Child Safety --------------------"'----
& WARNING (continued)
• 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
Rearward-facing child restraints:
• 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 be especially careful if you must install a rearward
facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat in exceptional
circumstances.
• A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on
the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier weight registered can make
the system work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious
or even fatal injury to the child.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, immediately install the rearward-facing child safety seat
in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer. •
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Activating the convertible Locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure
a child
restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's instruc
tions when installing a child restraint in your vehicle. To acti
vate the convertible locking retractor:
- Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on the rear
seat .
- Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
- Route it around or through the child restraint belt path
::::>& .
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight.
- Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that seating
position.
- Guide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat .
- You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
into the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pulling on the belt. You should no longer be able to pull
the belt out of the retractor. The convertible locking
retractor is now activated.
- Make sure that the red release button is facing away from
the child restraint so that it can be unbuckled quickly.
- Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is properly
tight and fastened so that the seat cannot move forward
or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm) . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
_____________________________________________ C _h_i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t ... Y'--- __
LATCH Lower anchorages and
tether for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simp ler and mo re practicable way to attach the child
restra in t on the ve hicl e se at , Feder al reg ulat ions re quire spe cial
lower anchorages in vehicles and devices on new ch ild restraints to
at ta ch to the veh icle an chor ages.
Th e combination of the tethe r anchorages and the lower anchorages
is now generally called t he
LATCH system fo r "Lower Anchorages and
T ethe rs for Childre n."
Forward-facing c hild restraints manufactured after September 1,
1 999, are req uired by U.S. feder al reg ulations to comply with new
child head movement performance requirements. These new perfor
m ance requiremen ts make a tether nece ssary on mos t new ch ild
seats.
Installing a c hild restra int that re qui res a top tethe r w ithout one can
se riou sly impair t he pe rformance of the chi ld re stra int and its ab ility
to protect t he chi ld in a collision. Insta lling a child restraint that
req uires a top tet her w ithou t th e top tethe r may be a viola tion of
state law.
Child restrain t manufacturers offe r LATCH lowe r anchorages on thei r
child seats with hook-on or push-on connectors attac hed to adjust
able straps.
I n ad d it io n t o the LA TC H l owe r anc ho rages, these child restr aint
systems usually require the use of tether straps to he lp keep the ch ild
restra in t firm ly in pla ce.
_& WARNING
Improper installation of child res traints will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer
of the child restraint you intend to install in your vehicle .
• Never install a child re straint without a properly attached top
tether strap if the child restraint manufacturer's in structions
require the top tether strap to be used.
• Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower anchorage poi nts
can lead to inju ry in a colli sion . The LATCH lower anchorage point s
are designed to withstand only tho se loads imposed by correctly
fitted child restraints.
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchorage point .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other item to the LATCH
lowe r anchorage s.
rn Tips
In C anada, the te rms " top te ther" wi th "lower universa l anch orages"
(or "lowe r universal anchorage bars") are used to descr ibe the
system.
• In other countries, the term "ISOFIX" is used to descr ibe the lower
anchora ges .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Child Safety -
-------------------"'---
& WARNING (continued)
• Always carefully follow the child restraints manufacturer's
instructions for proper installation of the child restraint and
proper use of the lower anchorages or safety belts in your vehicle.
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the
LATCH
lower anchorages.
• Always read and heed the important information about child
restraints in this chapter and WARNINGS~ page
215, "Child
Safety ".•
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
Lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always follow the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Mounting
Fig. 194 Lower
anchorages : proper
mounting
- Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in the
upright position and securely latched in place.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
Attach both hook-on connectors with the spring catch
release on the child safety seat onto the LATCH lower
anchorage so that the connectors lock into place
=> fig. 194.
-Pull on the connector attachments to make sure they are
properly attached to the LATCH lower anchorage.
- Pull straps tight following the child restraint manufac
turer's instructions .
Releasing
-Loosen the tension on the straps following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions.
- Depress the spring catches to release the anchorage hooks
from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the child restraint firmly
in place.
& WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in an accident.
• These anchors were developed only for child safety seats using
the "LATCH" system.
• Never attach other child safety seats, belts or other objects to
these anchors.
• Always make sure that you hear a click when latching the seat
in place. If you do not hear a click the seat is not secure and could
fly forward and hit the interior of the vehicle, or be ejected from
the vehicle.
l)l,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
& WARNING (co ntinued )
immediately install the rear -facing child safety seat in a rear
s eating position and have the airbag sy stem in spected by your
Audi deale r.•
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
(
Installing the tether strap
Fig . 1 9 6 Te ther st rap :
prop er routi ng and
mounting
- Release or dep loy the tet her strap on the ch ild rest raint
acco rd ing to the ch ild restra int ma nufacturer's instruc
tions.
- Guide t he upper tet her st rap
under t h e rear head restraint
:::;, fig. 196 (raise t he head restra int if necessary).
