
Connector (DLC). The DLC is located to the
right of the hood release¢
fig. 18.
Your authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop can interpret the code and perform the
necessary repair.
~ WARNING
Do not use the diagnostic connector for
personal use. Incorrect usage can cause
malfunctions, which can increase the risk
of a coll is ion!
Electronic speed limiter
-
Your veh icle may be factory equipped with
tires that are rated for a maximum speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). This is may be less than
the maximum speed of your ve hicle. To reduce
the risk of sudden tire failure and loss of con
trol if the vehicle is operated at excess ive
speeds, your vehicle has an e lectronic speed
limiter. The electronic speed limiter prevents
your vehicle from going faster than the t ire
speed rating. For more information
¢page 242.
If the engine contro l unit receives fau lty vehi
cle roadspeed signals, the Malfunction Indica
tor Light (MIL)
(llllij will illuminate . If this oc
curs, contact the nearest authorized Audi
dealer for assistance .
A WARNING
-
Always observe the posted speed limits
and adjust your speed to suit prevailing
road, traffic and weather conditions. Never
drive your vehicle faster than the maxi
mum speed rating of the tires insta lled .
Driver information display 31

Warm and cold Climate controls
Description
Th e climate control sy stem warms, cools and
adds humidity to the a ir in the veh icle inter io r.
It is the most effect ive when the windows and
sunroof are closed . If the re is a build-up of
h eat inside the vehicle, ventilation can help to
speed up the cooling process .
I n all he ating mode functions except
defrost,
the blower on ly switches to a higher speed
once the engine coolant has reached a certain
temperature.
Condensat ion from the cooling sys tem can
d rip and form a puddle of water under the ve
h icle. This is normal and does not mean there
is a leak .
Pollutant filter
The po llutant filte r removes po llutants such
as dus t and pollen from the air.
The air pollutants filte r must be changed at
the intervals spec ified in you r Wa rra nty
&
M aintenance book let, so tha t the air condi
tioner can prope rly work .
If you drive your vehicle in an area w ith h igh
a ir po llution, the fi lter may need to be
changed more frequent ly than specified in
your Aud i Warranty
& Ma intenance bookle t. If
in doubt, ask your authorized A udi Service Ad
v isor for advice .
Key coded settings
The clima te control sett ings are automat ically
stored and assigned to the remote co ntro l key
that is in use.
WARNING
Reduced vis ibili ty is dangero us and can
cause accidents.
Warm and c old 67
-For safe driving it is very important that
all windows be free of ice, snow and con
densat ion.
- Comp letely fam iliarize yourse lf with the
proper use and funct ion of the heat ing
and ve nti lation system and especially
how to defog and defrost the w indows.
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer
system in freez ing weather unt il you
have warmed the w indshield first, using
the heating and ventilation system. The
washer sol ution may free ze o n the wind
shie ld an d red uce visib ility.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner has been damaged, switch the system
off to avoid furt her damage and have it
i n spected by a q ua lified dea lership.
- Repairs to the Audi air condition er re
quire specia l techni cal know ledge and
speci al tools. Contact an autho rized Aud i
dealer fo r ass istance.
@ For the sake of the environment
B y reduci ng the amou nt of f uel you use,
you also re duce the amount of pollu tan ts
emitted in to the a ir.
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake s lo ts ( in fro nt of the
w indshield) free from ice, snow and de
br is in order to maintai n the proper f unc
tion of the climate control system.
- T he energy m anagement system may
switch the seat heating* or rear window
defroster off temporar ily . These systems
are available again as soon as the energy
balance has been restored.
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing
on the luggage compartment cover, en
sure that the openings are not covered.

When accelerating, the transmission wi ll au
tomatically shift into the next gear before the
engine reaches its maximum RPM.
I f yo u app ly a ligh t throt tle when acce lera t
ing, tiptronic will a utomatically shift from 1st
to 2nd gear to save fuel. If you apply a heavy
thrott le, the transmission will stay in 1st gear
until near maximum RPM is reached, or unt il
the dr iver shifts into 2nd gear.
If you take your foot off the accelerator peda l
when dr iving down a steep incline, tiptronic
will downshift from the selected gear into the
next lower gear until it reaches 1st gear,
based on road speed and eng ine RPM . Auto
mat ic downshifting is interrupted as soon as
you apply the thrott le aga in .
(D Tips
- When you shift into the next lower gear,
t h e transmiss io n will downshift only
when there is no possibility of over-rev
v ing the engine.
- When the k ick-down comes on, the
transmission will sh ift down to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle and engine speeds.
- Tiptronic is inope rat ive when the trans
mission is in the fail-sa fe mode.
Transmission malfunction
Ap plies to vehicles: with tiptro nic
[O] Tran smi ssion: Press brake pedal and se
lect gear again.
P ress the brake pedal and se lec t th e des ired
selec tor lever pos it io n a gain. You can then
continue dr iv ing.
[O] Trans mission overh eating : Ple ase drive
c onserv atively.
The transmission temperature has increased
significantly due to the sporty dr iving manner .
D rive in a less spo rty manne r until the tem
pe rat ure retu rns to the norma l range a nd the
in dicator light switches of.
[O] Tran smission malfunct ion: You can con
tinue driving Tran
sm iss ion 87
There is a system mal function in the t ransmis
sion . You may contin ue driving . Drive to yo ur
authorized Aud i dea ler o r qualified repa ir fa
c ility soon to have the ma lfunction corrected.
[O] Transmi ssion malfunction: Lim ited driv
ing functionality
T he re is a system malfunc tion in the t ransmis
s ion. The transm ission is swi tching to emer
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer
tain gears or will no longer shift at al l. The en
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Transmi ssion malfunction : Stop vehicle
and shift to park.
Do not con tinue dr iving. Se lect the P selector
lever position and see your au thori zed A udi
dealer or qualified repair facility for assis
tance.
Q) Note
If the transmission swi tches to emergency
mode, you should ta ke t he ve hicle to an
a uthorized Audi dea lership as soon as pos
sib le to have the condition corrected.

.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
¢page 53,
Seats and storage.
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly¢
page 134 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi
tion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants. If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you a lso become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
~ .&_.
Therefo re:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen
gers or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVE R drive when yo ur driv ing ability is im
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions .
.,. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 125
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 127 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢&_ .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact w ith it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone
~ fig. 12 7. If not possible, see your au
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip
ment.
.. Adjust the steer ing wheel so that the steer
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steering whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. App lies to vehicles with adjustable head re
s tra ints: Ad just the head restraint so the up
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this pos it ion as possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
¢ page 13 7 . .,._

-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
•
•

146 Airbag system
-Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash .
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
Fig. 140 Location of dr iver airbag: in stee ring wh eel
Fig. 141 Location of front pass enger's a irbag: in the in
strument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured . The system senses
the position of the front seats and controls
front airbag inflation with a valve, depend ing
on the distance between the respective seat
and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
The safety belts for the seats have "preten
sioners" that help to take slack out of the belt
system. The pretensioners are also activated by the electronic control unit for the airbag
system. The
front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
in a crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steering
wheel hub ¢
fig. 140 and the airbag for the
front passenger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 141 . The general location of the airbags
i s marked "AIRBAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the air
bags in your vehicle . We urge you to read the
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and child safety in this and the other
ch apters that make up the owner 's literature.
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.
_&. WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide
only supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts
and make sure that everybody in your ve
hicle is properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, es
pecially infants and small children, will re
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil
led by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the
front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
that deployment under these special
conditions is impossible in all conceiva
b le situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy
in accordance with the "low risk" option
under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child
that is heavier than the typical one-year
-
.

old child is on the front passenger seat
and the other conditions for airbag de
ployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
- For their own safety, all children, espe cially 12 years and younger, should al
ways ride in the back properly restrained
for their age and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supple ments the safety belts to provide additional
protection for the driver's and front passeng
er's heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes.
The airbags inflate only in frontal impacts
when the vehicle deceleration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the
front seat occupants is not a substitute for
your safety belts. Rather, it is part of the over
all occupant restraint system in your vehicle.
Always remember that the ai rbag system can
only help to protect you, if you are sitting up right, wearing your safety belt and wearing it
properly . This is why you and your passengers
must always be properly restrained, not just
because the law requires you to be.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low risk" re
quirements for 3 and 6 year-old children on
the passenger side and very small adults on
the driver side. The low risk deployment crite
ria are intended to help reduce the risk of in
jury through interaction with the front airbag
that can occur , for example , by being too
close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to
comply with the "suppression" requirements
Airbag system 147
of the Safety Standard, to turn off the front
airbag for infants 12 months old and younger
who are restrained on the front passenger
seat in child restraints that are listed in the
Standard
¢ page 168 , Child restraints and
Advanced Airbags .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a child up to about one year of age is re
strained on the front passenger seat in one
of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified . For a listing of the child restraints
that were used to certify your vehicle's com pliance with the US Safety Standard
¢page 168,
-weight less than a threshold level stored in
the control unit is detected on the front pas
senger seat.
When a person is detected on the front pas
senger seat, weighing more than the total
weight of a child that is about 1 year old re
strained in one of the rear-facing or forward
facing infant restraints (listed in Federal Mo
tor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified), the front airbag on the passen ger side may or may not deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the electronic control unit detects a to
tal weight on the front passenger seat that re
quires the front airbag to be turned off. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the control unit senses
an impact that meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
If the total weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old ,
but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy
(the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on). ..,. •
•

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.