2011 AUDI A6 ABS

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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 .,_

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-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! .,

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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.
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& WARNING (conti nued)
• Airbag work mo st effectivel y when us ed with p roperly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your veh icle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
c hildren, will receive seriou s 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 a irbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible 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
hea vier than the t ypical one-year old child is on the front
passeng er seat and the other condition s for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position .
• For their own safety, all children , especially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly res trained for
their age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance wit h Unit ed St ates Fe d er al Motor Vehi cle Safe ty Standar d
208 as applicab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured . The front Advanced A
irbag System supplements the safety belts to
prov ide ad ditional prote ct ion for th e d river's and front passenger's
heads and uppe r bodies in fro nta l crashes. The ai rbags i nflate only in
fronta l impacts when the vehicle dece leration is high enoug h.
Th e front Adva nced A irbag Sys tem for the fron t seat oc cupan ts is not
a s ubstitute for your safety be lts. Rathe r, it is part o f the overall occu­
p an t restr aint sy stem in y our ve hicl e. Always remembe r that the
airbag system ca n only help to protect you, if you are sitting upr ight,
we aring your sa fe ty be lt and we aring it prope rly. T his is why you and
your passengers must always be properly restra ined, not just because
t he law requires you to be.
Th e A dvan ced A irbag Syst em in your veh icle has been c ertified to
meet the "low r isk" req uir ements fo r 3 an d 6 year-old c hildren on the
pas senge r side and ve ry small ad ults o n the dr ive r side. T he low r is k
dep loyment cr iteria a re intended to help reduce the risk of injury
t hroug h in teraction wi th the front a irbag tha t can oc cur, fo r ex am ple,
by being too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel whe n
t he air bag i nflates .
In add it ion , the system has been cert ified to comply with t he
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
front airbag for infants 12 mont hs old and young er w ho are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child restra ints that are
listed in the Standard=>
pag e 221, "Child restra ints and A dvan ced
Airbags".
"Su pp ression" req uires t he front a irbag on the passenger side to be
t ur ned off if:
• a child up to about one year of age is restra ined on the front
passenge r seat in one of t he rear-faci ng or forwa rd-facing infant
restraints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w it h
w hich the Adv anced Airbag Sys tem in yo ur vehicle w as ce rt ified. Fo r a
list ing of the child restra ints that were used to certify your vehicle's
c omp li a nce with the US Safety Stand ard =>
page 22 1,
• weight less than a thresho ld level stored in the contro l unit is
detec ted on t he fro nt p assenger se at.

