come back a while later and drive off, the rain
sensor will reactivate itself after the vehicle
speed has exceeded 4 mph (6 km/h).
The rain sensor* is only activated with the
wiper lever set to position(!). When it starts
to rain, the rain sensor will automatically acti
vate the intermittent wiping mode.
To reduce the sensitivity of the sensor, move
switch @ down. To increase the sensitivity,
move the switch up. The higher you adjust the
sensitivity, the faster the sensor will react
when it senses moisture on the windshield. The pauses between wiper turns depend not
only on the sensitivity setting, but on the ve
hicle speed as well.
During brief stops, e.g . at a red light, wiper
motion will automatically be reduced to the
next lower speed . Wipers already turning at
low speed change to intermittent wiping.
When the ignition is turned on, the washer
jets are heated .
A WARNING
-Wiper blades are crucial for safe driving!
Only when they are in good condition are
they able to clear the windows properly
to provide uncompromising visibility.
Worn or damaged wiper blades are a
safety hazard
r=;, page 51, Replacing
windshield wiper blades!
- The light/rain sensor* is only designed to
assist and support the driver.
It remains
entirely the driver's responsibility to
monitor outside weather conditions and
to manually activate the wipers as soon
as rain or drizzle reduces visibility
through the windshield.
- The windshield must not be treated with
water-repellent materials. They can in
crease glare under poor visibility condi
tions such as wetness, darkness, or when
the sun is low on the horizon. In addi
tion, they can cause the windshield wip
ers to chatter.
Clear vision 49
@ Note
In freezing or near freezing conditions:
- Always check that the wiper blades are
not frozen to the glass before you turn
the wipers on. Loosen a wiper blade
which is frozen in place before operating
the wipers to prevent damage to the
wiper blade or the wiper motor.
- Do not use the wipers to clear a frosted
window. Using the wipers as a conven ient ice scraper will destroy the wiper
blades .
- Before you take your vehicle to an auto
matic car wash, make sure you have the
windshield wiper system switched off (lever in position
0), otherwise the wind
shield wiper system could get damaged
in the car wash if it should suddenly
come on.
@ Tips
-The windshield wipers are switched off
when the ignition is turned off. Activate
the windshield wipers after the ignition
is switched back on by moving the wind
shield wiper lever to any position.
- Worn or dirty windshield wiper blades
cause smearing, which can affect the op
eration of the light/rain sensor*. Check
the condition of your windshield wiper
blades regularly.
-The rain sensor is part of the interval
wiping system. Turning off the ignition
will also deactivate the rain sensor. To re
activate the sensor, switch off the inter
val wiping function, then switch it back
on again.
-Applies to vehicles with light/rain sen
sor: When the wipers are switched on
manually and in rain conditions, the au
tomatic headlights* turn on
r=;, page 42,
Switching the headlights on and off
or
off during the day when the wipers are
no longer operating. The automatic
headlights* function is available in this
case only when the light switch is in the
"AUTO" position¢
page 42, fig. 39.
78 On the road
Audi magnetic ride
Applies to vehicles: with mag netic r ide
Damping can be adjusted to the driver's pref
erence and it adapts automatically to the cur
rent driving situation.
Fig. 77 Cente r console: Switch for Audi magnetic r ide
.,. Press the switch ~ fig . 77 to turn spo rt set-
t ing o n or off.
Aud i magnetic ride is an electron ically con
trolled damp ing system . Th is chassis system
assists the driver by adapting to the par ticular
situatio n th rough imper cep tible con trol p roc
esses. The
damping provides individual mod u
l ation of damping forces. For example, with
dampi ng cha racterist ics set to p rovide greater
comfort, damping is set somewhat harder for
a brief period only as required, when rounding
a curve and when braking.
Standard setting
Select the standard sett ing if you prefer a sus
pension setting emphasizing comfort.
Sport setting
Select the sport setti ng if you prefe r a sporty
suspe nsio n setting . The LED in the sw itch
8
comes on to indicate spo rt setting .
@ Tips
The w arning/indicator light 8 in the in stru
ment cluster comes on in the even t of a
malfunction . Drive to the closest au thor
ized Audi dealer as soon as possible and
have the malfunction repaired.
Sport mode
Applies to vehicles: wit h Sport but ton
F ig . 7 8 Button in th e ce nte r console
.,. To switch sport mode on, press the button
in th e cente r console. The indicator light
t ur ns on .
.,. To swi tch spor t mo de off, press the bu tto n
in the center co nsole again. The indicator
light turns on .
A mo re agile and spo rty d riv in g style is po ssi
ble when driving the vehicle in "sport mode".
T his mode affec ts thrott le response and the
sound of the engine and the damping charac
teristics of the Audi magnetic ride for dynamic
s uspension tuning .
