-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.
- Never remove the front passenger or
dr iver seat from the veh icle.
- 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-sens ing mat and send the
wrong info rmation to the airbag control
unit.
- Never store items under the front pas
senger seat. Parts of the Advanced Ai r
bag System under the passenger seat
cou ld 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 deploy ing prop
erly.
- Never use cush ions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger
seat. The add itional padd ing will prevent
the weight-sens ing mat in the seat from
accu rately reg iste ring the ch ild restra int
or person on the seat and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from function ing properly .
-If you must use a child restra int on the
front passenger seat and the chi ld re-
A irbag system 145
straint manufacturer's instructions re
quire the use of a towel, foam cushion or
something e lse to properly position the
child restraint, make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light comes
on and stays on whenever the ch ild re
straint is installed on the front passen
ger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immed i
ately insta ll child rest raint in a rear seat
ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the
s ide airbags supplement the protection of
fered by the front three-point safety belts
with pretensioners and load limiters and the
adjustable head rest raints to help reduce the
risk of inj ury in a wide range of accident and
c rash situations. Be s ure to read the impor
tant information about safety and heed the
WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Adv a need A irbag System
and the activation of the safety belt preten
sioners depend on the deceleration measured
by the crash sensors and registered by the
electronic control unit. Crash severity depends
on speed and deceleration as we ll as the mass
and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved
in the crash .
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
unit. The front airbag on the passenger side
will a lso be turned off if one of the child safe
ty seats that has been ce rtified under Fede ral
Motor Vehicle Safety S tanda rd 208 has been
recognized on the seat. The
PAS SEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on to tell
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side has been turned off
¢ page 138, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know. .,,.
•
•
-Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi
ately install the rearward -facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se
cure a child restraint .
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur
er's instructions when installing a child re
straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver
tible locking retractor :
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera
bly on the rear seat.
.,. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
.,. Route it around or through the child re
straint belt path¢.&_ .
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.,. Inser t the belt tongue into the buckle for
that sea ting position .
.,. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat .
.,. You should hear a "clicking " noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt . You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con
vertible locking retractor is now activated.
.,. Make sure that the red release button is fac
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled quickly .
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
Child Safety 173
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im
properly installed child restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position and securely latched
into place and cannot fold forward. Oth
erwise, the seatback with the child safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an accident or other emer gency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used ¢
page 161. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 138, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The conv ertibl e locking retractor for child r e
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into
the retractor.
.,. Press the red button on the safety belt buck
le . The belt tongue will pop out of the buck
le .
.,. Guide the s afety belt all the way back into
i t s s towed position .
Always let the safety belt retract completely
into its stowed position. The safety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with
out the convertible locking retractor for child
restraints.
•
•
174 Child Saf ety
If the convertible locking retracto r shou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt must be unfastened and guided completely back in
to its stowed pos ition to deactivate th is fea
ture. If the convertible locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will gradually be
come tighter a nd uncomfortable to wear.
A WARNING
Improperly insta lled child safety seats in
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti
vate the convert ible lock ing retractor for
child rest rain ts while the veh icle is mov
ing. You would not be restrained and
cou ld be ser iously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave
hicle is being used
¢ page 161. Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 138, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
180 Intellige nt tec hno logy
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by veh ic le
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during normal vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stab ilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the vehicle back under control by selectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in
dicator light
J.i) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It will not always be able to help out
under a ll cond itions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not towing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC can
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattent ion. Instead, ESC improves the
possibility of keeping the vehicle under con
trol and on the road during extreme maneu
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi
ence the benefits of ESC.
overhea t red ucin g the e ffec tiveness of
t h e ent ire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the bra king capability resulting in an in
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to the near est author ized Audi dealer or qualified
wor kshop .
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop w ith
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed considera
bly harder to make up for the lac k of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator light s and messages
• Steering defecti ve! Do not drive vehicle!
If th is ind icator light tu rns on and stays on
and th is message appears, t he power s teeri ng
may have f ailed.
Do
not co ntin u e d riving . See yo ur autho rized
Aud i dea ler o r a qua lifi ed r epai r fac ility for as
sis tance .
':rj Dynam ic steering: Sy stem fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light t urns on and the mes
sage appears, the steer ing may be more diffi
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steer ing wheel may also be at an angle whe n
d riving st raight .
Drive s low ly to your au thor ized Audi dealer or
qua lified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected.
'y.ij Dynam ic steering : initializing
Int ellig ent technolog y 185
If this drive r message appea rs and the indica
tor lig ht is f lashing on the instrument panel,
dynamic steer ing * is being rein itia lized. After
starting the engine, the steering wheel will move s light ly. Re- initiali zation might be nec
essary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and right wh ile the vehicle was not
moving . Th e display goes out as soo n as ini ti
ali zation is comple te .
A WARNING
H ave the dy namic s tee ring * system mal
f u nction repa ired as soon as possible by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop - risk of acc ident !
(D Tips
- If the . or l;rj indic ator l ight only st ays
on fo r a short time, you may continue
dr iving.
- T he dynamic s teering* s tabilit y systems
are not availab le in the even t of a system
ma lfunction.
- F or ad ditiona l information on dynamic
steering *, refer to ¢page 104 .
