144 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 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
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r 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 always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce 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 inj ury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts for d rive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- be lt fo rce limi ters fo r the seats,
- be lt p retensioners for the seats,
- head restra ints for each seating posit io n,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain a irbags,
- specia l LATCH an chorages for child re-
s tr aints,
- ad justab le steer ing colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to
gether as a system to he lp protect you and
you r passengers in a w ide range of accidents .
T hese fe atures canno t work as a system if
they a re not always correct ly adjusted and co r
rect ly used.
Safety i s everybody' s respon sibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
Fo r yo ur safety and the safety of you r passen
gers,
before driv ing alway s:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals a re op
erati ng correctly .
.,. Make su re that the tire pressu re is co rrect .
.,. Make su re that all w indows are clean and
afford good v is ib il ity to the o utside.
.,. Sec ure a ll lugg age and o ther items caref ully
qpage 76 .
.,. Make s ure that nothing can interfere with
the peda ls .
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir
rors correc tly for your height.
.,. Instruct passenge rs to adjust the head re
straints according to the ir height .
.,. Make su re to use the right child restraint
co rrectly to p rotect chi ldren ¢
page 186,
Child Safety. "'
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
d river and front passenger seat tell the elec
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not. If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will deploy at a slightly high
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par
ticular collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not deploy at a seating position where the safety belt is being used but will inflate at the
position where the safety belt is not being
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sen
sors can send the correct information about
safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
.&_ WARNING
Changing the vehicle 's suspension includ
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina
tions can change Advanced Airbag per
formance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance
Airbag system 177
characteristics as the components origi
nally installed on your vehicle .
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
.&_ WARNING
= -
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the buckle to send the
wrong information to the electronic con
trol module and prevent the Advanced Air bag System from working properly.
-Always make sure that nothing can inter-
fere with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 179 Driver 's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
Q fig . 179, the knee airbag for the passenger
is at about the same height in the instrument
panel underneath the glove compartment .
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also deploy in frontal collisions when the de ployment threshold stored in the control unit
I),-
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items wh ich may be rep laced)
of automa tic tra nsmission, power steering,
power br akes, power w indows, power sea ts,
radio, and heater, to the ex tent that these
items are avai lab le as factory -installed equip
ment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the rat io of the height to the w idt h of
the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower in
d icate a low sidewall fo r improved s teer ing re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement.
Bead
means the pa rt of the t ire t hat is made o f
s teel wires, wrapped o r rein force d by ply cor ds
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Cold tire infl ation pressure
means t he tire pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer for a t ire of a designated
size that has not been dr iven for more than a
couple of miles (kilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire pressure
i s measu red or adjusted.
Tire s an d wheel s 253
-If you notice un usua l vibration or if the
veh icle pulls to one side when driv ing, a l
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the wheels and tires for dam
age.
Curb weight
mea ns the we ight of a motor ve hicle w it h
standard equipment in cl ud ing t he maximum
capa city of fuel, o il, and coolant, ai r cond i
tion ing a nd addi tional weig ht o f optiona l
equipment .
Extra load tire
means a t ire design to operate at h igher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor
respondi ng s tanda rd tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "X L", "xl", "EXTRA LOA D", or
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR ")
mea ns the load-carry ing capac ity of a s ingle
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ( "GVWR ")
means the maximum total loaded we ight of
t h e ve hicle.
Groove
means the space between two adjacent tread
ribs.
Load rating (code )
means the maximum load tha t a t ire is rated
to carry for a given inflation pressure. Yo u
may not find this information on all tires be
ca use it is not required by law.
Maximum load rating
me ans the loa d ra ti ng f or a t ire at the maxi
mum pe rm issi ble inflat ion pressure for that
ti re .
•
•
...
A WARNING
Sudden tire failure can lead to loss of con
trol, a crash and serious personal injury!
- Never drive a vehicle when the tread on
any tire is worn down to the wear indica
tors.
- Worn tires are a safety hazard, they do
not grip well on wet roads and increase
your risk of "hydroplaning" and loss of
control.
- Always keep chemicals that can cause
tire damage, such as grease, oil, gasoline
and brake fluid away from t ires.
- Tires age even if they are not be ing used
and can fail suddenly, especially at high
speeds . Tir es that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then with special care and at lower
speeds.
- Never mount used tires on your vehicle if
you are not sure of their" previous histo
ry ." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
Tires and wheels 263
New tires and replacing tires and wheels
New tires and wheels have to be broken in .
Fig. 214 Tir e specificat ion codes on t he s idewall o f a
tire
No. Description
CD Passenger car tire (where applicable)
@ Nominal width of tire in millimeters
® Ratio of height to width (aspect ratio)
© Radial
® Rim diameter code
® Load index and speed rat ing
(f) U.S. DOT tire identification number
® Audi Original tire
® Sever snow conditions
@ Tire ply composition and materials
used
@ Maximum load rating
@ Treadwear, traction and temperature
grades
@ Maximum permissible inflation pres-
sure
The tires and rims are essential parts of the
vehicle's design . The tires and rims approved
by Audi are specially matched to the charac
teristics of the vehicle and can make a major .,.
