ca use inju ry .
Alt hou gh the se ex amp les a re based on a fr ontal col lis ion, safety bel ts
can a lso s ubstantially red uce the risk of in jur y in other ki nds of
cras hes. So , whe ther you 're o n a long tri p o r ju st go in g to th e co rner
sto re, a lways b uckle up a nd make sure others do, too. Accident statis
t ics s how t hat vehi cle occupan ts properly wea rin g safety belts have a
lower risk of bei ng in jured and a muc h better cha nce of s urvivi ng an
acc ident. Properly usi ng safety belts also greatly increases the ability
of the supp lemental a irbags to do t heir job in a co llisio n. For this
reason, wea ring a safety belt is lega lly re quir ed in most countries
including muc h of th e Uni ted Stat es and Canad a.
Altho ugh your Audi is equipped with a irbags, yo u still have to wear
t he s afety bel ts provi ded. Fr ont airba gs, for ex ample, are activ ated
only in some fro nta l collisions . T he front a irbags are not activated in
all fr ont al collis ions, in side and re ar co llisions, in ro ll overs or in cases
w her e th er e is no t enough d ecelerat io n t hroug h im pac t to th e fron t
o f th e ve hicle. T he same goes for the ot he r air bag sys tems in yo ur
Audi. So, always wear your saf ety be lt and make sure eve rybody in
your vehicle is properly restrai ned! •
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
S afety bel ts m ust alw ays b e co rre ctly po sitio ned a cross
t he str ongest bones o f your bo dy.
- Al ways we ar saf ety be lts as illustra te d an d descri bed i n
this c hapter.
- M ake sure that your s afet y be lts are alw ays re a dy f or use
a nd a re n ot d amaged .
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death. Safety belts can work only when used correctly.
• Always fasten your safety belts correctly before driving off and
make sure all passengers are correctly restrained.
• For maximum protection , safety belts must always be posi
tioned properly on the body.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt.
• Never place a safety belt over a child sitting on your lap.
• Always keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven.
• 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 belt s 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 . .._
........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneu ver. Objects ne ar the
airbag s can b ecome proje ctiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbag s deploy can cau se breathing
problem s for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
cond itions.
• To reduce the r isk of br eathing problem s, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening window s
or doors.
• If you are
in a collision in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes, flush them with
water. •
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light tfG
Two separa te indi cat ors m onit or the funct io n of the
Adv ance d Airb ag Sys te m : th e airb ag mo nit ori ng i nd icato r
lig ht a nd th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the e lectronic control unit,
sensor circui ts and system wi ring) is mo nit o red co ntinu ous ly to make
sure that it is f unction ing p roperly whenever the ignition is on. Each
t ime y ou tur n on the ignit ion, t he air bag mo nito ring in dicat or lig ht
W,
w ill come on for a few s econds (self diagnos tics) .
The system must be inspected when the indicator
light ~:
• does not come on when the ign ition is switched on,
• does not go o ut a few seconds a fter you have switched on the igni
tion, or
• co mes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light w ill
fi rst start flashing to catch t he d river's attention and then stay on
cont inuous ly to serve as a co nstant rem inder to have the system
inspected immediately .
If a m alfu n ct io n occur s that tur ns th e fron t airbag on the passenger
side off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whe never the ignition is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protect ion in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho
rized Audi dealer .•
........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their head against the
side trim panel in the area where the supplemental side airbag inflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat put their hand or
any other parts of their body out of the window.
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• Objects between you and the airbag can increase the risk of
injury in an accident by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders, telephone brackets, or even large, bulky objects)
on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the
seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become dangerous projec
tiles and cause injury when the supplemental side airbag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the deployment space
between them and the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
• Always prevent the side airbags from being damaged by heavy
objects knocking against or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• The airbag system can only be triggered once. If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
• Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the original seat covers
or to the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• If children are seated improperly, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident=>
page 221, "Child Safety ".
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in any way.
• In a side collision, side airbags will not function properly if
sensors cannot correctly measure increasing air pressure inside
the doors when air escapes through larger, unclosed openings in
the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels removed.
-Never drive when parts have been removed from the inside
door panel and the openings they leave have not been properly
closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the doors have been removed unless the speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are covered or filled if
additional speakers or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop . •
Intelligent technology
'-------------------------------------------------
vi dual components. It regulates consumption, so that more electrical
energy is not being used than is being generated and ensures an
optimal state of charge for the battery .
[I] Tips
• But even energy management cannot negate the limits of physics.
Consider that the power and life of a battery are limited.
• If starting ability is threatened, you are informed by a warning
~ page 249, "Driver notification in the instrument cluster display" .•
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining starting capa
bility.
Th e battery is severe ly taxed in short-distance driving, in city traffic
and during the cold time of year. Abundant electrical energy is
required, but only a little is generated.
It is also critical if the engine
is not running and electrical components are turned on. In this
instance energy is being consumed but none is being generated.
It is in prec ise ly these sit uations that you will notice energy manage
ment actively regulating the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of several days or weeks,
electrical components are gradually cut back or sw itched off. This
reduces energy consumption and maintains starting capability over a
longer period.
Take into consideration that when you unlock your vehicle, some
convenience functions, such as the remo te key or power seat adjust
ment, may not be available. The convenience functions will be avail
able again when you turn on the ignition and start the engine.
W ith the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the engine turned off or
use other MMI functions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy consumption, the
following warning appears in the MMI display:
Please start engine, otherwise system will switch off in
3 minutes.
Th e warn ing indicates that the system will be turned off automati
cally after 3 m inutes. If you wish to continue using the functions, you
have to start the engine.
With the engine running
Although electrica l energy is generated when the vehicle is being
driven, the battery can become discharged. This happens most ly
when little energy is being generated and a great deal consumed and
the battery's state of charge is not optimal.
T o br ing the ene rgy balance back into equilibrium, consumers which
require especially large amounts of energy are temporarily cut back
or switched off. Heating systems in particular require a great deal of
energy .
If you notice, for example, that the heated seats* or the
heated rear window are not heating, they have been temporarily cut
back or switched off. These systems will be ava ilable again as soon as
the energy ba lance has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has been increased
slightly. This is normal and not a cause for concern. By increasing
eng ine id le speed the additional energy required is generated and the
battery is charged. •