54 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 offer
maximum protection ¢
page 144.
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 follow the informa
tion rega rd ing child safety provided in
G page 165, Child Safety.
WARNING
Refer to G page 126, Driving Safely for
important information, tips, suggestions
and warnings that you should read and fol
low for your own safety and the safety of
your passengers.
A WARNING
, -
Incorrect seating position of the dr iver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal inj ury .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in motion -never put your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out of the w indow or on top of the seat cush
ion. This app lies especially to the passen- gers
. If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the risk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an accident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect, this could result in pe rsonal
in ju ry or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and front passenge r to keep a distance of at
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them
selves and the steering wheel and/or in
strumen t panel.
If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints m ust be
adj usted to your body height so that they
can give you max imum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the steer
ing wheel or instrument panel.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas
senger's seat while the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpectedly , caus
ing sudden loss of veh icle control and
personal injury. If you adjust you r seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of pos it ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving .
We recommend that you adjust the dr iver's
seat in the follow ing manner:
.. Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the pedals to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees slightly bent
G &. in Why is your seat adjustment so im
portant? on page 54 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against t he seatback, you can
s till grasp the top of the steering whee l.
.. Applies to veh icles with adjustable head re
straints: Adjust the head restraint so the up
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of yo ur head. If that is not possib le, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as .,.
Head restraints
Front head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adj ustable head restraints
Head restraints that ore adjusted according
to body size, along with the seat belt , offer
effective protection .
Fig. 54 Fron t seat: adjusting the head rest ra in ts
Ad just the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head.
If that is not poss ible, try to adjust the head
restraint so that it is as close to this position
as possible
¢ page 57.
~ To adjust the height of the head restraint,
grip the head restraint on the sides with
both hands and slide it up/down until it
locks into place
¢fig. 54.
Refer to ¢ page 130, Proper adjustment of
head restraints
for guidelines on how to ad
just the height of the front head restraints to
suit the occupant's body size .
A WARNING
-Driving without head restra ints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad
justed increases the r isk of serious or fa
tal neck injury dramatically.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
¢page 130.
@ Tips
Correctly adjusted head restraints and
safety belts are an extremely effective
combinat ion of safety features .
l) The head restr aints cann ot be re move d fro m rear
se ats with fixe d backr ests.
-
Seats and storage 57
Rear head restraints
Fig. 55 Rea r seat : head restraints
Fig. 56 Rear head restraints: release
If there is a passenger in the rear center seat
ing position, slide the center head restraint
upward at least to the next notch¢&_.
Adjusting the head restraints
~ To move the head restraint up, hold it at the
sides with both hands and slide it upward
until you feel it click into place.
~ To move the head restraint down, press the
button @¢
fig. 55 and slide the head re
straint downward .
Removing the head restraints1>
~ Fold the backrest forward ¢ page 64.
~ Move the head restraint upward as far as it
can go.
~ Press the release@¢ fig. 56 with the me
chanical key¢
page 34 and the button @
¢
fig . 55 . Pull the head restraint out of the
backrest at the same time¢&_ .
~
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried with a roof luggage rack .
Fig. 64 Roof rack attachment poin ts
.,. Always read and follow the instructions pro
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when installing the roof rack system.
If luggage or cargo is to be carried on the
roof, you must observe the following:
- Your vehicle has aerodynamic rain gutters
molded into the roof. This is why conven
tional roof luggage racks cannot be used.
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi original accessories program.
- Only use roof racks approved for your vehi
cle. These approved roof racks are the basis
for a complete roof rack system. Additional
attachments or carrier systems are needed
to transport luggage and sports equipment.
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi original accessories program.
- When installing the roof rack, make sure it
is only mounted on the designated locations
on the roof ¢
fig. 64.
-We recommend that you keep the installa
tion instructions for your roof rack system
together with your Owner's literature in the
vehicle .
When shoul d th e r oof ra ck be re moved?
- Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice).
- When not in use, to reduce fuel consump
tion, wind noise and to guard against theft .