•
264 Tire s and wheel s
contribution to good road ho lding and safe
handling when in good condition and properly
inflated ¢
,&.
We recommend that all work on tires and
wheels be perfo rmed by an authorized Audi
dea ler. They are familiar with recommended
proced ures and have the necessary spec ial
too ls and spare parts as well as the proper fa
cilities for disposing of the old tires.
Authorized Audi dealers have the necessary information about techn ica l requ irements for
installing or changing tires and r ims.
R eplacing t ires and whe els
Tires sho uld be rep laced at least in pairs and
not individua lly (for examp le both front tires
or both rear tires together).
Be sure to read and heed the information to
the tire pressure monitoring system*
¢page 270.
Always buy rep lacement radial tires that have
the same specifications as the tires approved
for your vehicle by Audi. Replacement t ires
must always have the same load rating speci
fication as the original equipment or approved
optional tires listed in the table
c:> page 256.
Aud i-approved specification ti res are specially
matched to your vehicle and its load limits,
and can contribute to the important road ho ld
ing, driving characteristics, and safety of the
vehicle. The table
(<:>page 256) lists spec ifica
tions of the tires approved for the Audi mod
els covered by your Owner's Literature .
The tire pressure labe l (On USA vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located on the driver's
side B-pillar. On Canada veh icles, the tire pres
sure label is located either on the driver's s ide
B-pillar or inside the fuel filler flap)
(¢page 256, fig. 211) lists the spec ificat ions
of the origina l equipment ti res installed on
your ve hicle a t the time it was manufactured.
Federal law requires t ire manufacturers to
p lace standard ized information on the s ide
wall of all tires
c:> fig. 214. This information
ident ifies and describes the fund amental characteristics, the q
uality grade of the ti re
and also provides a tire identification n umber
for safety standard certification and in case of
a reca ll.
Tire specification s
Knowledge of ti re specif ications makes it eas
ier to choose the co rrect tires. Radial tires
have the tire specifications marked on the
sidewa ll, for examp le:
P255 / 35 R1 9 96Y XL
This conta ins the following information :
P Indicates the tire is for passenger cars
(where app licab le)
2 55 Nom inal tire w idth in mm of the tire
from sidewall edge to sidewall edge. In
general, the larger the number, the wider
the tire
35 Height/w idt h ratio in percent (aspect ra-
t io)
R Tire construct ion: Radial
19 Rim diameter code (in inches)
96 Load rating code
Y Speed rating letter code
XL (or "xl", "E XTRA LOAD", or "RF" Indica tes
that the t ire is a"Re in forced" or an "Extra
Load" ti re
M+S (or "M/5") Indicates that the tire h as
some mud and snow capability
T he tires could also have the information of
direction of rotat io n ¢
page 252.
Tire manuf acturing date
The manufacturing date is also indicated on
the tire sidewall (possibly only on the
inner
side of the wheel):
"DOT ... 2209 ... "means, for example, that
the tire was produced in the 22nd week of
2009.
Speed rating (letter c ode )
The speed rating letter code on the whee ls in
dicates the maximum permiss ible road speeds
c:> & in Winter tires on page 268 .
P up to 93 mph (150 km/h)
Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must always be tightened to the
correct torque .
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the
factory installed r ims. If differen t rims are fit
ted, the correct wheel bolts with the right l ength and correctly shaped bolt heads must
be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted
securely and that the brake system functions
correctly .
In certain circumstances, you may not use
wheel bo lts from a different vehicle -eve n if it
i s the same model
¢ page 295.
_&. WARNING
Improperly tig htened or maintained whee l
bolts can become loose ca using loss of
contro l, a co llision and serious persona l in
jury.
- Always keep the wheel bolts and the threads in the wheel hubs clean so the
whee l bolts can turn easily and be prop
erly t ightened.
- Never grease or oil the wheel bo lts and
the threads in the wheel hubs. They can become loose wh ile driving if greased or
o iled, even if tightened to the specif ied
torque .
- Only use wheel bolts that belong to the
rim being installed.
- Never use different whee ls bolts on your
vehicle .
-Always maintain the correct tighten ing
torque for the wheel bo lts to reduce the
risk of a wheel loss . If the tightening tor
que of the wheel bolts is too low, they
can loosen and come out when the vehi
cl e is moving.
If the tightening torque is
too high, the whee l bolts and threads
can be damaged and the wheel can be
come loose.
