Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be t urned off ("sup
pressed") if a child up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear -facing or for
ward -facing infant restra ints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed o n the front
passenger seat. Fo r a listing of the child re
straints that were used to certify compliance
with the US Safety Standard
q page 138.
The PASSENG ER AIR BAG OFF light in the in
strument panel tells you when the front Ad
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has bee n
turned off by the e lectronic control u nit.
Each t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight w ill come on for a
few seco nds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or ch ild
restraint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go off if the front passenger seat is oc
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat
q page 125, Monitor
ing the Advanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight
on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be tu rned off .
If the total weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old
chi ld but less than the weight of a sma ll
ad ult, the front airbag on the passenge r side
can dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
l igh t does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not
been turned off by the electronic control unit
and can dep loy if the control u nit senses an
impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
For example , the airbag may deploy if :
Airbag system 117
- a small ch ild that is heav ie r th an a typical 1
year -old chi ld is o n the front passenger seat
(regard less o f whether the child is in one o f
the child safety seats listed
q page 138), or
- a child who has outgrown child restraints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger ai rbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in
the instr ument cluster and stays on .
T he front airbag on the passenge r side may
not deploy (t he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate a nd stay lit) even if a
small ad ult o r teenager, or a passenger who is
not sitting upright with their back against a
non-recl ined backrest w ith their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front
passenger seat ¢
page 99, Proper seating po
sition for the driver.
If the front passenger airbag dep loys, the
Federa l Standard requ ires the airbag to meet
t h e "low risk" dep loyment criteria to reduce
t h e risk of injury th rough inte ract ion w ith the
airbag. "Low risk" deployment occurs in those
crashes that ta ke pla ce at lower dece le rat io ns
as de fined in the e lectronic co ntrol unit
¢ page 1 26, PASSENG ER AIR BAG O FF light.
Always remember, a c hild safety seat o r in fant
car rie r in st alled on the fron t seat may be
stru ck and kno cked ou t of po sitio n by the rap
i dly i nflat ing passenger 's airbag in a fronta l
collision. The ai rbag co uld great ly red uce the
effectiveness of the chi ld restraint and even
seriously in jure the child during inflation.
For t his reason, and because the back seat is
the safest place for c hildren - when proper ly
rest rained according to their age and size -we
strong ly recommend that chi ldren a lways sit
i n the back seat¢
page 136, Child Safety .
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety
seat ins talled on the fron t passenger seat
will be ser io us ly injure d and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad-
v anc ed Airbag System . ..,_
•
•
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 119 Lo cation of dri ver airbag: in steering whee l
Fig. 120 Loca tion of front passe nger's ai rb ag : in the in
strument panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured . The safety belts
for the front seats have "pretensioners" that
help to take slack out of the belt system. The
pretensioners are also activated by the elec
tronic control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
in a crash .
The airbag for the driver is in the steer ing
wheel hub¢
fig. 119 and the airbag for the
front passenger is in the instrument panel
¢
fig. 120. The general location of the airbags
is marked "AIRBAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the air
bags in your vehicle . We urge you to read the
Airbag system 119
detailed information about airbags, safety
b elts and child safety in this and the other
chapters that make up the owner's literature .
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in
fants and small children.
A WARNING ,.;;
Never rely on airbags alone for protection .
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide
only supplementa l protect ion.
- Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts
and make sure that everybody in your ve
hicle is properly restrained.
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, es
pecially infants and small children, will re
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil
led by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates .
- Altho ugh the Advanced Airbag System in
your veh icle is designed to turn off the
front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
that deployment under these special
conditions is imposs ible in all conceiva
ble situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy
in accordance with the "low risk" option
under the U .S. Federal Standard if a child
that is heavie r than the typical one-year
old child is on the front passenger seat
and the other conditions for airbag de
ployment are met .
- Accident statistics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
- For its own safety, a child should always
ride properly restrained for its age and
size.
-
-The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
arm rest, door or roof.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does no t come on and stay on, im
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
&_ WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a crash by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by being pushed into you as the a irbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on
your lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air
bags dur ing braking or other sudden ma
neuver and become dange rous projec
t il es that can cause serious personal in
jury if the airbags inflate.
