
154 Airbag sys te m
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OF F
light wi ll stay on. Nev
er install a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place fo r
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seat ing positions on the rear seat
¢ page 143, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 166, Child Safety.
If th e PASSEN GER AI R BAG OFF light c ome s
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regular ly to
make certa in that the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G
O FF
light stays on cont inuous ly whenever the
ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght does not appear and not stay on all
the time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition off and then turning it on again;
- remove and re install the child restraint.
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correctly routed around the child restraint as descr i
bed in the child restraint manufacturer's i n
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea
ture on the safety belt for the front passen
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose o r have loops of slack so
that the senso r below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job
¢ page 176 .
-make su re that th ings that may increase the
weight of the ch ild and child safety seat are
not being transpo rted on the front passen
ger seat;
- make su re that the safety belt tension sen
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety be lt
l atch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes the weight
-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht still
does not come on
and does not s tay on con
t in uous ly (when the ignition is switched on) ,
- take the child restraint off the front passen-
ge r seat and install it properly at one of the
rea r seat posi tions. H ave the airbag system
inspected by yo ur authorized Audi dealer
immediate ly .
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure t hat the c hild is properly restrain
ed in a c hild restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
T he
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when t he ignition is on and an
adult is sitting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
¢ page 125, Proper occupant seating posi
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly wo rn and
t ha t the re is no t a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webb ing ,
- accesso ry seat covers or cushions or other
t hings tha t may cause an incorrect reading
or impression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center o f the instrument panel,
t h e message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear ..,.

166 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
q page 135, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults 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 deve l
oped, they require restra int systems especial
l y designed for their size , weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the United States and p rovinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will 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.
Ch ild restra ints must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can increase
the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Consult the child safety seat manufactu rer's
instructions to be sure the seat is right for
your chi ld's size
q page 169, Important safe
ty instructions for using child safety seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of the im
portant information and WARNINGS about
child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the instal lation 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 child 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 important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in
fants and small children.
A WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must be restrained properly when
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str ik ing the interior or by be
ing ejected from the vehicle dur ing a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre
strained or improperly restrained ch ild is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly instal
led and used at one of the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag in
flates . A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen
ger seat w ill be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the back rest, center
armrest or door .
- Always install rearward-facing child safe-
ty seats on the rear seat.
IJi,,,

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 for 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 retr ieval 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.
Although 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 examp le, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l 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 we ll 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
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 185
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in
dicator light
JjJ in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations .
It is important to remem
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface. If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
A lways adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic; and weather conditions. ESC can
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi
ence the benefits of ESC.
•
•

190 Intelligent technology
steering wheel will be easy to move. Re
initia lization might be necessary if the steer
ing whee l was moved hard to the left and
right while the vehicle was not moving. The
d isplay goes out as soon as in itia lizat ion is
comp lete.
A WARNING
Have the dynamic steering* system ma l
function repaired as soon as poss ible by an
authori zed A udi dealer or any qualified
workshop -risk of accident!
- If the . or
l:r-ij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short t ime, yo u may continue
drivi ng.
- The dynamic steering * stability systems
are not available in the event of a system
malfunction.
- Fo r additional informat ion on dynamic
stee ring*, refer to ¢
page 109.
Driving with your
quattro ®
Applies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en.
General information
W ith all-whee l drive, power is distribute d to
a ll fo ur whee ls. This happens automat ica lly
d epending on your dr iving sty le and the road
conditions at the t ime. See also¢
page 185 .
A cen ter different ial d istr ib ut es the dr iv ing
power var iably to the front and rear axle. It
wo rks together with se lective whee l torque
control, which activates when driving throug h
curves ¢
page 186. With the sport differen
tial*, power distribution to the rear wheels is
variable and can be adjusted with Audi drive se lect ¢
page 109 .
The all-wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power . Your vehicle is exception
ally powerful and has exce llent dr iving charac
terist ics bot h under normal driving conditions and on snow and
ice . Always read and follow
safety precautio ns ¢ &. .
Winter tires
When driving in t he win ter, yo ur vehicle wi th
all-wheel d rive h as an adv antage, eve n w it h
r egular tires. In wi nte r road conditions it may
be advisable to mount winter tires (or all -sea
son tires) for improved driveability and brak
i ng : these tires must be mounted on
all fou r
wheels . See also ¢ page 246, Winter tires.
Tire chains
Where tire chains are mandatory on certain
roads, this no rma lly also app lies to ve hicles
with all-wheel drive¢
page 247, Snow
chains .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles wi th a ll-wheel drive m ust always
have ti res of t he same s ize. A lso avoi d tires
with differe nt t read depths . For detai ls see
page ¢
page 242, New tires and replacing
tires and wheels.
Off-Road dr iving?
You r A ud i does no t have e nough gro und clea r
ance to be used as an off -road vehicle .
It is
t h e refore best to avoid roug h tracks and u n
even te rrain as much as possib le . Also refer to
¢ page 193.
A WARNING
Always ad just your dr iv ing to road and traf
f ic conditions. Do not let the extra safety
afforded by all-wheel drive tempt you into
taking ext ra risks .
-Al though the a ll-wheel drive is ve ry ef
fective, always remember that braking capacity is lim ited by tire t raction. You
s hould t herefore no t drive at ex cessive
speeds on i cy or slippe ry road surfa ces.
- On wet road surfa ces, be careful not to
d rive too fast because the fr on t whee ls
could begin to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning) . If thi s should occur, you

