66 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General recommen
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so
important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjust ing the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger . Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is prope rly supported thus reduc
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and airbag system can offe r
maximum protection
¢ page 115 .
In the following sec tions, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust you r seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat. Always heed the informa
tion rega rd ing child safety provided in
¢ page 136, Child Safety .
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury.
- Always keep your feet on the floor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush
ion! This applies espec ially to the passen
gers .
If your seating position is incorrect
you increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident.
If the
airbag infla tes and the seating position
is incorrect this could result in personal
injury or even death.
- It is import ant for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between them
selves and the steering wheel and/or in
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can
not protect you properly . In addition to
this, the front seats and head restra ints
must be adjusted to your body height so
that they can give you max imum protec
tion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the s teer
ing wheel or instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r fron t pa s
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpected ly, caus
ing sudden loss of vehicle contro l and
personal injury . If you ad just yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's
seat in the fo llowing manner:
.,. Adjust the seat in fo re and aft direction so
t ha t you can easily p ush the peda ls to the
floor wh ile keeping your knee slightly bent
i::> A in Why is your seat adjustment so im
portant? on page
66 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.,. Posit io n the head restraint according to the
occupant 's height
<=:>page 70 . For maxi
mum protection, t he top of the head re
s t raint shou ld be a t least at eye level, pref
erab ly higher and idea lly level with the top
of the head
¢ page 101, fig. 109 .
A WARNING "--
Never place any objects in the dr iver's foot-
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal function. In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
wo uld not be able to brake or accelerate!
98 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as for that of your passengers.
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures desc ribed in this sec tions may be
standa rd equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Make certain that you follow the instruc
t ions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the
interest of your passengers .
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r
mation will a lways be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if yo u have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a lis ting o f just a
few of the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- safety belt pre-tensione rs,
- fro nt airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- ad justab le steering column .
T hese ind iv idual safety features can wor k to
ge ther as a sys tem to he lp p rotec t you and
you r passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot wo rk as a system if
they are not always p roper ly adjusted and
properly used!
Safet y is everybody's re sponsibilit y!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For yo ur safe ty and the safety of you r passen
gers,
befor e driving alwa ys:
"' Make s ure that all lights and signa ls are op
erati ng correctly .
"' Ma ke su re t hat the t ire p ressu re is co rrec t.
"' Mak e su re that all windows are clean and a f
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide.
"' Sec ure all luggage and other items caref ully
I:!) page 7 3.
"'Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
"' Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
"' Inst ruct passe ngers to adjust the head re
st raints accord ing to the ir height .
"' Ma ke sur e to use the r igh t chi ld restraint
correc tly to protect c hild ren
¢ page 136,
Child Safety .
"'Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
I:!) page 66,
General recommendations. .,_
100 Driving Safely
• Grasp the top of the steering wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as
possible but no lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
t::;> fig. 108 .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢page 67 .
.&_ WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in
flates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev
er lean against or place any part of your body too close to the area where the air
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are prop
erly restrained .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect
ed Ly and you could lose control of the ve
hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
t::;> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
t::;> page 115.
Proper seat ing 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 recom
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as possible but not lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
¢ page 101.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 66.
A WARNING 1-=
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air
bag 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 po
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un
folds 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 instru
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas
senger's knees and the lower part of 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 prop
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop
erly and can even increase the risk of in
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
c> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c> page 115.
Driving Safely 101
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 109 Corre ctl y adju sted head restra int vi ewe d fro m
the side
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
.. Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge of the restraint is level with the top of
your head, but no lower than eye level and
so it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
c> fig . 109.
Adjusting head restraints c> page 70 .
A WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad
justed increases the risk of serious or fatal
neck injuriy dramatically . To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the ve
hicle properly adjusts their head re
straint. Each head restraint must be ad
justed according to occupants' size so that the upper edge is as even with the
top of the person's head, but no lower
than eye level and so it is as close to the
back of to the head as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
•
•
102 Driving Safel y
must adjust the driver headrest for any
r eason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be
fore attempting to adjust the head re straint.
- Children must always be properly re
strained in a ch ild restraint that is appro
pr iate for their age and s ize <=>
page 136.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated .
Improper seating posit ions can ca use serio us
inj ury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body . Imprope r seat ing pos itions reduce the
effectiveness of safety be lts and will even in
crease the risk of i njury and death by moving
the safety bel t to critical a rea s of the body .
I mpro per sea ting posit io ns also i ncrease the
ris k of serious injury and dea th when an air
bag de ploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the prope r seat ing pos ition. A drive r is
respons ible for the safety of a ll vehicle occu
pants and especially for c hildren. Therefore:
• Never allow anyone to ass ume an inco rrect
seat ing position when the ve hicle is being
used <=>.&, .
The fo llowing bullets list only some sample
positions that wi ll increase the risk of ser ious
in ju ry and deat h. Our hope is that these exam
p les w ill make you more awa re of seating po
sitions that are dangero us.
The refore, whenever the vehicle is
moving :
- never stand up in t he vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- n ever ride w ith the seatbac k reclined
- n ever lie dow n on t he rear seat
- never lean up aga inst the inst rument pa nel
- never sit o n the edge of the seat
- never sit s ideways
- never lean out the w indow -
neve r put your feet o ut the window
- neve r pu t your feet on t he instr ument pane l
- neve r rest your feet on the seat cus hion or
back of the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the ca rgo area
.&_ WARNING
---Im proper sea ting posit ions increase the
r isk of ser ious persona l inju ry and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always ma ke sur e that all vehi cle occ u
pa nts stay in a proper seating position
a nd ar e prop erly rest rained whenever the
veh icle is being used.