@ Tips
If there is a malfunct ion in the retracta ble
rear spoiler* or the Audi magnetic ride*, it
may not be poss ible to activate sport
mode.
Acoustic parking system
Rear acoustic park assist
Applies to vehicles: wit h 4-channel acoustic park assist
Acous tic park assist gives a warning about
obstacles behind the vehicle.
Description
T he rea r acousti c park ass ist (4-cha nnel
a coustic park ass ist) determines the distance
of the vehicle from an obstacle using ultra
son ic sensors. The sensors are in the rear
bumper. The volume a nd the pitch of the
chimes can be adjusted through the menu disp lay ~
page 24 .
The range a t which the sensors start to meas
ure is
about :
To the side
Center rear
Activation
2 feet (0.60 m)
5 feet (1.60 m)
The parking assist is activated when
r ev erse
g ear
is engaged . A b rief tone confi rms that
the system is activated .
Bac king up
Distance warning when backing up starts
when an obstacle is detected in the range of
the park assist system . As the d istance de
creases, the time interva l between the audib le
tones becomes sho rter.
When the d istance is less than 1 foot (0 .30
m), the tone becomes cont inuous . At this
point you should stop backing up.
Please note that low objects already signalled
by a warning can disappear from the system's
detection range and w ill not continue to be
signalled.
Potential malfunction s
If a warning buzzer sounds for a few seconds
when the ignition is sw itched on, there is a
system malfunction w ith the aco ustic park as
sist . If the malfunction persists unti l the igni
tion is sw itched off , there will be no acoustic
warn ing at the next attemp t to activate the
system . Have the problem corrected.
Th ere is no confirmation tone when reverse
gear is engaged if there is a system ma lfun c
tion .
For the park ing ass ist to operate, the sensors
must be kept clean and free of ice .
.8, WARNING
- Senso rs have b lind spots in which obje cts
cannot be detec ted . Pay speci al atten tio n
to small c hildren and animals. They can-
On th e ro ad 79
not always be detected by the sensors -
danger of an accident!
- The parking assist cannot replace the
driver's attention. The driver alone is re
sponsib le for parking and similar driving
maneuvers. Always watch where you are
driving .
(D Note
Low obstacles already signa lled by a warn
i ng can d isappear from the system's detec
tion range as they are approached and w ill
not continue to be signalled . Objects such
as ba rrie r cha ins, trailer d raw bars, th in
painted vertica l poles, o r fences may not
be dete cted by the system -risk of dam
age.
(D Tips
F o r the pa rking assist to operate, the sen
sors m ust be kept clean and free of snow
a nd ice.
106 Safety belts
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped .
Fig. 103 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
• Push the red release button on the buckle
c> fig. 103. The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle ~
,A.
0 r-N 0 ±.
"' a,
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi
cle is moving . Doing so will increase your
r isk of being injured or killed .
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even
increase the risk of injury and death by mov
ing the safety belt to critical areas of the
body. Improper seating positions also in
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occu
pant who is not in the correct seating posi
tion . A driver is responsible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for chil
dren. Therefore:
• Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c>,&. .
A WARNING
-Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of ser ious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu
pants are correctly restrained and stay in
a correct seating position whenever the
veh icle is being used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
~ page 103.
Safety belt preten
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front and side collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts in use are tensioned au
tomatically .
The safety belts for the front seating positions
are equipped with safety belt pretensioners .
The system is activated by sensors in front
and side collisions of great severity. This tight
ens the belt and takes up belt slack
c> .&. in
Service and disposal of safety belt preten
sioner on page 107.
Taking up the slack helps
to reduce forward occupant movement during
a collision.
(D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be
activated once .
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear -end collisions, in a rollover and in
accidents involving very little impact
force, the safety belt pretensioner are
not activated.
- When the safety belt pretensioner is ac
tivated, a fine dust is released. This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The relevant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo
nents of the system are scrapped. A
qualified dealership is familiar with
II>
-Never put the forward-facing child re
straint up against or very near the instru
ment panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint . The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a
lo t of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sens ing mat, sensors, wiring, brack
ets, and more. The function of the system in
the front passenger seat is checked by the
electronic control unit when the ignition is on.
The control unit monitors the Advanced Air
bag System and turns the airbag indicator
light on when a malfunction in the system
components is detected. The function of the
airbag indicator light is described in greater
detail below. Because the front passenger
seat contains important parts of the Ad
vanced Airbag System, you must take care to
prevent it from being damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airbag System
consists of the following:
- Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration
to provide information to the Advanced Air
bag System about the severity of the crash.
-An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts .
The control unit "decides" whether to fire
the front airbags based on the information
r eceived from the crash sensors. The control
Airbag system 115
unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for
the driver inside the steering wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator in
side the instrument panel for the front pas
senger.
- A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat.