Q;) Note
The spec ified torque fo r the wheel bo lts is
90 ft lbs. (120 Nm) with a tolerance of
± 7,4 ft lbs.(± 10 Nm). Torque wheel bo lts
Tire s an d wheel s 269
diagonally. After changing a wheel, the
torque m ust be checked as soon as possi
ble with a torque wrench -preferably by an
a uthori zed Audi dea ler or qualified work
shop.
Low aspect ratio tires
Your Aud i is factory -equ ipped w ith low aspect
ratio tires . These tires have been tho roughly
tested and been se lected specifically fo r your
model for their superb perfo rmance, road fee l
and hand ling under a var iety o f driving cond i
tions. Ask your authorized Audi dealer for
more details .
T he low aspect ratio of these t ires is ind icated
by a numeral of
55 or l ess in the tire's s ize
designation. The numera l rep resents the ra tio
of the tire's sidewa ll height in relation to its
tread width expressed in percentage . Conven
tiona l tires have a he ight/w idth ratio of 60 or
more.
T he performance of low-a spe ct- ra tio tire s is
p ar tic ul ar ly se nsi tiv e to i mprop er i nfl ation
pre ssure. It is the refo re important that low
a spect ratio t ires are inflated to the specified
pr ess ure and that th e inflation pr essur e is
r e gula rly ch ecked and maintain ed. Tir e pre s
s ure s should b e check ed at l east once a
m onth and alwa ys befo re a long trip
¢ page 258, Checking tire pressure.
What you c an do to avo id tire and rim
damage
Low aspect ratio tires can be damaged mo re
easily by impact w ith potholes, curbs, g ull ies
o r ridges on the road, pa rticularly if the tire is
u nderinflated.
In orde r to minimize the occurrence of impact
damage to the tires of your vehicle, we recom
mend that you observe the following p reca u
tions:
- Always ma inta in recommended inflation
pressu res. Check your tire pressure eve ry
2,000 miles (3,000 km) and add air if neces-
sary . .., •
•
308 Index
Front passenger's seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Front seats ............... ... .... .. 61
Head restraints ................... 147
Manual .. ............... .. .. .... .. 62
Power . .. .... ........... ........ .. 63
Seat back angle manually ...... .. .... 62
Seat height manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Seat belts
refer to Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Seat heating
Fr ont seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Seating capacity ............ ... .. .. . 154
Seating position Driver . ...... ........... .. .. .... . 145
Front passenger .......... .. .. .. .. . 146
How to adjust the front seats ... .. ... 146
Incorrect seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Occupants .. ... . ...... ... .. .. .. .. . 145
Rear passengers ............ .. .... . 147
Seat memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Seats Number of seats .......... ... .... . 154
Seat symmetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Selective unlock feature ..... .. .. .. .. . . 41
Selector lever .............. ... .... . 128
Emergency release ................ . 132
Service and disposal Safety belt pretens ioner ... .. .. .. .. . 161
Service interval display ........ .. .. .. .. 21
Service position for windshield wipers ... 56
Servotronic Power steering ......... .. .. .. .. .. . 209
SET button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Shift buttons ............... ... .... . 131
Shift indicator (eff iciency program) .. .. . . 25
Side airbags Description .............. .. .. .. .. . 180
How they work ............. .. .... . 181
Side assist Activating and deactivating .......... 116
Descript ion ............... ... .. .. . 116
Informational and alert stage signals . 118
Messages in instrument cluster display 122
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Safety tips . .............. ... .. ... 122
Sensor detection area ......... .. .. .
Settings . .. .. . .......... .. .. .. .. . 117
121 Side curtain airbags .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Description . ..... ................ . 182
How they work ... ................ . 184
Safety instructions ............. .... 184
S id e marker lights . ............. .... . 49
Ski sack ........ .. .. ... ....... .... .. 72
also refer to Trunk pass-through ...... 73
Snow chains ...... ............. .... 268
Sound system display Driver information display ........ ... . 19
Sources of information about child re-
straints and their use ............. ... 203
Spare tire ... .... .. .. ........... .... 273
Speed control system
refer to Adaptive cruise control ....... 102
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Speed rating letter code ............ .. 264
Speed warning system ........... .. .. . 27
Starting engine Emergency key ... ....... ...... .. .. . 39
Starting from rest . ................. .. 98
Starting off w ith a trailer ......... .. .. . 98
Starting the engine ... .......... .. .. . 92
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 , 34
Locking the steering ............ ... . 92
Malfunction ... .. ............. .... . 32
Manually adjusting the steering wheel . . 92
Steering wheel column Adjusting manually ................. 92
Steps for determining correct load limit . 261
Stopping the engine ............. .... . 94
Storage
.... .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 76
Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Storage net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Sunroof
refer to Panoramic tilting sunroof .. .. . 48
Sun shade .. .... ................... . 54
Sun visors
Switches 54
Emergency flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Symbols Red ..... ..... .. .. .............. .. 29
Yellow ... ..... .. ............. ..... 33
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11