
62 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Wh en sh oul d th e roof r ack b e remov ed ?
- Before go ing th rough an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice).
- When no t in use, to reduce fue l consump
tion, wind noise and to guard against theft.
A WARNING
- Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor
rect mounting of an approved roof rack
can cause the roof rack or the items at
tached to it to fall off the roof onto the
road.
- Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle
can cause a crash and personal injury.
- Only mount the roof rack on the desig
nated locations on the roof
c> fig. 63.
- The roof rack system must be insta lled
exactly according to the instructions pro
vided.
- When driving w ith a roof rack system,
changes to the center of gravity and wind
resistance can change the vehicle han
dling and lead to a collision . Always
adapt your driv ing and your speed to the
current conditions.
Q) Note
- Your vehicle warranty does not cover any
damages to the veh icle caused by using
roof racks or mount ing structures not
approved by Audi for your vehicle. The
same applies to damage resulting from
i n correct roof rack installation.
- Always check the roof rack mountings
and hardware before each trip and dur ing a trip to make sure eve rything is se
curely tightened. If necessary, retighten
the mountings and check the entire sys
tem from time to time.
- After mounting a roof rack system, or
when you transport objects on the roof
of your vehicle, the height of the vehicle
i s naturally increased. Be careful when
driving under low br idges or in parking
garages for example. This could cause damage to the
load and even the vehicle
itself .
- Make sure that the open rear lid and the
sunroof do not come into contact with
objects on the roof.
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. Make sure
anything on the roof rack is securely tied
down .
""Always distribute the loads on the roof rack
even ly .
"" Always attach items to the roof rack securely
before you drive off.
The maximum permissible roof weight is
1 6 5 lb (75 k g). The roof weight is the tota l of
the weight of the roof rack, the attachments
and the cargo you are carrying. You must also
not exceed the maximum load we ight for the
roof rack you are using.
When using a roof rack system which has a
lower load carrying capacity, you must not use
up the total maximum permissible load carry
ing capacity specified above. Instead, you
should load the roof rack system only to the maximum capacity specified by the manufac
tu rer of the roof rack sys tem.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to the roof rack can fail
during hard braking or in a collision and
cause serious personal injury .
- Make sure the roof rack is installed exact ly as specified above
c> page 61 .
-Always use suitable mounting straps for
securing items to the roof rack to help
prevent items from shifting or flying for
ward.
- Items on the roof rack must always be
securely mounted.
- The use of a roof rack can negatively af
fect the way a vehicle hand les. Cargo
.
that is large, heavy, bulky, long or flat ..,

will have a greater negative influence on
the vehicle's aerodynamics, center of
gravity and overall handling. Always
drive slowly, avo id sudden braking and
maneuvers when transporting cargo on
the roof of your vehicle.
- Never exceed the maximum permissible
load carrying capacity of the roof of your
vehicle, the pe rmissib le axle weights and
the permiss ible total weight of your veh i
cle¢
page 261, Weights.
@) For the sake of the environment
As a result of the increased w ind resist
ance created by a roof rack, your vehicle is
using fue l unnecessarily. So remove the
roof rack after using it.
Luggage compartment
General information
_& WARNING
Read and follow the important safety p re
cautions
on<> page 125, Stowing lug
gage.
Enlarging the luggage compartment
A pp lies to vehicles: with fold ing rear seatback
The backrests can be folded forward sepa
rately or together using the two release lev
ers.
0
Fig. 64 Luggage compartment : release lever
Sea ts a nd s to rage 63
Fig . 65 Backrest: release lever, securing knob and latc h
Release lever in lug gage co mpartment
.. Pull the release lever¢ fig. 64 in the direc
tion of the arrow to fold the backrest for
ward .
Relea se h andle on th e backrest
.. Pull the release lever@¢ fig. 65 in the di
rection of the arrow to fold the backrest for
ward.
Fold ing th e back res t b ack into th e up right
p osition
.. Fold the backrest back up again until it
latches and the red marking@ is no longer
visible ¢.&_ .
You can lock the backrest when it is latched in
place using the mechanical key
c> page 34 ©
¢ fig. 65 . This prevents any access to the lug
gage compartment from the vehicle interior.
You can only enlarge the luggage compart
ment if the backrest is not locked.
_& WARNING
-
-The backrest must always be securely
latched so that the safety belt of the cen
ter seating position can work properly to
he lp protec t the occupant.
- The backrest must be securely latched in
position so that no items contained in
the l uggage compa rtment can slide for
ward upon sudden braking.
- Always check whether the latch is fully
engaged by pull ing the seatback for
ward.

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.

126 Driving Safely
-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.
- Nev er 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-
-
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=>poge 226 .
. Tie-downs
App lies to veh icles : w ith tie -downs
The luggage comportment 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 12 5, Loading the luggage com
portment.
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