- Tilt the recess fla p up to expose the anchor bracket.
- Attac h the t ether st rap anchora ge h ook in to the op ening
o f th e tet her anchorage .
- Pull on the tethe r strap hook so that the spring catch of
t h e hoo k engages.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
-Tig hten t he tether strap firmly fo llowi ng th e ch ild
restra int man ufacturer 's ins tructions .
Releasing the tether strap
- Loosen t he tension following t he chil d restrai nt manufac
turer's i nstructions.
- D epress t he spr ing catc h on the hoo k and release it f rom
t h e anchorage.
0 Note
If you leave the child restra int wit h the tether st rap firmly installed
for several days, t his could leave a mark on t he up holstery on t he seat
c u shi on and backrest in the area whe re the tether strap was insta lled .
Th e up ho lstery would also be permanent ly stretched a round the
tether st rap. This appli es especially to leather seats. •
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child restraint systems come wit h a
t e ther. Please read and heed the ch ild restraint system ma nufac
t u rer 's instructions care fully to determine how to properly install the
t ether.
& 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 Ad vanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
child against the bac krest, center armrest , or door . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
Child Safety --------------------"'---l'ff'II
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' "---.L==--
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination
w ith the ABS sys tem. If the A nti-L o ck Brak e System (A BS) mal fun c
tions, the ESP will also shut down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Elect ronic D ifferential Lock (EDL)
and the Anti-Slip Regul ation System (AS R) are in teg rated in the e lec
tronic stab ilizat ion program . In addition to the data prov ided by
th ese fun ctions, the ESP control unit re quires addi tional meas ure
ment data provided by hig h pe rformance senso rs . The ro tat ional
speed of the vehicle about its vertical axis, veh icle acceleration in the
fore-and-a ft and lateral d irect ions, the brake pressure , a nd the
steerin g ang le are all measured .
Th e d irec tion in whi ch the driver w ishes to tra ve l is d ete rm ined wi th
the a id of the steering a ngle and ve hicle speed and is con tinually
c omp ared wi th the a ctu al b ehavior o f the ve hicl e. If t he two do no t
match, for example, when the vehicle starts hydroplani ng on a wet
roa d, E SP w ill automatica lly bra ke the approp riate whee l to correct
the problem.
Th e ve hicle is t hen stab ilized by the fo rces acting on the whee l during
bra king .
If the ve hicl e is oversteering (the vehicle tu rns too s harp ly
and the rear whee ls slide toward the outside of a curve), the brakes
a re mainly a pplied on the whee l tha t is o n the o uts ide of t he curve. In
the case of a vehicle that is
understeering (the vehicle does not turn
shar ply enough and push es out o f a curve), the b rakes are ap plied as
needed on the whee l th at is on the inside of the curve or additionally
on the ot her wheels . An acoustic s ignal indicates w hen ESP bra ke
applica tion cuts in=> &.
T he system operates across the entire speed range in combination
w ith the A BS system =>
page 241. If the A nti-Lo ck Br ake Sys tem
(ABS) ma lfunctions, the ESP w ill be o ut of act ion as we ll.
Activating
When you turn on the engine, ESP wi ll automatica lly be activated and
w ill pe rfor m a self- tes t. As soo n as t he tes t is co mplete d, th e sys tem
is in normal operating mo de.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Yo
u can activate a deactivated ESP or deactivated ESP/ ASR if required
b y pressi ng the =>
page 236, fi g. 1 9 8 => page 236, fig . 19 7 bu tton.
Wh en they are activated, the message
Stabilisation program on
appears briefly in t he di sp lay .
Deactivating
The ES P shoul d no rma lly be acti va te d a ll the tim e. I f necess ary, y ou
can deact ivate A nti-Slip Reg ulat io n (ASR) or th e Electro nic Sta biliza
t ion Progr am ( ES P) by p ress ing the button =>
page 23 6, fig. 198.
• Deactivating ASR: Tap th e button . In cer tain exceptional s itua
t ions (e.g. driving with tire chains), the Anti -Slip Reg ulation (ASR) can
be dea ct iva te d =>
page 238. The m ess age ASR off Caution! Limited
driving stability
a pp ears in the d isp lay as well.
• Deactivating ESP/ASR Press the but ton for mor e tha n 3 seconds .
With the ESP/ ASR deactivated, the indicator light comes on, see
=>
p age 15. The m ess age Warning! Restri cted stability ap pears in
the display as we ll.
& WARNING
The Electronic Stabilization Program is nevertheless subje ct to the
laws of physics . It is particularly important to pay attention to
this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefore important that
you always adapt your driving to the condition of the road and
traffic conditions . Do not allow the increased safety provided by
the Electronic Stabilization Program system to lull you into accepting additional safety risks .
u
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' '----'----
pressing the=> page 236, fig. 198 button. When it is activated, the
message
ESP/ASR on appears briefly in the display.