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
.&_ WARNING ~
A lways make sure that the knee airbag can
i nflate witho ut interference. Objects be
tween yourself and the a irbag can increase
the r isk of injury in a n accident by interfer
i ng with the way the airbag deploys or by
b eing pushed into you as the airbag de
pl oys.
- No persons (children) or animals shou ld
rid e in t he footwell in front of the pas
s enger seat. If the ai rbag dep loys, this
c an result in ser ious or fatal in juries.
- No ob jec ts of any kin d should be carried
in the footwell area in fr ont of the driv
er 's or p assenge r's se at. B ulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham
pe r o r prevent proper deployment of the
airbag . Small ob jects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and inj ure you or your passenge rs.
-
110 Safety belts
-Never strap more than one person, in
cluding small children, into any single
safety belt.
- Neve r place a safety belt over a child sit
t ing on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv
en.
- Never let any person ride with feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve
hicle 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 wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi
tion.
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce their effectiveness.
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch
ing securely.
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt. Howev
er, special clips may be required for the
correct use of some child restraint sys
tems.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam
aged by being caught in door or seat hardware.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly.
If web
bing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt by an a uthor ized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop . Replacement may be necessa- ry
even if damage cannot be clearly seen.
Anchorages that were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repai r the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel
c::> page 172, Safety belts.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 115 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
c::> page 66, General recommenda
tions.
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even
ly across the chest and pelvis
c::> .&_.
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
c::>fig . 115.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat
ic be lt retractor on the shoulder belt . This fea
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident .
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
Airbag system Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job , occupants must al
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers, before driving off, always:
""Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 99,
"" Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 67 ,
""Wear safety be lts properly r::::> page 109,
""Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect children
r::::> page 136.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force.
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger are not
seated properly . Therefore in order to help the
airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
driver and as a passenger to s it properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supplemental protec
tion in certain frontal collisions
r::::> page 99,
Proper occupant seating positions. For details
on the operation of the seat adjustment con
trols ¢
page 67 and ¢ page 68.
It's especially important that children are
properly restrained
r::::> page 136.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen
ger can and must do to help the individua l
safety features installed in your Audi work to
gether as a system.
Proper seating pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver side can do its
job. If you have a physical impairment or con-
Airbag system 115
dition that prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the pedals, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or
operation of the Advanced Airbag System,
please contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer
CARE at 1-800-822-2834 for possible modifi
cations to your vehicle .
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener
ator will fill the a irbags, break open the pad
ded covers, and inflate between the steer ing
wheel and the driver and between the instru
ment panel and the front passenger. The air
bags will deflate immediately after deploy
ment so that the front occupants can see
through the windshield again without inter
ruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate with a great dea l of force and nothing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Front airbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc
cupant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver and passenger from
hitting parts of the inside the vehicle while re
ducing the forces acting on the occupant dur
ing the crash . In this way they help to reduce
the risk of injury to the head and upper body
in the crash. Airbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags wi ll not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system
depends on the vehicle dece leration rate
caused by the co llision and registered by the
electronic control unit. If this rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con
trol unit, the airbags will not be triggered,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a result of the collision . Veh icle damage, re
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is not necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inf late o r not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possible kind and ..,. •
•
116 Airbag sys te m
angle of im pact that will always trig ger the
airbags, since the circumstances wi ll vary con
siderably between one collision and another.
Important factors include, for example, the
nature (hard or soft) of the object which the
car h its, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc. The front airbags will also not inflate in
side or rear collisions, or in roll-overs .
Always remember : Airbags will deploy only
once, and only in certa in kinds of collisions.
Your safety belts are always there to offe r pro
tection in those s ituations in which airbags
a re not supposed to deploy, or when they have
a lready deployed; for example, when yo ur ve
h icle strikes or is st ruck by another after the
first collision .
This is just one of the reaso ns why an a irbag is
a supplementary restra in t and is no t a s ubst i
tute for a safety be lt. The airbag system
works most effective ly when used with the
safety be lts. Therefore, always properly wear
your safety belts¢
page 107.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing wheel or
instrument panel will decrease the effec
tiveness of the airbags and will increase
the risk of pe rsonal injury in a collision .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm)
to the stee ring wheel or instr ument pan
el.
- If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steer ing wheel, investi
gate whethe r adaptive equipment may
be available to held you reach the pedals
and incre ase your sea ting dis tance from
the steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing fo rward,
sitting sideways or out of posi tion in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- Yo u w il l a lso receive serio us in juries and
co uld even be killed if you are up against
the airbag or too close to it when it in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r is k of i njury when an air
bag inf lates, a lways wear safety belts
properly
c::> page 110, Safety belts .
-If ch ildren are not properly restra ined,
they may be severely injured or killed
when an airbag inflates.
- Never let ch ildren ride unrestrained or
improperly restrained in the vehicle. Ad
just the fro nt seats properly.
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer ing whee l or the instrument pane l
¢ page 99, Proper occupant seating po
sitions.
- Always sit uprig ht with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the f loor in front of the seat to
he lp prevent serio us in ju ries to the legs
a nd h ips if the airbag inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags that have deployed i n a crash must
b e repla ced.
- Use on ly or ig inal equipment airbags ap
p roved by Aud i and installed by a trained
technici an who has the necessa ry too ls
an d diagnost ic equipment to properly re
p lace any airbag in your vehicle an d as
sure system effectiveness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled air
bags to be installed in yo ur vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.. Be sure to read the important information
and head the WARNINGS for important de
tails about children and Advanced A irbags
¢page 136.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly dange rous place fo r a
c hi ld to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place fo r a child in a fo rward-facing child safe
ty seat.
It can be a very d angerous p lace for a n
infant or a chi ld in a rearw ard-f acing seat.
T he Advanced A irbag System in you r vehicle
has been ce rtified to comply wit h the Require
ments of Un ited States Fede ral Motor Vehicle .,.