.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 100.
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, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense.
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather condit ions .
.. 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 91
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 91 The correct d istance between d river a nd stee r
in g whee l
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
foll owing pos ition:
.,. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
q&_ ,
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position so that your back
comes in full contact with 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 your breast
bone ¢
fig. 91. If not possible, see your au
thorized Audi dealership about adaptive
equ ipment .
.. 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 wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head . If that is not poss ible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
qpage 104.
92 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
c::> page 55.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. 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 adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- 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 in
flates
- 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 seats
c::> page 130. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front passenger seat¢
page 108.
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 :
• 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.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as
possible but not lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
c::> page 94.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c::>page 104.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c::> page 54 .
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:
-Passengers must always sit in an upright
position 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
passenger's breastbone and the instru
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas
senger 's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Before driving , always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor 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 able 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
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢
page 130. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat¢
page 108.
Driving Safely 93
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 seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
.,. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position¢
page 59.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢page 104.
.,. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro
priate for their size and age¢
page 130.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured 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 securely latch
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts 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!
•
•
94 Driving Safel y
Proper adjustment of 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. 92 Head restra int : viewed from t he fro nt
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
~ For adjustable head restraints: adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possible with the top of your head. If that is not possible, try to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this position as possible
r:::> fig. 92 .
Adjusting head restraints r:::> page 57.
&_ WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad
justed increases the risk of serious or fatal
neck injuriy dramatically. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restra ints 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. Each head restraint must be ad
justed according to occupants' size so
that the upper edge is as even w ith the
top of the person's head, but no lower
th an eye level and so it is as close to the
back of to the head as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile 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 .
- Ch ildren must always be properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appro
priate for their age and size
c:> page 130.
· 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 posi tions 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 dr iver 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
c::> _& .
The following bullets 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 s it on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
-never put you r feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion o r
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwe ll
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imprope r seat ing positions increase the
r is k of se rious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu
pants stay in a proper seating pos it ion
and are properly restra ined whenever the
vehicle is be ing used .
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be
tween yourse lf and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an acc ident by interfer
ing w ith the way the a irbag deploys or by
being p ushed 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, t his
c an res ult in serious or fat al inju ries.
- No objects of any k ind shou ld be carried
in t he footwe ll area in front of the driv
er's or passenger's seat. Bul ky objec ts
(shopping bags, for example) can ham
per or prevent p roper deployment of the
airbag. Small objects can be thrown
thro ugh the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and injure you or your passengers.
-
Dr iving Safel y 95
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.
Make sure that a ll peda ls move free ly without
interfe rence and that nothing prevents them
from return ing to their orig inal positions .
Only use floor mats t hat Leave t he pedal area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten ers .
If a brake circ uit fai ls, increased brake pedal
trave l is required to b ring the vehicle to a f ull
stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause
Loss of vehicle control and increase the risk
of ser ious injury.
- Never p lace any objects in the driver's
footwell. An object cou ld get into the
pe dal area and inte rfe re with pedal func
tion. In case of sudden brak ing o r an ac
cident, yo u wo uld not be able to b rake or
accelerate!
- Always ma ke sure tha t no thing can f all
or move 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 in terfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
"' Ma ke su re that the floor mats are prope rly
secured and cannot move and in terfere with
t he peda ls ¢ ..&_ .
U se only floor mats that leave the peda l area
u nobst ructed and th at are firmly secu re d so
that they c annot slip o ut o f posi tion. You c an
obta in suitab le floor mats from yo ur aut ho r
ized Audi Dealer.
Floor mat fastene rs a re in sta lled in your Aud i.
1111>
•
•
96 Driving Safely
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at
tached to these fasteners. Properly securing
the floor mats will prevent them from sliding into positions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result
in a loss of vehicle control and increase the
risk of serious personal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering with
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already instal
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwell while the ve
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com
partment.
Fig. 93 Safe load posi tioning: heavy ca rgo pos it io ned
as far forwar d as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling characteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of 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 far
forward as possible
r:::>fig . 93.
.,. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid
ed
<:!) page 59.
... Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
-Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak
ing or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example , luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the tie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
~
A WARNING ,~
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve
hicle handles. To help reduce the r isk of a
loss of control leading to ser ious personal
injury:
-Always keep in m ind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen
ter of g ravity can also cause changes in
vehicle handling:
- Always distribute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Ax le Weight Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per missible we ight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driv
ing
i:> page 90.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from be ing drawn into the veh icle, always
keep the rear lid closed while dr iving.
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
cl osed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the follow ing notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Sw itch off the air recircu lation,
- Set the fresh ai r fan to the h ighes t
speed .
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows and the rear lid are securely closed
and locked to reduce the risk of injury
when the veh icle is not being used.
Dr iving S afel y 97
-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 o ut. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let ch ildren play i n or around the
veh icle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be prope rly restra ined in one of
the vehicle 's seating pos it ions .
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale a ir escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel, on the
left side of the luggage compartment. Be sure to keep these s lots free and
open.
- The tire pressure m ust 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 co ld tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
we ight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the t ime it was manufactured .
For recommended tire pressures for nor
ma l load cond itions, please see chapter
i=>page 200.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the t ie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly
c> page 96, Loading the luggage com
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi-
cle w ill become heavy missiles that can cause .,.
•
•
98 Driving Safely
serio us 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.
F or 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
norma l weight of the item. Th is means that
the we ight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
i njuries that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenge r compartm ent
could cause in a collision like t his.
_& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper s traps used
to secure i tems to tie-downs can fail du r
ing hard b rak ing o r in a collision and cause
ser ious personal inju ry .
- Always use suitab le mounting s traps 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 miss iles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use su itab le mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
t ie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying for
wa rd as dangerous miss iles into the pas
senger compartment.
- Never attach a child safe ty seat tether
st rap to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believ e that your vehi cle
ha s a def ect whi ch could cau se
a cra sh or could cau se injur y or
d eath, yo u should immediatel y
inform the N ational High way
Tr affic S afe ty Admini stration (
NHTSA) in addition to notif y
in g Audi of Am erica , Inc .
If NHTSA receive s similar com
plaints, it may open an inve sti
gation , and if it finds that a
s afety defects e xis ts in a group
of vehicles , it may order a recall
and remedy campaign . Howe v
er, NHTSA cannot become in
vol ved in individual problems
between you, your dealer , or
Audi of America, Inc.
To conta ct NHTSA, you may call
the V ehi cle Saf ety Hotline toll
fr ee at:
Tel. : 1-888-3 27-4236 (TTY :
1-800-424-9153)
or
1-800-424-9393
or you ma y write to:
Administra tor
NHT SA
1200 New Jer sey A venue , SE
Wa shington , D .C .
20590
You can al so obtain other infor
mation about motor vehicle
s afety from:
http: //www. safe rc a r. gov
Applicable to Canada
If yo u live in Canad a and you
b e lie ve that your vehicle ha s a