194 Driving and en vironm ent
8_ WARNING
After driving through water, mud, slush,
etc ., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full braking effect.
CD Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switc h the engine off when driving
t hr ough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may c reate waves that raise the water
l evel and make it too deep fo r you r vehi
cle to dr ive through safely.
-
- Avoid dr iving thro ugh salt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in on environmentally sound manner.
,,. Always use lead-free gasoli ne¢ page 211,
Fuel supply .
,,. Never run the tank down a ll the way to
empty.
,,. Never put too much motor oil in your en-
gine ¢
page 221, "t':::r. Adding engine oil.
,,. Never t ry to push- o r tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an effic ient "clean
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the polluta nts in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphe re. The exclusive
use of unleaded f uel is critica lly
important for the life of the catalytic convert
er and proper funct ion ing of the eng ine .
A WARNING
= -
-Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not app ly additional undercoating or
r u stp roofing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con
ver ter or heat shields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used for under coa ting co uld
overhea t and cause a fire.
CD Note
- Be aware that just o ne tank filling with
leaded fu el w ill already ser io usly de
gr ad e the per form ance o f the catalytic
c onverte r.
- Do not ex ceed t he corre ct engine oil level
r:;!) page 2 21.
- Do not drive until the fuel tank be co m es
completely emp ty. The engine co uld mis
fire . Unburned fuel could also get in to
the exhaust system and this co uld cause
the cata lytic converter to overheat .
- Do not turn off the igni tion whi le the ve
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not contin ue to ope rate your veh icle
unde r these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converte r. T his
co uld resu lt in overheating of the con
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
sion Control System:
- H ave you r vehicle maintained p rope rly
and in accordance w ith the se rvi ce rec
ommen dat ions in yo ur Warranty &
M ain tenance boo klet.
- L ack of prope r maintenan ce as we ll as
i mprope r use of t he ve hicl e wi ll impair
the func tion of the em ission cont ro l
system and could lea d to damage .
Ill>