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When a perso n is detected on t he front passenger seat, weigh ing
more th an t he tot al we igh t of a ch ild t hat i s abo ut 1 ye ar old
restra ined in o ne of the rea r-facing or forward-fac ing infant
restra ints (liste d in Fed eral Moto r Ve hicl e Safety Stan dard
20 8 with
w hic h the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle was c ert ified), the
front airbag on the passenge r side may o r may not dep loy.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on when the ele ct ro nic
control u nit detects a total weig ht on t he front passenger seat that
re qui res t he fr on t air bag t o be tur ned o ff. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht does not come on, the fro nt airbag o n the passenger
s ide has not been turned of f by the con trol un it and can dep loy i f the
cont rol un it se nses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
If the tota l weight on the fro nt passenger sea t is more than that of a
typical
1 year-o ld, but less than the weight of a small adult, t he front
a irbag o n the p assenge r si de may dep loy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on).
For example , the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child tha t is heav ie r th an a typical 1 year-old child is on t he
front passenger seat (regard less of whet he r the ch ild is in one of the
c hild s afe ty sea ts listed=>
page 2 21 ),
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the fro nt passenger
se at.
If the front passe nger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
ligh t in the center o f the i nstr ument pa nel will come on and s tay
on .
T he front airbag on the passenger side may
not dep loy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not illum inate and s tay lit) if:
• a small adu lt or teenager is on the fro nt passenger seat
• a p assenge r w ho is not si tt ing upri ght w it h t hei r ba ck again st a
non -reclined backrest with their feet on the veh icle floo r in front of
t he seat is on the fro nt pa ssenge r seat .
If the fro nt passenger airbag deploys, the Federa l Standard requ ires
t he a irb ag to mee t the " low r is k " deployme nt c riter ia to help reduce
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
the
risk of i njury t hrough interaction with t he a irbag. "Low r isk"
dep loyment o ccurs in t hose cra sh es t hat tak e p lace at lowe r decele r­
ations as defi ned in the elect ronic contro l u ni t.=>
page 208
Always remember: Even thou gh your vehicle is eq uipped with
Advanced A irbag s, th e sa fe st pla ce for childre n is properly res trained
on the back seat. Please be sure to rea d th e important informat io n i n
t he sec tio ns tha t foll ow and be su re to heed all of the WAR NIN GS.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts p roperly .
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of position in any way , your ri sk of injury is much higher.
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag=>
page 197.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front
pas senger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward-facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat, nobody
can absolutely guarantee that deployment is impossible in all
c onceivable situations that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
c hild against the backre st, center armre st, door , or roof .
• Always install rearward-facing child restraints on the back
seat.
9"'
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (conti nued)
• Always make sure that the side a irbag can inflate without
interference :
- Never in stall seat covers or replacement uphol stery over the
front seatbacks that have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use addit ional se at cushions that cover the areas
where the side ai rbags inflate.
- Damage to the or iginal seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an author ized Audi dealer.
• The airbag system can be activated only on ce. After an airbag
has inflated, it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the techni cal information, t raining
and special equipment necessary.
• The airbag sy stem can be deploy ed only once. After an airbag
has been dep loyed , it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved e specially for your Audi model
version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or a irbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops onl y.
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• For s afety reason s in s evere accidents, the alternator and
starter are separated from the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic
circuit interrupter.
-Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is sc rapped , all appli ­
cable safety precautions must be followed.
W For the sake of the environment
Un deployed ai rbag modu les and p retensione rs might be class ified as
Perch lorate Mate rial -special handling may apply, see
www.dts c.ca.gov/ha za rdouswas te/pe rchlorate. When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing airbag modules and saf ety
be lts wi th p retens ioners are sc rappe d, all applicable laws an d regu la ­
tions must be observed. Yo ur authorized Aud i dealer is familiar w ith
t hese requi reme nts and we recommend tha t yo u have yo ur dealer
perform th is service for you. •
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Chang ing the vehicle's suspension system can change the way that
t h e Advan ced Airbag System pe rforms in a cr ash . For e xamp le, usi ng
tire-rim combinations not app roved by Audi, lowering the vehicle,
c hang ing the stiffness o f th e suspension, incl uding the sp rings,
suspension struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the forces that
are meas ured by the a irbag sensors and sent to the ele ct ronic contro l
unit . Some suspension changes can, fo r exam ple, increase the force
levels measured by the senso rs and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which i t would not deploy if the changes had no t been
ma de . Other kinds of changes may reduce the force levels meas ured
by the sensors and p revent the airbag from dep loying when it should.
T he sensors in the safety belt b uckle for the drive r and front
p as senge r se at tell the e lectroni c cont rol mo dule if the sa fe ty belt is
latched or not . If the safety belt is being used, t he front a irbag w ill
dep loy a t a s lightly h igher r ate o f vehicle decele ration t han if t he
safety belt is not be ing used . Therefo re, in a par ticular collis io n, it is
possible that an a irba g w ill not dep loy at a seating position where the
safety belt is being used but w ill inflate at the posit ion where the
safety belt is not be ing use d. It is im portant that nothing interfere
w it h t he safety belt bu ckles so that t he sensors can se nd the co rrect
info rmation about safety be lt use to the electronic contro l unit.
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- Always make sure that the child can properly wear the lap
portion of the belt low across the thighs or pelvis and
never over the stomach or abdomen.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or 18 kg) are best
protected in child safety seats designed for their age and we ight.
Experts say that the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed , and they must not use the
vehicle safety belts without a suitable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appropriate booster seats.
Be sure the booster seat meets all appl icable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the child and reposition
both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The routing of the belt over
the child's body is very important for the child's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used . Children age 12 and under must always
ride in the rear seat.
Chi ldren who are at least 4 ft. 9 in . (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall can
generally use the vehi cle's three point lap and shoulder belts. Never
use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone to restra in
any child, regardless of how big the child is. Always remember that
children do not have the pronounced pelvic structure required for the
proper function of lap belt portion of the vehicle 's three point lap and
shoulder belts . The chi ld's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as possible
around the pelvis . Never let the lap belt portion of the safety belt
pass over the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash , airbags must inflate within a blink of an eye and with
cons iderable force . In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to
inflate so that it will be there to protect the occupa nt as the occupant
moves forward into the a irbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too close to the airbag
ge ts in the way of an inflat ing airbag . When an occupant is too close,
he or she will be struck violently and will receive serious or possibly
even fatal injury. In order
for the airbag to offer protection, it is important t hat all
vehicle occupants, especially any children, who must be in the front
seat because of exceptional c ircumstances, be properly restrained
and as far away from the airbag as possible. By keeping room
between the child's body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and provide supplemental
protection in certain frontal collisions.
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster seat improperly, incor­
rectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety belt
improperly increases the risk of serious personal injury and death
in a collision or other emergency situation. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury and/or death:
• Always make sure to position the shoulder portion of the three­
point belt over the middle of child's shoulder.
• Never let the shoulder portion of the belt rest against or across
the neck, face, chin, or throat of the child.
• Always make sure the lap belt portion of the three-point belt is
worn snug and passes as low as possible across the child's pelvis.
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route safety belts over a child's body will
cause severe injuries in an accident or other emergency situation
~page 187.
• The rear side of the booster seat should be positioned as close
as possible to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or remove
the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to install the child seat
with the head restraint in place
~ page 81 . Install the head
restraint again immediately once the child seat is removed.
Driving without head restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramatically.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates.

Intelligent technology
'-----------------------------------------------
Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieva l after an accident or crash event. ED R's are
sometimes called "crash recorders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored
by ED R's that were installed in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped w ith
a number of electronic control modu les for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emission control, as well as for
the airbags and safety belts.
T hese electronic contro l modules also record vehicle-re lated data
during normal vehicle operation for diagnostic and repair purposes .
Th e recording capacity of the e lectronic control modu les is limited to
data (no sound is recorded) and only a sma ll amount of data is actu­
ally recorded over a very limited period of time and stored when a
system fault or other condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction, braking
as well as restraint system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and down­
loaded with special equipment.
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP)
General information
The ESP improves the vehicle stability.
l, I
Fig. 201 Center
console with ESP
switch
ESP is des igned to help you maintain vehicle control in s ituations
where the car approaches the limits of "grip", especia lly when accel­
erat ing and cornering. ESP reduces the risk of skidd ing and imp roves
stability under all road conditions.
Th e system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system. If the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) malfunc­
tions, the ESP will also shut down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)
and the Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) are integrated in the elec­
tronic stabilizatio n pro gram. In addition to the data provided by
these funct ions, the ESP control unit requires additional measure­
ment data provided by high performance sensors. The rotational
speed of the vehicle about its vertical axis, veh icle acceleration in the ...