- Never place o r attach accessories or oth
er objects (such as cup ho lders, tele
phone brackets, large, heavy or b ulky ob
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could cause injury in a crash, es
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects. Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or
the front airbag dur ing braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air
bags can be come project iles and cause
injury, part icularly when the seat is re
cl ined.
-
A irbag sys tem 125
&_ WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
with a history of as thma or other breath
ing cond itions.
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma o r other respiratory
conditions s hou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting o ut of the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and fa ce with
mild soap and wate r before eating.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust in to your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
fl~ Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG O FF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag System (includ ing the
electron ic co ntro l unit, sensor circu its and sys
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is function ing properly
whenever the ignition is on. Each time you
turn on the ignition, the airbag mon itoring in
dicator light
I will come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics).
Th e syste m mu st b e in spected when the
indicator light
I :
- does not come on when the ignition is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator light wi ll first start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
llo-
•
•
136 Child Safety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The physical princip les of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash app ly also to children
c:> page 108, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fully developed . In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully devel
oped, they require restraint systems especial
ly designed for the ir s ize, weight, and body
structure . Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
l aws requ iring the use of approved ch ild re
straint systems for infants and small children.
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/ h) the fo rces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
Child restra ints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp
erly, they can increase the risk of ser ious in
ju ry in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your ch ild's s ize
c:> page 139, Impor
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARN INGS
about child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in chi ld re
straints are on the front passenger seat. Be
cause of the large amount of important infor- mation, we cannot repeat it all here
. We urge
you to read the detailed information in this owner's manua l about airbags and the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport
ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they
are extremely importa nt for your safety and
the safety of you r passengers, especially in
fants and small chi ldren.
A WARNING
-
A ll vehicle occupants and especially chi l
dren must be restrained properly whenev
e r riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or
improperly restrained child could be in
jured by str ik ing the interior or by being
ejected from the veh icle dur ing a sudden
maneuver or impact. An unrestra ined or
i mproperly restra ined child is also at great
er risk of injury or death through contact
with an inflat ing airbag.
_& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags c an be ser ious ly in
ju red or even ki lled when an airbag in
f lates. A child in a rearward-fac ing child
safety seat insta lled on the front passen
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the backrest, door or
roof.
- Never install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
un less the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on. If the PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OF F
light does not
come on and stay on, have the airbag
system inspected immediately by you r
Audi deale r.
.
148 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts .
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during normal vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually 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 downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Program (ESP)
General
The Electronic Stability Program increases
driving stability.
With ESP, control over the vehicle is increased
in situations when the vehicle is close to the
limits of grip, such as during acceleration and
in curves . ESP reduces the risk of skidding and
improves vehicle stability under all road con
ditions.
It operates at all speeds.
The Anti -Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic
Differential Lock (EDS) and Anti-Slip Regula
tion System (ASR) are integrated in the Elec
tronic Stability Program .
How ESP works
The ESP control unit processes the following
data from high-sensitive sensors : the rota
tional speed of the vehicle about its vertical
axis , fore-and-aft and lateral acceleration
forces, brake pressure and steering angle.
Using steering angle and vehicle speed, the
direction the driver wishes to travel is deter
mined and continuously compared with actual
vehicle behavior. If the two do not match, for
example when the vehicle begins to skid, ESP
brakes the appropriate wheel automatically.
The vehicle is stabilized again by the forces
acting on the wheel during braking. With an
oversteering vehicle (tendency for the rear end to skid out of the curve), the brake appli
cation is mainly at the front wheel on the out
side of the curve, with an understeering vehi
cle (tendency to run wide in the curve) at the
rear wheel on the inside of the curve or addi
tionally at the other wheels as needed. This
brake application is accompanied by noises.
ESP works in conjunction w ith ABS
~ page 153. If there is malfunction in the
ABS, ESP is also inoperative.
Automatic mod e (normal operat ion)
- Automatic deployment: At a speed of about
75 mph (120 km/h), the rear spoiler deploys
automatically .