Deactivating
You can deactivate the ASR if req uired by press ing the button (for less
than 3 seconds) =>
page 236, fig. 198. With the ASR deactivated, the
ESP check light comes on, see=>
page 15. The message ASR off
appears in the display as well. The ASR can be deactivated at any
speed.
The ASR should normally be activated all the time . Only in certain
exceptional situations when some slip is desirable does it make sense
to deactivate the ASR. Examp les:
• when driving with tire chains
• when driving in deep snow or on loose ground and
• when rocking the vehicle loose after it has become stuck .
When the abnormal situation is over, you sho uld activate the ASR
again.
& WARNING
The increased safety afforded by ASR does not mean that you can
take safety risks. Always adapt your driving style to the road
conditions and traffic situation.
(I) Tips
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all four whee ls must be fitted
with ident ical tir es . Any differences in rolling radius of the tir es can
cause the system to reduce eng ine power when this is not desired .
See also =>
page 303, "New tires and replacing tires and wheels".
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Braking
General information
What
affects braking efficiency?
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still subject to wear,
depending la rgely on ope rating conditions and driving habits=>& .
On vehicles that are either driven mostly in stop-and-go city traffic or
are driven hard, the brake pads should be checked by your authorized
Audi dealer more often than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte
nance booklet.
Failure to have your b rake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should use the braking effect of the engine. This
way, you prevent unnecessary wear on the brake system. If you must
use your brakes, do not hold the brakes down continuously. Pump the
brakes at intervals.
Noises may occur when b rak ing depending on the speed, braking
force and outside cond itions such as temperatu re and humid ity.
Moisture or road salt
If you are driving faster than 31 mph (50 km/h) and the windshield
wipers are on, the brake pads will briefly touch the brake discs in
regula r interva ls so as to improve reaction time when braking on wet
surfaces. You, the driver, will not not ice anything.
Under certain condit ions, for example, when driving through water or
very heavy rai n, or even after washing your vehicle, the braking effect
can be reduced due to moisture (o r in free zing conditions ice) on the
bra ke pads. A few careful brake applications should dry off the brake
pads or remove any ice coatings.
Th e effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced when the vehicle is
dr iven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used. H ere too,
you should clean off accumu lated salt coating from brake discs and
pads with a few careful applications of the brake=>&,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' '----'----
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS}
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up under braking.
The ABS contributes effectively to vehicle control since it prevents the
w heels from
locking whe n the brakes are applied . This means t hat t he
vehicle rema ins steerable and is less likely to skid.
With ABS you do not need to pump the brake. Ju st hold the brake
pedal down .
However, do not expect the ABS to shorten braking distance under all
circu mstances. When d riving on gr ave l o r on new ly falle n snow o n top
of icy s urfaces, braking distance may be even longer, therefore, under
t he se c ir cu mstances, i t is especially importa nt that you dr ive slowly
and with great care.
How the ABS system works
An a utomat ic check is made when a speed of about 12 mph (20 km/h)
is reached. When this happens, a pumping noise can be heard.
If an individ ual w heel beg ins to rotate too slow ly in relat ion to vehicle
speed and tends to lock, t he ABS automat ic al ly reduces brake pres
sure to prevent t hat wheel from locking .
Thi s automatic adjustment process w ill cause a
slight vibrat ion of
t he bra ke ped al and some noises to aler t you th at vehicle s peed mus t
be adapted to existing road and traff ic conditions.
& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective , always remember that braking
capability i s limited by tire traction . Always adjust your driving
speed acco rding to the road and traffic condition s. Do not let the
extra safety afforded by the ABS tempt you into taking extra risk s.
T he ABS cannot overcome the laws of physics .
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
(I] Tips
•
If ABS is no t fun ct io ni ng prope rly, a wa rning light will come on .
See
=> page 17.
• If a fault occurs in the A BS, the EDL is also not functioning . This is
indicated by t he ABS warn ing light .•
Brake assist
Brake assist is designed to achieve the optimum braking
effect.
Bra ke ass ist helps to i ncrease the effe ctive br aking power and thus to
achieve a shorte r stopping distance . If the d river presses the brake
peda l very quickly, brake assist automatically boosts the bra king
force to the max imum level, up to the po int whe re the anti-lock b rake
function (ABS) intervenes to stop t he wheels from locki ng . You
should then keep the br ake peda l pressed unti l the veh icle has braked
to the required speed . Brake ass ist switches itself off as soon as you
re le ase the br ake pedal.
& WARNING
Please remember that the accident risk always increases if you
drive too fast , especially in corners or on a slippery road , or if you
follow the vehicle ahead of you too clo sely. Increased ri sk of an
accident cannot be compensated for even by brake assist , so
alway s maintain a safe speed .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data