2011 AUDI A6 warning

________________________________________________ D_ r_ i_ v _i_n ""'g "-- S_a_ f_ e_ l _,,y'-- __
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.
• 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. •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All
luggage and other objects must be properly stowed
and secured in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 169 Safe load
positioning : heavy
cargo positioned as far
forward as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can shift suddenly,
changing vehicle handling characteristics. Loose items can
also increase the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision.
- Distribute the load evenly in the luggage compartment.
- Always place and properly secure heavy items in the
luggage compartment as far forward as possible
=> fig. 169.
- Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided=>
page 84.
-Make sure that the rear seat back is securely latched in
place .
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 th e
vehicle c au sing seriou s per sonal injury in the event of hard braking
or an accident . To h elp reduce the risk of serious personal injury :
• Always put objects, for examp le, luggage or other heavy items
in the luggag e compartment .
• Alway s 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 ri sk of a loss of control leading to seriou s personal
injury:
• Always keep in mind when tran sporting heavy objects, that a
c hange in the center of gr avity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
-Always di stribute the load as evenly as po ssible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compart-
ment as po ssible.
• Never e xceed 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 (c on tinued )
• If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open , ob serve the
following note s to reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows ,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlet s in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation ,
- Set th e fresh air fan to the high est speed .
in. WARNING
Always make sure that the doo rs , all windows, the power roof*
and the rear lid are securely clo sed and locked to reduce the risk of
i njury when the vehicle is not be ing 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 c rawl into the vehicle through the luggage
c ompartment and clo se 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 l et pa ssengers 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 d uce win dow fogging. Sta le air es capes
to the outside through vents in the trim panel, on the left s ide of the
lugg age compa rtmen t. B e sur e to keep these s lots free and ope n.
• Th e tire pressure m ust correspond to the load . The tire pressure is
shown o n the tir e pressu re label. The tire pressu re label is loc ated o n .,_

________________________________________________ D_ r_ i_ v _i_n ""'g "-- S_a_ f_ e_ l _,,y'-- __
the dr iver's side 8-p illar (v isib le when the door is open). The tire pres­
s u re label lists t he recommen d end cold t ire infl ation pressures fo r
the vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and t he tires that were on
yo ur vehicle at the time it was ma nufact ured. For recommended ti re
pressures for normal load cond it ions, please see chapter
=> page 299. •
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equi pped with f our tie­
downs to secur e luggage and other items.
Use the t ie-downs to sec ure yo ur cargo prope rly => page 183,
"Load ing the luggage compartment" .
In a co llision, the laws of physics mean that even sma ller items that
are loose i n the vehicle will become heavy m issiles t hat can c ause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess energy wh ich vary w ith
vehicle speed and the we igh t o f the i tem. Vehi cle spee d is t he m ost
significant factor.
For examp le, in a frontal coll ision at a spee d of 30 mph (48 km/h),
the forces acting on a 10- lb (4 .5 kg) object are abo ut 20 times the
normal weight of the item . T his means that t he weight of t he item
wou ld s uddenly be abo ut 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the inju­
r ies that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying free ly throug h the passenge r
c ompa rtmen t cou ld cause in a collision lik e this.
& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure items to tie­
downs can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury .
• Always use suitable mounting strap s and prope rly 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 backrest is folded down, always use suit­
able mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
in the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying
forward as dangerous missil es into the passenger compartment.
• Never attach a child safety seat tether strap to a tie -down. •
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your veh icle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury
or death , you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety Admini stration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investig ation, and if it find s that a
safety d efe cts exist s in a group of vehicle s, it
ma y order a rec all 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 th e Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
or write to:
Administrator
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_____________________________________________ S_a _f _e _t _y _b_ e_lt _ s __ __
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 .
IJ,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ 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 c hildren with a child rest raint system appropria te
fo r the size and ag e.
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 wa rning tone for a certa in period of t im e.
Fasten your safety belt and ma ke sure that your passenge rs also
properly put on their safety belt s.
& WARNING
• Safety belts are the singl e most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile a cci­
dents . For your protection and that of your pas senger s, always
co rrectly wear safety belts when the vehicle is mo ving .
• Failure to pay attention to the warning light that come on,
could lead to personal injur y.
u
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very stron g forc es for people
riding i n vehi cles.
Fig . 171 Unbe lted
o ccupa nts in a vehicle
h eadin g for a w all
Fig . 1 72 The ve hicle
cr as hes int o t he w all
T he p hys ica l pr inc iples are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen­
gers possess energy which var ies wit h veh icle speed and body weight.
Enginee rs ca ll t his ene rgy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the veh icle and the greater the vehicle's
we ight, the more energy that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most sig nifican t fa ctor. If t he speed doubles
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times! .,