- Automatic retraction: When speed drops be
low abo ut SO mph (80 km/h), the rear spoil
er retracts automatically.
Manual mode
- Manua l dep loyment: Tapping briefly on the
switch
¢ fig. 131 dep loys the rear spo iler .
- Manual retraction: At speeds up to about 10
mph (20 km/h), retract the rear spoiler by
pressing and holding the switch ¢
fig. 131.
At speeds between 10 mph (20 km/h) and
75 mph (120 km/h), retract the rear spoi ler
by tapping on the switch
¢ fig. 131 .
A WARNING
Driv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler dep loyed can impair handling char
acteristics, making the vehicle harder to
control.
- Always make sure that the spoiler is de·
ployed whe n driving at speeds over 85
mp h (140 km/h) . If the rea r spo ile r
wa rning/ind icator light in the instru
ment cluster comes on, the rear spo iler
may not have dep loyed.
- Never drive at speeds hig her than 85
mp h (1 40 km/h) if the spoiler is not de
ployed. Have the spoi ler inspected as
soon as possible by an authorized A udi
dealer or qualified workshop .
- Always obey speed limits and other traf
fic laws.
A WARNING
Improper operation of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries .
- Always make sure that nobody, especia lly
children, is in the way when the rear
spoiler is deployed or retracted.
Q) Note
Never push the vehicle o r apply fo rce to
the rear spoiler -it could be damaged.
Int ellig ent technolog y 151
(D Tips
Clean the spoiler compa rtment every 2 to
3 months. The spoiler compartment must
a lways be free of ice, snow, leaves or other
debr is .
Braking
General information
What affects braking efficiency?
Ope rating condition s and driving h abits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still
subject to wear, depending largely on operat
ing condit ions and driving habits ¢.&, . On ve
hicles that a re either dr iven mostly in stop
and-go city t raff ic or are dr iven hard, the
brake pads should be chec ked by yo ur author
ized Audi dea ler mo re often than specified in
the
W arranty & Maintenanc e boo klet. Failure
to have your brake pads inspected can result in reduced brake performance .
On steep slopes, you should use the braking
effect o f the engine . This way, you prevent un
necessary wear on the brake system. If you
must use your brakes, do not hold the brakes
down cont in uous ly. Pump the brakes at inter
vals.
Noises may occur when braking depending on
the speed, braking force and o utside condi
tions such as temperature and humid ity.
Moisture o r ro ad s alt
U nder certa in conditions, for examp le, when
driving through water or very heavy rain , or
even after washing your vehicle, the b raking
effect can be reduced due to moist ure (or in
freezing cond itions ice) on the brake pads. A
few cautious brake applications should dry off
the brake pads or remove any ice coatings .
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road and t he brakes are not used. L ikewise,
you clean off accumulated salt coating from brake d iscs and pads with a few cautious ap-
plications of the b rake ¢ .&, .
IJJ,
•
•
162 Cleaning and protection
Cleaning and
protect ion
General information
Regular care preserves vehicle value .
Any automobile is exposed to industr ial
f umes, corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after pu rchase . Regula r and correct care w ill con
tr ibute to maintain ing the beauty and value of
your Aud i.
Furthermore , good care may be a condition
for substantiating a warranty claim should
corrosion damage or paint de fects occur.
Your authorized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedicated vehicl e-care products and can ad
v ise wh ich ones to use for cleaning the exter i
or and inte rior of your vehicle .
Whether you use produc ts recommended by
Aud i or other commercially ava ilable clean ing
agents, please make sure you apply t hem cor
r ectly .
A WARNING
-Cleaning agents may be poisonous. Keep
them o ut of t he rea ch of childre n.
- Heed a ll ca ution labels.
- Always read directions on th e co ntai ner
b efore using a ny product . Follow the di
rec tions caref ully.
- Most chemical cleaners a re concentrat ed
and have to be diluted.
- Use spot removing fluids only in well
ventilated areas.
- Do not use gasoline, kerosene, d iesel
fuel, nail pol is h remover or ot her volati le
fluids. They may be toxic, flammab le or
h azar dou s in other w ays. Do not was h,
w ax or dry the vehicle wi th the ig nit ion
on or the eng ine running .
