-Improper reliance on the side assist sys
tem can cause collisions and serious
personal injury:
- Never rely only on side assist when
changing lanes.
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all vehicles un
der all conditions- danger of accident!
- Please note that side assist indicates
there are approaching vehicles, or
vehicles in your blind spot, only after
your vehicle has reached a driving speed
of at least 19 mph (30 km/h).
- In certain situations, the system may not
function or its function may be limited.
For example:
- if vehicles are approaching or being left
behind very quickly. The display may
not turn on in time.
- in poor weather conditions such as
heavy rain, snow or heavy mist .
- on very wide lanes, in tight curves or if
there is a rise in the road surface .
Vehicles in the adjacent lane may not
be detected because they are outside
of the sensor range.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. This can affect the system .
Have your authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility check their
function.
(D Tips
- If the window glass in the driver's door
or front passenger's door has been tint
ed, the display in the exterior mirror may be misinterpreted.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula
tions
~ page 2 76.
Audi side assist 107
Activating and deactivating
Applies to vehicles: mit side ass ist
Fig. 112 D river 's doo r: Side assis t button
.,. Press the button c> .&. in General informa
tion on page 106
to switch the system on/
off . The LED in the button turns on when
side assist is switched on.
Adjusting the display brightness
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
The signal brightness can be set in the radio
orMMI* .
.,. Select: I CAR I function button > Audi side as
sist.
.,. Select: I CAR ! function button > Car systems
control button > Driver assist > Audi side
assist .
The display brightness adjusts automatically
to the brightness of the surroundings, both in
the information and in the warning stage . In
very dark or very bright surroundings, the dis play is already set to the minimum or maxi
mum level by the automatic adjustment. In
such cases, you may notice no change when
adjusting the brightness, or the change may
only be noticeable once the surroundings
change.
Adjust the brightness to a level where the dis
play in the information stage will not disrupt
your view forward. If you change the bright
ness, the display in the exterior mirror will
briefly show the brightness level in the infor
mation stage. The brightness of the warning
stage is linked to the brightness in the infor
mation stage and is adjusted along with the
information stage adjustment.
124 Driving Safely
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, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section -for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the
features described in this sections 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
structions 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
your vehicle so that this important infor
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
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 passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- belt force limiters for the seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain airbags,
- special LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor
rectly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
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 your safety and the safety of your passen
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals a re op
erating correctly.
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and
afford good visibility to the outside.
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
qpage59 .
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir
rors correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct rear seat passengers to adjust the
head restraints according to their height.
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children¢
page 166,
Child Safety. "'
128 Driving Safely
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection. ... Adjust the head restraints so the upper
edge is as even as possible with the top of
your head.
If that is not possible, try to ad
just the head restraint so that it is as close to this position as possibler::!)
fig. 128.
Adjusting head restraints r::!)page 56.
_&. WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re
straints. Driving without head restraints or
with head restraints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of serious or fa
tal neck injury 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. Adjust the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possible with
the top of your head . If that is not possi
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be
fore attempting to adjust the head re
straint.
- Children must always be properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appro
priate for their age and size¢
page 166.
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 positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in
crease the risk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to critical areas of the body. Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air
bag deploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position . A driver is
responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
... Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢& .
The following bulletins list only some sample
positions that will increase the risk of serious
injury and death . Our hope is that these exam
ples will make you more aware of seating po
sitions that are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
_&. WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu-
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
vehicle is being used.
-Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed .
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the sunroof and the rear lid are se
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk
of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment . Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
@ Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom-
-
Driving Safely 131
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor
mal load conditions, please see chapter
r::> page235 .
Tie-downs
The luggage compartmen t is equipped with
four tie -downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly
r::> page 130, Loading the luggage com
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre
vent items from shifting or flying for
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down , always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
•
•
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
~ Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
~ Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety be lts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas
sengers are correc tly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person, in
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit
ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being d riv
en .
- Never let any person ride with their 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 be ing 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 allow safety belts to become dam
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi
tion . Safety belts
13 7
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in
terfere with correct positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
tha t 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 requ ired for the
proper use of some child restraint sys
tems .
- 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 authorized Audi dealer . Replace
ment may be necessary even if damage
cannot be clearly seen . Anchorages that
were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the bel ts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel
c::> page 209, Safety belts .
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 136 Bel t b uckle and to ngue on the driver's seat
152 Airbag system
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against or place any part
of their body too close to the area where
the airbags are located .
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi
tion or too close to the airbag can be se riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
~page 143.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be seriously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the risk of injury in a crash by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on
your lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air
bags during braking or other sudden ma
neuver and become dangerous projec- tiles that can cause serious personal in
jury if the airbags inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or oth
er objects (such as cupholders, tele phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob
jects) on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be
tween those areas and yourself. These
objects could cause injury in a crash, es
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects. Items can also
move into the area of the side airbag or
the front airbag during braking or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air
bags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re
clined.
A WARNING
'-
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing problems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath
ing conditions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or other respiratory
conditions should get fresh air right
away by getting out of the vehicle or
opening windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
- in rollovers. In some types of accidents the front airbags,
side curtain airbags and side airbags may be
trigger ed together.
& WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
r:::;, page 161.
-If the airbag indicator light c:::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
-
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 147 Inflated sid e airbags on left s ide of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
f ill ed with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side airbag
must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force . The sup
plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are Located in the area where the sup
plemental side airbag expand s. This applies
especially to children
c:::> page 166, Child Safe
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
Airbag system 161
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle th at is struck in certain side col
li sion
c:::> fig. 147.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro
vide supplementa l protection.
& WARNING ...
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never Let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates .
-Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ¢
fig. 148. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the
risk of inju ry for occupants ' heads and upper
t orso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
in a side collision . The side curta in a irbag in
flates in s ide impacts and only when the veh i
cle acce le rat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
i s high enoug h.
If th is rate is below the refer
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re
sult of the collision .
It is not possible to de
f ine an a irbag triggering range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir
cumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
in clude, for examp le, the nature (hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, et c. ¢
page 164, How side cur
tain airbags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion i n the event of a co lli
sion so that the side curtai n ai rbags can pro
vide p rotection.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc
cupa nt restraint system in your veh icle. Al
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you shou ld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re
qu ires you to do so ¢
page 134, General
notes .
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to he lp
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
i njuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated w ith
these airbags. Remembe r too, these a irbags
will dep loy only once and only in certain kinds
A irbag system 163
of accidents -your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
-The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The a irbag in dic ator light in t he in str ument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectronically
to make ce rtain it is functioning prope rly at all
times. Each time yo u turn on the ignit ion, the
airbag system ind icator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is turned off ,
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢ page 53, Seats and s torage .
-If the ai rbag ind icator light ¢ page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
It is pos
sible tha t the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should. •
•