-
Driving with your
quattro
Applies to vehicles: with all-wheel drive
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driv
en .
General informati on
With a ll-wheel d rive, power is distrib uted to
all four wheels. This happens automatically depending on your driving style and the road
cond it ions at the time. See also¢ page 180 .
A center d ifferential distributes the driving
power variably to the front and rear ax le. It
wor ks together with selective wheel torque
control, wh ich activates when dr iv ing t hrough
curves Qpage 181. With the sport differen
t ia l*, power d istr ibut io n to the rea r wheels is
var iable a nd can be adjusted w ith dr ive se lect
¢ page 10 4.
IJII>
•
•
A WARNING 1= ~
After driving through water, mud, slush, etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake rotors and pads. Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re
store the full brak ing effect.
([) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through wate r.
@ Tips
- Check the depth of the water before dr iv
i ng through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, dr ive in reverse
or switch the engine off when driving
th rough water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for you r vehi
cle to drive th rough safely.
- Avoid dr iving through sa lt water because
i t can ca use corrosion.
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con
trol system (catalytic converter) is function
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
11-Always use lead -free gaso line¢ page 201,
Fuel supply .
"'"Never run the tank down all the way to emp
ty.
11-Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 211, ~ Adding engine oil .
11-Never try to push -or tow -start your veh icle .
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle . The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphere .
Drivin g and en vironm ent 18 9
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
important for the life of the catalytic convert
er and proper f unct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
- The temperature of the exhaust system
is high, both when driving and after stop
ping the eng ine.
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in co ntact with dry grass, br ush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
ru stp roof ing on or nea r the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, cataly tic con
ve rter or heat shield s. Dur ing driving, the
substance used for undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just o ne tank filling with
leaded fuel w ill already ser iously de
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the cor rect engine oil level
¢ page 211.
-Do not drive until the f ue l t ank becomes
comple tely empty . The engine co uld m is
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this co uld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle
under these conditions, as othe rwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
cou ld result in overheating of the con
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis -
sion Control System: ..,. •
•
Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 193
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
¢ &. .
Safety chains
Alw ays use s afety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra ile r lights m ust meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check w ith your authorized Audi dealer
fo r c orrec t w iri ng, sw itches, and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must insta ll ext ended mir ro rs. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear .
.8, WARNING
- If a trailer has elec trica l br ake s plea se
no te th at t hese bra kes are not activat ed
by the fa ctory -fit ted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the t railer hi tch, do no t
s to re it in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly fo rward and
in ju re you or yo ur passenge rs .
Operating instructions
Maximum traile r we ight
-
A trai ler for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 tra iler.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the lo ad in the traile r is h eld secure ly
i n p lace to p reven t it from shifting fo rward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 19 4.
Engine cooling system
Towing a t railer ma kes t he engine wor k hard
er . It is impo rta nt that the cooling system's
perfo rman ce is up to the additional load.
Make sure tha t the coo ling sys tem h as enough
f lu id . .,..
•
•
194 Trailer towing
Tire pre ss ure
When towing a trai le r, inflate the t ires of your
vehicle to the co ld tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the label located on the driver 's
side B-pillar (visible when the door is open).
Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire manufac
turers' specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before dr iving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and tra iler lights
are working properly.
Saf ety chains
Be sure tra iler sa fe ty cha ins a re p roperly con
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve
hicle. Leave eno ugh slack in the chains to per
mit turning corners. When you install safety
cha ins, make sure they w ill not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains shou ld cross under the trai ler
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
care and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling o f vehicle
and trai ler, p lease note the following:
.,. Do no t tow a lo aded tra ile r when your car it
self is no t loaded .
.,. Be especia lly carefu l when passing other
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed lim its .
.,. Do not drive at the maximum permissible
speed.
.,. Always apply brakes early.
.,. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stribution
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty car re
sults in a highly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avo ided, drive at very
low speeds only to avoid the risk of losing
steering control. A "ba
lanced" rig is easier to operate and con
tro l. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permissi
ble, while keep ing the trai ler as light as possi
ble under the c ircumstances. Whenever poss i
ble, transfer some ca rgo to the luggage com
partment of the tow veh icle while obse rv ing
tongue load requ irements and vehicle load ing
co nsiderations.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more d iff icu lt it be
comes for the driver to control the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permissible speed. Re
duce your speed even more if load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable -pa rtic ularly
whe n goi ng downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
imm ediately if the trail
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
try t o sto p th e swaying by a ccelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds
fo r vehicles tow ing tra ile rs a re lower than for
regular veh icles .
Always apply brakes early. When driving downh ill, shift into a lower gear to use the en
gine braking effect to slow the vehicle . U se of
the b rakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant tempe rature
The coo lant temperature gauge c> page 10
must be observed carefu lly. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air condi tioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light •
i n t he i nstrument cluster starts flashing, pull
off the road, stop and let the engine
idle for
abo ut two min utes to prevent heat build-up .
_& WARNING
Anyone not proper ly restra ined in a mov
i ng vehicle is a t a much greater risk in an
accident . Never let anyone ride in yo ur car
who is not p roper ly wea ring the rest raints
prov ided by A udi.
-