__ _:::S:.::a :..:f...:e :.:t::1y ~ b:..:e:.: l:.: t :.:s :._ ____________________________________________ _
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to brace the
body in a minor collision . It's simply n ot true!
F ig. 175 Driver is
correct ly re str ain ed in
a s udden b rakin g
m ane uver
Safe ty belts used properly can make a big d ifference. Safe ty belts
help to keep passengers in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, an d help prevent the uncon trolled
movement that can cause serious injuries. In add it ion, safety belts
red uce the danger of be ing t hrown ou t of the vehicle .
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and give them the benefit of
being slowed down more gently or "softly" through the "give" in the
safety belts, crush zones and othe r saf ety features engine ered into
today's vehicles. By "absorb ing" the kinetic energy over a longer
per iod of time , the safety belts m ake the forces on the body more
"tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Altho ugh these examples are based on a fronta l collision, safety belts
can also s ubstant ially red uce the risk of injury in other ki nds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to the corner
sto re, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Acc ident statis­
tics show that vehicle occupants properly wear ing safety belts have a
lower ris k of bei ng inj ured and a mu ch better cha nce of s urviv ing an
acc ident . Properly using safety belts also greatly increases the ability
of the supp lemen tal air bags to do the ir job in a coll is ion. For this
reason, wearing a safety bel t is lega lly requ ired in most coun tries
including muc h of the Un ited States and Canada. Altho
ugh your Audi is equ ipped with a irbags, you still have to wear
t he safe ty belts provided. Fron t air bags, for ex ample, are a ctiv ate d
only in some frontal collisions . T he front a irbags are not act ivated in
all frontal co llisions, in s ide and rear coll isio ns, in roll overs or in cases
where there is not enough decelerat ion thro ugh impact to the front
of the vehicle . The same goes for the other airbag systems in yo ur
Audi. So, always wea r your safety be lt and make su re everybody in
your vehicle is properly restrained!
Important safety Instructions about safety
belts
Safety b elts must always be correctly positioned across
the strongest bones of your body .
-Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
this chapter .
- Make sure that your safety belts are always ready for use and are not damaged .
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts o r wearing them improperly inc reases
the risk of s eriou s personal injury and death . Safety belts can work
only when u sed correctl y.
• Alway s fasten your safety belts correctly bef ore driving off and
make sure all passengers are corre ctly restrained.
• For ma ximum protection , safety belts must alw ays be posi ­
ti oned properly on the body.
• Never strap more than one person , including small children ,
into any belt .
• Never place a safety belt o ver a ch ild sitting on you r lap .
• Alway s keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven.
~

& 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 271,
"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

alll!II Safety belts Pffl _______________ _
-Ins ert t he tongue into the correct buckle of your seat unti l
you hear it latch secure ly=> fig. 176 .
- Pull on t he be lt to make sure t hat it is secure ly latched in
the buck le.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety be lt is equipped with an automatic be lt retractor on the
shoulder bel t. This fea ture locks the be lt whe n the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an acc ident. The belt may also lock
w hen you dr ive up or dow n a s teep hill or throug h a sharp curve.
During norma l dr iving the belt lets you move freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety bel ts are equipped w ith a belt pretensioner that helps to
t ighten the s afety be lt and remove sla ck when the pre tensioner is
act ivated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a warn ing
light =>
page 14.
Switchable locking featu re
Eve ry sa fe ty be lt exc ep t the one on the driver sea t is e quipped wi th a
switchable locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be s ure to read t he import ant info r­
mation about this feature=>
page 229.
& WARNING
Improperly positio ned safety belts can cause serious injury in a n
accident =>
page 192, "Safety belt po sition ".
• Safety belts offer optimum p rote ction onl y when the seat back
i s upright and belts are properly positioned on the body .
• Always make sure th at the rear seat backre st to which the
center rear safety b elt is attached i s securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used. If the ba ckrest is not securely
latch ed, the passenger will move forward with the ba ckrest during
sudden br aking, in a s udden maneu ve r and e speci ally in a crash.
& WARNING (contin u ed )
• Never atta ch the safety belt to the buckle fo r another seat.
Attaching the b elt to the w rong buckle will reduce safety belt
effecti veness and can cause serious personal injury.
• A pass enger who is not properly restr ained can be s eriou sly
injured by the safety belt it self when it move s from the stronger
parts of th e body into critical
areas like the abdomen.
• Alway s lock the convertible locking retractor when y ou are
securing a child safety seat in the vehicle=>
page 231. •
Safety belt position
Correct belt posi tion is the key to get ting maximum
protection from safety belts .
Fig. 17 7 Hea d
re stra int an d safe ty
belt posi tio n as se en
fro m the s ide
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust the position of the
safety belt to match your body size.
• belt height adj ustment for the fro nt seats,
• automatic belt height adjustment for the rear seats .