196 Driving and en vironm ent
(0 Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which could result in
over
heating or other damage to the vehicle or
other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel .
.,. Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regularly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically. The condition
of your vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab il ity to hold its value, it also affects
fu el
con sump tion .
C heck your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil used is related to engine
l oad and speed.
I t is normal for the oil consumption o f a new
engine to reach its lowest val ue after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You mus t drive yo ur vehicle abo ut 3,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) be fo re yo u can properly
assess oi l consumption.
This a lso applies to fuel consumption and en
g ine output.
(]) Note
-Have yo ur vehicle maintai ned properly
and in accordance with the service re c
ommendations in your War ran ty
& Mai n
tenance bookle t. Lack of proper mainte
nance as well as imp roper use of the
ve
hicle will impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage. -
Do not alter or
remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do not alter or
remove any device, such
as heat shie lds, switches, ignition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle compo
nents.
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips .
.,. Try to avoid driv ing short distances w ith a
cold engine.
The engine and cata lytic converter have to
reach their opt imal
oper ating temperature to
reduce fuel consumpt ion and nox ious em is
s ions effectively.
Just after starting, a co ld engine in a mid-size
car on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 m iles
per gallon (30-40 l/100 km). After about a
half a mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg
(20 l/100 km) . After about
2 .5 miles (4 km),
the engine is at its prope r operating tempera
tu re and fuel economy has reached a normal
level. So you can see that yo u should avo id
short trips whenever poss ible.
T he
outside temperatur e is also cr it ical in t his
regard. Your car consumes more fue l in the
winter tha n in the s umme r.

198 Trailer towing
Tire pre ss ure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Saf ety chains
Be sure tra iler sa fe ty cha ins a re p roperly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do not tow a loaded tra iler whe n your car it
self is no t loaded .
.,. Be especia lly careful when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weigh t di stribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steer ing control. A "ba
lanced' ' rig is easier to operate and con
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i
ble, transfer some cargo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rving
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
considerations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at t he maximum permissible speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rtic ularly
whe n going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do n ot
try to sto p th e swaying by acc elerating .
Observe speed limits. In some areas, speeds
fo r vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . U se of
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefu lly. If the needle
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n t he i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two min utes to prevent he at build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restra ined in a mov
i ng vehicle is a t a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not p roperly wea ring the rest raints
prov ided by Audi.
-

200 Cleaning and protection
Cleaning and protect ion
General information
Regular core preserves vehicle value .
Any automobile is exposed to industr ial
fumes, corrosive road salt, etc. A well cared
for Audi can look like new many years after
p ur chase . Reg ular and correct care w ill con
tr ibute to maintain ing the beauty and valu e of
your Aud i.
Furthermore, good care may be a condition
for substantiating a warranty claim should
corrosion damage or paint defects occur.
Your auth orized Audi dealer has a variety of
dedicated vehicle-care products and can ad
v ise wh ich ones to use for cleaning the ext eri
or a nd inte rior o f you r vehi cle.
Whether you use products recommended by
Aud i or other commercially ava ilable clean ing
agen ts, pleas e make sure you apply t hem cor
r ectly .
A WARNING
-Cleani ng agen ts m ay be poi sonous. Kee p
them o ut of t he rea ch of childre n.
- H eed a ll ca ution labels.
- Always read directions on th e co ntai ner
b efore using a ny produc t. Follow the di
rec tions caref ully.
- Most chemical cleaners a re concentrat ed
and have to be diluted.
- Use spot removing flui ds only i n well
ventila ted areas.
- Do not use gasoline, ke rosene, d iesel
fuel, nail pol is h remov er or ot her volati le
fluid s. T hey may be to xic, flammab le or
h azar dou s in other w ays. D o 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 ean t he 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 188. Test t he
brakes carefully each time you was h the
ve hicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Selec t on ly environ mentally frien dly clean
i ng products. Leftover cleaning pr oducts
s hou ld not d isposed of in the househo ld
waste .
Care of exterior
Washing
Frequent washing protec ts the vehicle .
The best p rotection against environmen tal i n
fluences is
frequent wash ing and waxing . H ow
often t his is requ ire d d epends o n:
- How much t he ve hicle is used
- W he 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, t ar, soo t, ro ad salt
and other mater ials remain on the veh icle
body, the more lasting their destr uctive ef
f ects w ill be . Hig h temperatures ca used by ex
pos ure to intense su nlight i ntens ify the c orro
s ive effect, particular ly when hum id ity is high
as wel l.
U nder certa in circumstances,
weekly washing
may be necessary. Unde r other cond itions, a
monthly washing and waxing may be ade
quate .
After the winter, the unders ide of the vehicle
sho uld be thoroughly washed, preferab ly in a
professional ca r wash.
A WARNING
-A lways read and heed all WARNINGS and
other info rma tion
c::> page 20 0.