The inform ation registered is sent continu
ously to the electronic control unit to regu
late deployment of the front Advanced Air
bag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
c:;. page 119.
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center of the instru
ment panel
c:;. page 119, fig. 107 and tells
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned off.
- A sensor below the safety belt latch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension
on the safety belt. The tension on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the
weight-sensing mat help the control unit
"decide" whether the front airbag for the
front passenger seat should be turned off or
not
c:;. page 110, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driv
er and for the front seat passenger that
senses whether that safety belt is latched or
not and transmits this information to the
electronic control unit .
.&_ WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from working
properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
-
trained workshop personnel. 111>
•
•
116 Airbag system
-Never remove the front passenger or
driver seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from
the seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets
or place them on the seat. If the weight
sensing mat in the passenger seat is
punctured it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front pas
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Air bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper
ly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement
upholstery that have not been specifical
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing child re
straints or occupants on the front pas
senger seat and prevent the side airbag
in the seat backrest from deploying prop
erly.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The additional padding will prevent
the weight-sensing mat in the seat from
accurately registering the child restraint
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function
ing properly.
- If you must use a child restraint on the
front passenger seat and the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions re
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something else to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on whenever the child re- straint is installed on the front passen
ger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi
ately install child restraint in a rear seat
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
side airbags supplement the protection of
fer ed by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head restraints to help reduce the
risk of injury in a wide range of accident and
crash situations. Be sure to read the impor
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need Airbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten
s ioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as well as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash.
When the electronic control unit registers a low severity crash and the safety belt is being
used , the airbag will not deploy.
If the safety
belt is not being used, the first stage deploys,
follow ed by the second stage after a much lat
er time in t he crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash
of medium severity, the first stage of the air
bag deploys followed by the second stage at a
much later time in the crash sequence -re
gardless of whether the safety belt is being
u sed or not . In higher severity crashes as reg
istered by the electronic control unit, both the
first and second stages deploy almost at the
same time.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety
belt use, the airbag will be turned off if the
weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control
Ill-
-If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
~ Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System : the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
P ASS EN
GER AIR BA G OFF
light .
The Advanced Airbag System (including the
electronic control un it, sensor circuits and sys
tem wiring) is monitored continuously to make sure that it is functioni ng properly
whenever the ignit ion is on . Each time you
turn on the ignition , the airbag monitoring in
d icator light
I will come on fo r a few seconds
(self diagnos tics) .
The system mu st be inspect ed when the
indicator light
I :
- does not come on when the ignit ion is
switched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignition, o r
- comes on wh ile driving .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator light will first start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that tur ns the front
a irbag on the passenger side off, the
P A SSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght will come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supp lemental pro
tection in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indica tor light comes on, it
means that there may be someth ing
wrong wit h the Advanced Ai rbag System.
-
A irba g sy stem 119
It is possible that the airbag wi ll inflate
when it is not supposed to, or will not in
flate when it should.
- Have the airbag system inspected imme
diate ly by your Audi dealer.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
F ig . 107 Sect io n fro m t he in str ument pa nel: PASSEN
GER AIR BAG O FF lig ht
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center of the instrument panel
~ fig . 107 .
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come
on and stay on to tell you when the front Ad
vanced Airbag on the passenger s ide has been
turned off by the electron ic control unit . Each
t ime you turn on the ignit ion , the
PA SS EN
GER A IR BAG OFF
light will f lash for a few
seco nds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied,
- w ill stay on if the re is a small ch ild or child
restrai nt on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is oc
cupied by an adult as registered by the
we ight-sensing mat .
The
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight must
come on and sta y on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front
seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing chi ld restraint has been in-
stalled on the front passenger seat, or ..,.
120 Airbag system
- the weight registered on the front passen
ger seat is equa l to or less than the com
bined weight of a typical 1 year-old restrain
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the
Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Nev
er insta ll a rearward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seat ing positions on the rear seat
¢ page 110, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 130, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on cont inuous ly whenever the
ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not appear and not stay on all
the time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate 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 correct ly
r outed a round the child restraint as descri
bed in the chi ld restrai nt manufacturer's in
struct ions;
- 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 or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job
¢ page 140.
-make sure that th ings that may increase the
weight of the chi ld and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen
ger seat; -
make sure that the safety belt tension sen
sor is not blocked. Shake the safety belt
latch 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 actually on the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con
t inu ously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immediately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the child is properly restra in
ed in a ch ild restraint that is appropriate for
its s ize and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenge r seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds w hile d riving, un
der these circumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenge r seat is
properly seated on the cente r of the sea t
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
¢ page 91, Proper occupant seating posi
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing we ight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
abovethefrontpassengerdooG
- t he sa fe ty belt is being properly worn and
t hat there is not a lot o f sla ck in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that 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, .,.