Sea ts a nd s to rage 63
A WARNING
- Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor
rect mounting of an approved roof rack
can cause the roof rack or the items at
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the
road.
- Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle can cause a crash and personal injury.
- Only mount the roof rack on the desig nated locations on the roof¢
fig. 64.
- The roof rack system must be installed
exactly according to the instructions pro
vided.
- When driving with a roof rack system, changes to the center of gravity and wind resistance can change the vehicle han
dling and lead to a col lision. Always
adapt your driving and your speed to the
current conditions .
(D Note
-Your vehicle warranty does not cover any
damages to the vehi cle caused by us ing
roof racks or mounting structures not
approved by Audi for your vehicle. The
same applies to damage resulting from
incorrect roof rack installation.
- Always check the roof rack mountings
and hardware before each trip and dur
ing a trip to make sure everything is se
curely tightened. If necessary, retighten
the mountings and check the entire sys
tem from time to time.
- After mounting a roof rack system, or
when you transport objects on the roof of your vehicle, the height of the veh icle
is naturally increased . Be careful when
dr iving under low bridges or in parking
garages for example. This cou ld cause
damage to the load and even the vehicle
itself .
- Make sure that t he open rear lid and the
sunroof do not come into contact with
objects on the roof.
126 Driving Saf ely
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 described 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 Audi 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
your 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 injury 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 fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- be lt fo rce limi ters fo r the seats,
- belt p retensioners for the seats,
- head restra ints for each seating positio n,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain a irbags,
- specia l LATCH anchorages 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 your 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 60 .
.,. Make s ure that nothing can interfere with
the peda ls .
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir
rors correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct rear seat passengers to adjust the
head restra ints according to their he ight.
.,. Make su re to use the right child restraint
co rrectly to p rotect chi ldren¢
page 165,
Child Safety. "'
140 Safet y belts
To provide maximum protection, sa fety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer 's body .
.,. Adjus t the front seat and head restra int
properly ¢
page 54, Seats and storage .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright pos ition and securely
latched in place befo re using the belt¢.&, .
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis
c:> .&, .
.,. Insert the tongue into the co rrect buckle of
you r seat until you hea r it latch securely
¢ fig . 135.
.,. Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the b uckle .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped w ith an automat
ic belt retractor on the shoulder be lt . T his fea
ture locks the be lt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard bra king and in an acci dent.
The belt may also lock when yo u drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely .
Safety belt pretensioners
The sa fe ty belts are equippe d wi th a be lt pre
tensioner that helps to t igh ten the safety bel t
and remove s lack when the pretensioner is ac
tivated. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light¢
page 20 .
Switchable locking feature
Every sa fe ty belt ex cep t the one on the dr iver
seat is eq uipped w it h a switchable locking fea
ture that
mu st be used w hen the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat . Be sure to
read the important inf ormation about this
feature
¢ page 175.
A WARNING
Imprope rly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
¢ page 140, Safety belt position .
- Safety belts offe r optimum protection
only when the seatback is up right and
-
be lts are properly posit ioned on the
body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to wh ich the center rear safety
be lt is attached is securely latched when
ever the rea r center safety belt is being
used. If the backrest is not secure ly
latched, t he passenger w ill move for
ward with the ba ckr est dur ing sudd en
bra king, in a sudden maneuver and es pe
ci ally in a cra sh .
- Neve r at tach t he safety be lt to t he buck
le for an other se at. At taching the belt to
the wrong buckle will redu ce s afe ty be lt
effec tiveness and can cause serio us per
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
be lt itself w hen it moves from the stro n
ger parts of the body into cr itical areas
like the abdomen .
- Always loc k the convertible locking re
tractor when you are secu ring a child
safety seat in the vehicle
c:> page 177 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to gett ing
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 1 36 Safe ty bel t pos it ion
Standard features on your veh icle help you ad
j u st the pos ition of the safety be lt to match
you r body si ze.
- be lt height adjustment for the front seats,
- automatic belt height adjustment for the
rear seats .
142 Safet y belt s
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
gu ide the belt tongue to its stowed pos ition .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the veh i
cle is moving. Doing so will increase your
r isk of being injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
-
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust
men t, the three point safety belt strap rout
ing can be fitted to the shoulder area, accord
ing to body size .
~ 0 0 6
Fig. 139 Safety be lt he ig ht a dju stme nt for t he front
sea ts - loop -a rou nd fit tings
.. (0
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body
c:> .&. in Safety belt
position on page 141 .
• Push
the loop-around fittings up c:> fig . 139
@ , or
• squeeze together the (D button, and push
the loop-around fitt ings down @.
• Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at
tachment is properly engaged.
.&, WARNING
Alw ays read and heed all WARNINGS and
other impo rtant informat ion
¢ page 139.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjust
ment of the seat can also be used to adjus t
the posit ion of the safety be lts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body . Improper seat ing pos itions reduce
the effectiveness of safety be lts and will even
i ncrease the risk of inju ry and death by mov
ing the safety be lt to crit ical areas o f the
body. Improper seating positions also in
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occu pant who is not in the cor rect seating posi
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of
all veh icle occupants and especially for chil
dren . Therefore:
• Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c:> ,&. .
.&, WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
r isk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occ u
pants are correctly restrained and stay in
a correc t seating position whe never the
veh icle is being used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢ page 139.
Safety belt preten
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear -end collisions above a
particular severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically .
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is act ivated by sen
sors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great severity. This tightens the belt and takes
u p belt slack
c:> .&. in Service and disposal of .,._
to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad
just or remove the rear seat head restraint if it is diff icult to install the
child seat w ith the head restraint in place
¢ page 57. Install the head restraint
again immed iate ly once the child seat is
removed. Driving without head rest raints
o r with he ad restraints that are not prop
erly adjusted increases the risk of serious
or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave
hicle is being used
¢page 136, Safety
belts,
¢ page 144, Airbag system and
¢ page 165, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If except ional circumstances requ ire the
use of a forward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat, the ch ild's safe
ty and well-being require that the follow
ing special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fac ing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
factur er for use on a front seat with a
passenge r fron t and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in
st ruct ions provided with the child sa fety
sea t or infan t carrier.
- Always mov e the front passenge r seat in
to the rearmost posit ion of the passen
ger seat's fore and aft ad justment r ange,
and as far away from the airbag as possi
ble before instal ling the child restraint.
- Always make sure that noth ing prevents
the front passenger's seat from bei ng
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range .
- Always make sure the backrest is in an upright position.
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks
¢ page 155, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
-
Child S afety 173
- Take the chi ld restraint
off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BA G OF F
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats con help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall.
In .... N 0 ±
~
Fig . 152 Rear seat: ch ild properly res trained in a boos
ter seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 me ters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs . (36 kg) . Booster seats raise these chi l
dren up so tha t the safety belt w ill pass p rop
erly over the stronger parts of the ir bodies
and the safety be lt can he lp protect them in a
crash.
.,. Do not use the conver tible locking ret ra ctor
when using the ve hicl e's s afety be lt to re
s train a ch ild on a booster seat.
... The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make s ure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
th e belt to tighten if necessary.
.,. If you must transport an o lder ch ild in a
booster seat on the front passenger sea t,
you can use the safety be lt height adjust
ment to he lp ad just the shou lder portion
properly.
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
you are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have bee n 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 automati c transmission, power steering,
power br akes, power wi ndows, 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 ratio 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 that is made of
s teel wires, wrapped or re inforced 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 t ir e infl ation pr essure
means the 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 231
-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 weight of a motor ve hicle w ith
standard equipment includ 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 tire design to operate at higher 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 LOAD", o r
"R F" on the sidewall .
Gross Axle Weight Rating ( "GAWR ")
mea ns the load-carrying capacity of a single
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.
Groo ve
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 load r ating for a tire at the maxi
mum pe rm issi ble inflat ion pressure for that
ti re .
•
•
...