140 Airbag sys tem
For this reason, and because t he bac k seat is
the safest place for children - when prop erly
restra ined according to their age and size - we
strongly recommend that children always sit in the back seat
Q page 161, Child Safety.
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
t he front a irbag inflates - even wit h an Ad
v a nced Airb ag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety sea t
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat .
-If you mus t inst all a rearwar d fa cing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on , im
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
au thorized Audi dealer .
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats instal
led on the front passenger's seat may in
terfer e wi th the deployment of the air
bag and cause se rious personal injury to
the ch ild.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you mus t
install a forwa rd-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always m ake su re the forw ard-fa cing
sea t has been des igned and certified by
its manufact urer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward -facing child re
st raint up aga inst or very near the inst ru
ment pane l.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft ad
justment range, as fa r away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild restra int. The
backrest must be ad justed to an upright
position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time wheneve r the ignit ion is switched
on.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious inju ry, ma ke
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
lig ht w ill be displayed whenever a child re
straint is insta lled on the front passenger
seat and the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not stay on, per form the checks de
scribed
Q page 147, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the chi ld restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on.
-Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer immed iate
ly.
- Always carefully follow instr uctions from
child restraint manufacture rs when in
stalling ch ild restra ints.
A WARNING
-If, in except iona l circumstances, you must
i nstall a forward or rearwa rd -facing child
r estra int on t he front passenger's seat :
- Improper installation of ch ild restra ints
can reduce their effectiveness o r even
p revent them from providing any protec
tion.
- An improperly installed ch il d restra int
can inter fere with the airbag as it de
p loys and seriously injure o r even kill the
child -even with an Advance d Airbag
System.
- Always caref ully follow the m anu factur
er 's ins truc tio ns p rov ided with the ch ild
safety sea t or carrier .

Fo r exa mple, the airbag may depl oy if:
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of
the chi ld safety seats listed
¢ page 163),
-a ch ild who has outgrown child rest raints is
on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off , the
PA SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light in the center
of the inst rument panel w il l come on and stay
on.
The front a irbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitt ing upr ight w ith
their back against a non-reclined backrest
with their feet on the veh icle floo r in front
of the sea t is on the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the
Federal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the " low risk " deployment criteria to help re
duce the risk of inj ury through in teraction
with the airbag . "Low risk" deployment occurs
in those crashes that take place at lower de
celerations as defined in the electronic control unit.
¢ page 147
Alway s remember : Even though you r vehicle
is equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest
p lace for children is properly restrained on the
back seat . Please be sure to read the impor
tant information in the sect ions that follow
and be sure to heed all of the WARNINGS.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly .
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much highe r.
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in-
A irbag system 143
flates - even with an Advanced Ai rbag
¢page 137.
_&. WARNING
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be ser ious ly injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced A irbag System .
-Although the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle is designed to turn off the
front airbag when a rearward-facing child restraint has been instal led on the
front passenge r seat, nobody can abso
lutely guaran tee that dep loymen t is im
possible in all conceivable situations that
may happen during the usefu l life of your
veh icle.
- 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 rearward -facing chi ld re
straints in the back seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately insta ll the rear-fa cing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
-=
If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make s ure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re
straint up against or very near the instru-
ment panel.
~
•
•

-Occ upan ts who are unbelte d, ou t of p osi
t ion 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
¢ page 138 .
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w il l hit the child
sa fety sea t or infant carrier w ith g reat
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest , cente r
armrest, door or roof .
- Always install rear -facing child sa fety
seats on the rear seat .
- If you mus t install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position a nd
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
authori zed Au di dealer .
A WARNING
Objects betwee n you and t he a irbag will
increase the risk of in jury in a crash by in
t erfering wi th the way the air bag un folds
or by being pushed into you as the a irbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on
yo ur lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport i tems on or in the area
of the front passenge r seat . Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air
bags dur ing braking or other s udden ma
neuver and become dangerous projec
t il es that can cause serious personal in
jury if the airbags inflate .
- Never place or attach accessories or oth
er objects (such as cupholders, te le
phone brackets, large, heavy or b ulky ob -
-
Airbag system 147
jects) on the doors, ove r o r near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could cause in ju ry in a c rash , es
pecia lly when the airbags infla te .
- Never recline the front passenger 's sea t
to transport objects. Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag du ring bra king or in a
sudden maneuve r. O bje cts ne ar the air
bags can become projec tiles and cause
in jur y, partic ula rly when the seat is re
clined .
A WARNING
The fine dust create d when air bags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath ing cond itions .
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory conditions shou ld get fresh air r ight
away by getting o ut o f the veh icle or
open ing windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, was h your hands and face with
mild soap and wate r before ea ting.
- Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, o r into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the resid ue should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
T wo separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Advanced A irbag System ( incl uding the
electron ic co ntro l unit , se nsor circu its and sys
tem wir ing) is mo nitore d continuously to
m ake su re that it i s fu nc tioni ng properly •
•

158 Airbag sys te m
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ~
fig. 140. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshie ld
frame and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the
risk of injury for occupants ' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side co llision . The side curtain airbag in
flates in s ide impacts and only when the veh i
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
is high enoug h. If th is rate is below the refe r
ence va lue programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be t riggered, even
though the ca r may be badly damaged as a re
sult of the collision . It is not possible to de
fine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir
cumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
i nclude, for example, the natu re (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact ,
ve hicl e speed, etc.~
page 159, How side cur
tain airbags work.
As ide from the ir no rmal safety function, safe
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli
sion so tha t the side curta in airbags can pro
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for you r
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc
cupa nt res traint system in your ve hicle. Al
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you sho uld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just beca use the law re
qu ires you to do so
Q page 129, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, fo r example , swell ing, bruisi ng, and
minor abras io ns can also be associated w it h
these airbags. Remembe r too, these a irbags
will dep loy only once and only in cer tain kinds of accidents
-your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
- The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the fron t and
rear side windows
- The a irb ag ind icator light in the inst rument
panel
T he airbag syste m is mon itored e lectronically
to make ce rtain it is functioning prope rly at all
t imes. Each t ime yo u turn on t he igni tion, the
airbag system indicator light wi ll come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is tur ned off,
- in side collisions when the accele ration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING '"--
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupa nts
are in th e prop er seating position
Q page 53, Seats and storage.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light Q page 20
comes when the veh icle is being used,
h ave the system inspected immedia tely
by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
It is pos
sible tha t the airbag will inflate when i t
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should.