Page 121 of 286

.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 129.
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
veh icle and a ll of its occupants . If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢ ,&. .
Therefore:
.,. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen
gers or by us ing a cellular telephone.
.. NEVER drive when your driv ing ability is im
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
.. Observe all traffic laws, ru les 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.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 119
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 134 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 with it when you drive .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that th ere is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone ¢
fig. 134. If not possible, see your au
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip
ment .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. App lies to veh icles with adjustable head re
straints: 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 belts correctly
¢page 132.
Page 122 of 286

120 Driving Safely
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢page 62.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de
ploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect
edly and you could lose control of the ve
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in- jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 158. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 13 7.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Move the front passenger seat back as far as
possible . There must be a minimum of
10 inches (25 cm) between the breastbone
and the instrument panel¢,&. .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re
straints: Adjust 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 position as possible.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 132.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 61.
A WARNING
-
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
Page 123 of 286

-Passengers must always sit in an upright
posit ion and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located .
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenge r's breastbone and the instru
ment pane l.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of the ir own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat .
- Before driv ing, a lways adjust the front
passenger seat and head restra int prop
er ly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win
dow, etc . The airbag system and safety
belt will not be ab le to protect you prop
erly and can even increase the risk of in
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi
t ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c::> page 158 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenge r seat
c::> page 13 7.
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor
rect seat ing position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas-
Dr ivin g Sa fely 121
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
'" Make su re that the seatba ck is secure ly
latched in the upright position
c::> page 67 .
'" Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
'" Fasten and wear safety belts proper ly
c::>page 132.
'"Make sure that children are always properly
restrai ned in a child restraint that is appro
pr iate for the ir s ize and age
c::> page 158 .
.&, WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rea r seat can be seriously inj ured in a
crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec
tion when the seatback is sec urely latch
ed in the upright position and the safety
be lts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
belts!
Proper adjustment of head restraints
App lies to vehicles: with adjustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig . 1 35 Head restra int: vi ewed fro m the front
Page 124 of 286

122 Driving Safel y
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection. ... Adjust the head restra ints so the upper edge
is as even as poss ible w ith the top of yo ur
head.
If that is not possib le, try to ad just
the head restraint so that it is as close to
t h is position as possible
¢ fig. 135.
Adjusting head restraints ¢ page 64 .
.&, WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re
straints . Driving without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints that are not proper ly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa
tal neck injury dramat ically . To help reduce
the risk of in ju ry:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and proper ly adjusted .
- Every person in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the ve
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re
straint. Ad just the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possib le wit h
the top of your head . If that is not possi
ble, try to adju st the hea d restra int so
that it is as close to this position a s pos
sible.
- Never attempt to adjus t head rest raint
wh ile driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the dr iver head rest for any
reason, first stop the ve hicle safe ly be
fore attempting to adjust the head re
straint.
- Children must always be properly re
strained in a ch ild restraint that is appro
pr iate for their age and size ¢
page 158.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
I mproper seating positions can ca use serio us
in ju ry or death . Safety belts can on ly work
when they are properly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and wi
ll even in
c rease the r is k of i njury and death by mov ing
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Imprope r seating positions a lso increase the
risk of serious inju ry and death when an a ir
bag deploys and str ikes an occupa nt w ho is
not in the proper s eating posit ion . A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all ve hicle occu
pants and espe cially for child ren. The re fo re :
... Never allow anyone to assume an incor rect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢& .
T he following bullet ins list o nly some sample
pos itions tha t w ill increase the r isk of serious
i njury and dea th . O ur hope is that t hese exam
ples will ma ke yo u more aw are o f seat ing po
s itions tha t ar e dangerous.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r sta nd u p in t he vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- neve r sit on the e dge of the seat
- neve r sit s ideways
- neve r 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 cush ion or
back of the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo a rea
.&, WARNING
Imp roper seating posit ions increase the
risk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occ u-
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
veh icle is being used.
Page 125 of 286

Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inflate without interference . Objects be
tween yourself and the airbag can increase
the risk of inju ry in an acc ident by interfer
ing w ith the way the a irbag deploys or by
be ing p ush ed into you as the airbag de
ploys .
- No persons (ch ild ren) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas
senger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fata l injuries .
- No objec ts of any k ind sho uld be car ried
in t he footwell area in front of the driv
er's or passenger's seat . B ulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham
per or prevent proper deployment of the
airbag . Small objects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you o r your passengers .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
M ake sure t hat all pedals move freely witho ut
in te rference and th at nothing prevents them
from returning to the ir origina l positions.
Only use floo r mats that leave the peda l area
free and can be secured w it h floor mat fas ten
e rs.
If a b rake circuit fails, increased b rake pedal
travel is req uired to br ing the vehi cle to a full
stop.
Dr iving S afel y 123
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk
of ser ious inju ry .
- Never p lace any objects in the drive r's
footwell . An ob ject cou ld get into the
pedal area and inte rfe re with pedal func
tion . In case of sudde n bra ki ng o r an ac
cident, yo u wo uld not be a ble to brake or
ac celer ate!
- Always ma ke su re tha t no thing can fall
or m ove into the driver's footwel l.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals .
" Make s ure that the floor mats are prope rly
secured and cannot move and inte rfe re with
t he ped als~ ,&. .
U se on ly floor mats that leave the pedal area
unobst ructed and that are firmly secu red so
that they cannot slip o ut of posi tion . You ca n
obt ain suitab le floo r mats from yo ur aut ho r
ized Audi dea ler .
Floor mat fastene rs a re insta lled in your Aud i.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at
tac hed to these fastene rs . Prope rly secur ing
the floor mats will prevent them from sliding
i nto positions that could interfere with the
peda ls o r impa ir safe ope rat io n of yo ur vehicle
i n othe r ways.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can result
in a loss of vehicle control and inc rease the
risk of serious persona l injury.
- Always ma ke s ure that floo r mats a re
properly secu red.
- Never p lace or ins tall floor mats o r other
f loor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be properly secured in p lace to prevent
them from slipping and interfer ing with
~
•
•
Page 126 of 286

124 Driving Safel y
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or insta ll floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already insta l
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
peda ls.
- Always proper ly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out fo r clean
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwell wh ile the ve
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped unde r the b rake pedal and accel
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
contro l.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com
portment.
Fig. 136 Safe load pos it io nin g: place heavy objects as
low a nd as fa r forward as possible .
-M N 0 u.
l:l
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle hand ling
characteristics . Loose items can also increase
the risk o f serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
... Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment .
... Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as poss ible
cc> fig . 136 .
... Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid
ed
c:> poge 68.
... Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in p lace.
A WARNING ,..__
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing ser ious
personal injury in the event of hard brak
i ng or an accident. To help reduce t he risk
of ser ious personal inj ury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy i tems in the luggage com
pa rtment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compa rtment using the t ie-down eyele ts
and suitab le st raps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur ve
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
l oss of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal
injury :
-Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects , that a change in the cen
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as poss ible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We ight Rat
i n g or the Gross Vehicle We ight Rating
specified o n the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceed ing per
missible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and hand le differently .
- P lease observe informa tion on sa fe dr iv
ing
~ page 118.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transpo rt objects larger than
those fitting comp lete ly into the luggage
~
Page 127 of 286

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 power top,
- 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 power top and the rear lid are
securely 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.
(D 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 mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
.
Driving Safely 125
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
¢page 226.
Tie-downs
App lies to vehicles : wi th t ie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly ¢
page 124, 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
to help prevent items from flying
•
•
Page 128 of 286

126 Driving Safely
forwar d as dangero us m iss iles into the NHTSA
passenge r compartment.
U .S . Departm ent of Tran sporta-- Never attac h a child safety seat tether
st rap to a tie- down .
tion
Reporting Safety
1200 New Jer sey Ave., S .E.
We st Building
Defects
Wa shington , DC 20590
Applicable to U.S.A.
You can also obtain other infor-
If you believe that your vehicle mation about motor vehicle
has a defect which could cause safety from:
a crash or could cause injury or http://www.safercar.gov
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Applicable to Canada
Traffic Safety Administration If you live in Canada and you
(NHTSA) in addition to notify -
be lieve that your vehicle has a
ing Audi of America, Inc. defect tha t could cau se a cra sh,
If NHTSA rec eives similar com- injury or death
, you should im-
plaint s, it may open an inve sti- mediately inform Transport
gation, and if it finds th at a Cana
da, Defect In vestigation s
s afety defects exis ts in a group and Recall
s. You should also no-
of vehic les, it m ay order a re call tify Volksw
agen Group Canada,
and remedy campaign. Howev- Inc
.
er , NHTSA cannot become in-
Canadian customers who wish
volved in indi vidual problems
to report a safety-related de-
b etween you, your dealer, or
feet to Transport Canada, De-
Audi of Am eri ca , In c.
feet Investigations and Recalls ,
To contact the NHTSA, you may may either call Transport Cana-
either call : da toll-free at:
...
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1-800-424-9153) or
1-800-424-9393
or you may write to: