Page 129 of 286

Tel.: 1-800-333-0510 or
Tel.: 1-819-994-3328 (Ottawa
region and from other coun
tries)
TTY for hearing impaired: Tel.:
1-888-675-6863
or contact Transport Canada by
mail at:
Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga
tions Laboratory 80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J8Z 0Al
For additional road safety infor
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http:/ /www . tc .gc.ca/ e ng/
roadsafety/menu .htm
Active rollover
protection system
Function
The rollover protection system helps protect
vehicle occupants in the event of a rollover.
( l~
)1' I !
i i
Fig . 137 Rear seats: Rollbar deplo yment range
Driving Safely 12 7
Fig. 138 Rear seats: roll ba r deploye d
The active rollover protection system consists
of:
- two rollbars
- the safety belts with belt tensioners
- the windshield frame
- the rollove r sensors
The active rollover protection system provides
additional safety in the event of a rollover.
Within milliseconds, sensors deploy two roll
bars located beh ind the headrests in the rear
seats
i=> fig. 13 8.
The rollbars, reinforced windshield frame and
belt tensioners help protect front and rear
passengers in the event of a rollover.
The rollover protection system functions
when the power top is both open and closed.
.&_ WARNING
Do not use the area behind the rear seat
headrests
i=> fig. 13 7 as a storage area.
This is the area where the rollbars deploy.
If the rollover protection system is trig
gered, objects placed there can be propel led through the vehicle and make it more
difficult for the rollbars to deploy. This in
creases the risk for serious or life-threat
ening injuries.
When is rollover protection deployed?
Rollover protection deploys in a collision or
rollover.
Depending on the collision, sensors through
out the vehicle and the control module trigger
the rollover system to deploy. .,,.
Page 130 of 286

128 Driving Safely
For safety reasons, rollover protection also de
ploys during front, side and rear collisions
above a certain level of severity .
Retracting rollover protection
Fig. 139 Deploye d rollbar w it h re lease loop.
Fig. 140 Deploye d roll bar w ith powe r top frame fa cing
u pward.
If the rollbars deployed but the vehicle was
not involved in a collision or rollover, you can
retract them without special tools. The sys
tem is ready for use again once they are re
tracted .
With the power top open ... Pull the loop upward in the direction of the
arrow and hold it in place¢
fig. 139 .
... Slide the rollbar down .
" Release the loop just before the rollbar
reaches its end position by approximately
1-2 in. (3-5 cm) .
... Press the rollbar down until it stops .
... Make sure the rollbar is secure before re-
leasing it .
... Close the cover@¢
fig. 140 .
... Repeat the procedure on the other rollbar.
With the power top closed "Switch the ignition on . ...
Press the convertible switch to adjust the
convertible frame until it is vertical
¢ fig. 140 .
... Pull the loop upward in the direction of the
arrow and hold it in place¢
fig. 139.
" Slide the rollbar down .
"' Release the loop just before the rollbar
reaches its end position (3-5 cm).
"' Press the rollbar down until it stops.
"' Make sure the rollbar is secure before re-
leasing it .
... Close the cover@¢
fig. 140.
"'Repeat the procedure on the other rollbar .
... You can now close the power top again.
A WARNING -
- Have the rollover protection system
checked by your authorized Audi dealer if it is faulty . Otherwise, the system may
not deploy correctly in a collision.
- Modifying the rollover protection system
or individual components is not permit
ted .
- Work on the rollover protection system
should only be performed by your au
thorized Audi dealer. Otherwise the sys
tem may not function correctly in a colli
sion or it could deploy unexpectedly .
- Have the system inspected at service in
tervals. This ensures the system will al
ways be ready for use. Have your author
ized Audi dealer check the rollover pro
tection system every two years at the lat est .
Page 131 of 286

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts are nec
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read a ll the informat ion that fo llows and
heed all of the inst ruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal inj ury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of se
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci
dents . For your prot ecti on and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrec tly wear
sa fe ty bel ts when the ve hicle is mov ing.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically
impai red perso ns must also use safe ty
belts. L ike a ll vehicle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser ious ly injure d if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fet us is to protect the mother -
thro ughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat
i n g position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
N ot wea ring safety belts or wea ring them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal i njury an d deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in
cl ud ing small ch ild ren, into a ny belt . It is
e speci ally dangerous t o pl ac e a safety
bel t over a child s itting on yo ur la p.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in t he ve hicle
th an there are s afe ty be lts availab le.
Safety belts 12 9
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate safe
ty belt or child restra int.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and (on USA models only) front seat
passenger to remind you about the impor
tance of buckling-up.
Fig . 141 Safety belt warning lig ht in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, alway s:
~ Fasten your safety be lt and ma ke su re you
are wearing it properly .
~ Make sure that yo ur passengers a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
~ Protect your children w ith a child restraint
sys tem app ropriate fo r the size a nd age of
t h e children.
The . warn ing light in the instrument cluster
li ghts up when the ig nit ion is switched on as a
reminder to fasten the safe ty belts. In addi
tion, you will hea r a warning tone for a certa in
per iod of t ime.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure
that your pas sengers also properly put on
th eir safety belt s.
•
•
Page 132 of 286

130 Safety belts
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 142 Unbelted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 143 The vehicle c ras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies with vehicle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy ''kinetic en
ergy ."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not
using safety belts
c::> fig. 142, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving just before the crash, until something
stops them -here, the wall
c::> fig . 143 .
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to
50 km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach
one ton (2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or
more. At greater speeds, these forces are
even
higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli
sion they wi ll also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was travell ing just before
the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and col
lisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in
jured or killed . Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 144 A driver not wea ring a safety belt is violen tly
th rown fo rwa rd
Fig . 145 A rear passenger not wearing a safety belt
will
fl y fo rwa rd and strike the drive r
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc
cupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel , instrument panel, windshield, or what
ever else is in the way c::> fig. 144. This impact .,..
Page 133 of 286

with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on air bags a lone for protec tion.
E ven when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection . Ai rbags are not sup
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al
though your Audi is equipped with a irbags, all
veh icle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to min i
mize t he risk of severe injury or death in a
crash .
Remember too, that airbags wi ll deploy on ly
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have a lready deployed . U nbelted
occupants ca n also be thrown out of the vehi
cle whe re even mo re severe o r fa tal in ju ries
can occur .
It is also impo rtant fo r the rear passenge rs to
wear safety belts co rrec tly. Unbe lted passen
ge rs i n the rea r seats endanger no t on ly them
se lves bu t also the driver a nd o ther passen
gers
¢ fig. 145 . In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward vio lent ly, where they can
h it and injure the dr iver and/or front seat pas
senger .
Safety belts protect
People think it 's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It 's simply
not true!
F ig . 1 46 D river is correctly restra ined in a sud den bral<·
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif
ference . Safety be lts he lp to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
Safety belts 131
applied to the body in an accident, and he lp
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
ca use serio us injuries . In addition, safety be lts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and
give t hem the benefit of being s lowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features enginee red into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" t he kinetic energy over a longer
per iod of t ime, the safety be lts make the
fo rces on the body more "tolerable" and less
li kely to ca use inju ry.
Althoug h these examples a re based o n a fron
ta l co llision, safety belts can a lso substantia l
l y red uce the risk of in jur y in other kinds of
cr ashes. So, whethe r you're on a long trip o r
just going to the co rner store, a lways buckle
u p and make sure others do, too . Accident sta
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of be ing
i njured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen
ta l airbags to do the ir job in a collision . Fo r
th is reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re
quired in mos t coun tries including much of
t he United States and Canada.
Althoug h your Aud i is equipped wi th a irbags,
you st ill have to wear the safety be lts p rov id
ed . Front airbags, fo r example, a re activa ted
o nly in some frontal collisions. The fron t air
bags are not act ivated in a ll fron tal coll isions,
in s ide and rear co llisions, in roll ove rs or in
cases where t here is not eno ugh deceleration
through impact to the front of the veh icle.
The same goes for the other a irbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make su re everybody in your veh icle is
properly restrai ned!
Page 134 of 286

13 2 Safety belts
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.
,&. 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 belts correctly
before driving
off and make sure all pas
sengers are correctly 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 driv
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 pa rt of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos i
tion . -
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
that 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 required 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, buck les, 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 belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inert ia reel
c:> page 200, Safety belts .
Safety belts
Belt positioner
The driver and front passenger seats are
equipped with belt positioners .
Fig. 14 7 Driver 's se at: Be lt positio ner
Page 135 of 286

The front seats are equipped with belt posi
tioners so it is easier to fasten the safety be lts . The belt positioners automatically ex
tend when the door closes and the ignition
switches on ¢
fig. 147.
The belt positioner returns to its starting posi
tion again when
- the tongue in the belt latch engages o r the
belt was not fastened within 60 seconds .
- yo u sw itch the igni tion off.
- you ope n the door.
_& WARNING
- O nly you r autho rized Aud i de ale r shou ld
wor k on the sys tem or remove and instal
ling system components when perform
ing other work .
- T he be lt positioners could cause in jury or
damage if they pinc h peop le or objects
when extending or retracting .
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig . 14 8 Be lt buckle and tongue on t he driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the
wearer's body .
~ Adjust the front seat and head restraint
properly¢
page 61, Seats and storage.
~ Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright pos ition and securely
latched in place before using the belt¢ ..
&.
~ Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even-
ly across the chest and pelvis¢,&..
Safety belts 133
~ Insert the tongue into the correct buck le o f
your seat unti l you hear it latch securely
¢ fig. 148.
~ Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automat ic safety belt r etractor s
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat
ic be lt ret ractor on the shoulder belt. This fea
ture locks the belt when the be lt is pulled out
fast, during hard brak ing and in an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep h ill or th rough a sharp cu rve.
During normal driv ing the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety belt
and remove slack when the pretensioner is ac
tivated. The function of the pretensione r is
monito red by a warn ing light¢
page 20.
Switchable locking fe ature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a sw itchable lock ing fea
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a ch ild safety seat . Be s ure to
read the important information about this
feature
¢page 168.
_& WARNING
Imp roperly posit ioned safety be lts can
cause serious injury in an accident
¢ page 134, Safety belt position .
-Safety belts offer opt imum protection
only when the seatback is upr ight and
be lts are properly posit io ned on the
body.
-
- Never attach the safety be lt to the buck
le for another seat. Attaching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt
effectiveness and can cause ser ious per
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain-
ed can be seriously injured by the safety .,.
Page 136 of 286

134 Safet y belt s
belt itself when it moves from the stron
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convertible locking re
tractor when you are secur ing a child
safety seat in the vehicle
c::> page 170.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is th e key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 14 9 Safety belt pos it io n
;;; r-0 ± .., CD
Standard features on your vehicle help you ad
just the position of the safety belt to match your body size .
- height -adjustable front seats .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause se rious personal injury in an acci
de nt.
- T he shoulder belt sho uld lie as close to
the cente r of the collar bone as poss ible
and should fit we ll on the body. Ho ld the
bel t above the latch tongue and pull it
even ly across the chest so that it sits as
low as possible on the pelvis and there is
no p ress ure on the abdomen. The be lt
should a lways fit snugly
c:> fig . 149. Pull
on the be lt to tighten if necessary.
- The lap belt portion of the safety be lt
must be positioned as low as possible
across pe lvis and never over the abdo
men . Make s ure the be lt lies flat and
snug
c::> fig . 149. Pull o n the belt to tight
en if n ecessary. -
A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri
ous injuries by shift ing its posit ion on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulnerable, soft tissue and cause ser ious
in ju ry.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS a nd
other important information
<=:>page 132.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expe ctan t mothers always wear
safety belts corre ctly -throughout the preg
nan cy.
Fi g. 1 50 Saf ety belt pos it ion dur ing p re gnan cy
To prov ide max imum protect ion, safety belts
must a lway s be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
<=:>page 134.
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor
rectly
c::> page 61, Seats and storage .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
benc h is in an upright position and secure ly
latched in place before using the belt .
"' Ho ld the belt by the tongue and pull it even
ly ac ross the chest and pelvis
c::> fig . 150,
c::> &_ .
.,. In sert the tong ue i nto the correct buckl e of
your seat unt il yo u hear i t latch secu re ly
c;, page 133, fig . 148 .
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure t hat it is se
curely latched in the buck le.