- D o not cl ea n the under sides of ch assis,
f en ders, wheel cove rs , etc. without pro
tectin g your hands and a rms. You may
c u t yourself on s harp-ed ged metal parts . -
Moisture and ice on b rakes may impair
brak ing eff ic iency
c::> page 151 , General
information.
Test the brakes carefully
each time you wash t he vehicle .
@ For the sake of the environment
Select on ly environ mentally friendly clean
i ng products. Leftover cleaning products
s hou ld not d isposed of in the househo ld
waste .
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protects the vehicle .
The best p rotection against environmen tal i n
fluences is
frequent wash ing and waxing . How
often t his is requi red depends o n:
- How much t he ve hicle is used
- Whe re the veh icle is parked (garage, i n the
open under trees, etc.)
- The seasona l and weather conditions
- Environmental infl uences
T he longer b ird d roppings, inse cts, tree res in,
r oad and indus trial grime, ta r, soo t, road salt
and other mater ials remain on the vehicle
paint, the more lasting t heir destr uctive ef
f ects w ill be .
Hig h tempera tures, as from e xpos ure to in
tense sun light, intensify the co rrosive e ffect
part icu lar ly when humidity is high as well.
Un der certa in ci rcumstances,
weekly w ashing
may be ne cessary. Un der othe r cond it ions , a
mon thly washing and waxing may be a de
quate.
After the winter, the unders ide of the vehicle
sho uld be thoro ughly washe d pre ferab ly in a
pro fessional ca r wash.
A WARNING ~
A lways read and heed all WARNINGS a nd
the information
c::> page 162.
Never dry windows with the same chamois
that you use to dry painted surfaces . Wax resi
due on the chamois can impair vision through
the windows.
_& WARNING
- The windshield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can in
crease glare under poor visibility condi
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon. In addi
tion, they can cause the windshield wip
ers to chatter.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other information <=;>
page 162.
([) Note
-Never use warm or hot water to remove
snow and ice from windows and mirrors.
This could cause the glass to crack.
- To prevent damage to the wires of the
rear defogger, do not place any adhesive
stickers on the inside of the rear window
over the wires.
- To help prevent dirt from scratching the
window, always scrape in a forward di
rection -pushing the scraper away from
you -never back and forth.
Weatherstrips
Complete car care includes the weatherstrips
as well.
.,. Apply a suitable rubber conditioner to the
weatherstrips from time to time.
To be able seal properly, the weatherstrips
around the hood, doors, rear lid, etc. must re main pliable . Spray the weatherstrips with sil
icone or coat them with talcum powder or
glycerine to retain the flexibility of the rubber
and to protect them against freezing in the
winter .
_& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information
¢page 162.
Cleaning and protection 167
(D Tips
Keep silicone sprays off the windshield to
avoid wiper smear in rain.
Steel wheels
App lies to vehicles : wit h stee l w hee ls
The wheels also have to be cleaned.
.,. Always include the hub caps and wheel rims
when washing your vehicle to remove road
dirt, salt sprays and brake dust.
If necessary, use a commercial wheel cleaner
to remove accumulated brake dust.
The wheel rims are easier to keep clean if they
are regularly coated with liquid wax.
Paint scratches should be touched up as soon
as possible to prevent corrosion
¢ page 166,
Touch-up paint .
_& WARNING
-Moisture and ice on brakes may affect
braking efficiency-
¢page 151, General
information. Test the brakes carefully af
ter each vehicle wash.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
the information¢
page 162.
Cast (light) alloy wheels
Applies to vehicles : wi th Cas t alloy w hee ls
-
Cast (light) alloy wheels require special care .
.,. Wash the wheels with a sponge or hose
brush every other week .
.,. For deep cleaning afterwards, use only a
dedicated
acid-free cast alloy wheel cleaner .
.,. Rub a coat of
liquid wax onto the rims every
three month. Be sure to reach and treat all
parts of the rim.
To preserve the decorative appearance of the
cast alloy wheels, some special care is neces
sary. In addition to road dirt and salt, brake
dust is also corrosive. If left on for too long,
brake dust can cause pitting. .,..
•
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