Airb ag syst em
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supp lemental protection.
The airba g system is not a s ubstitute for yo ur
safety belt. Rathe r, it is part of the overall occ u
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety be lt
and wear ing it properly. This is why you should al
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requ ires you to do so
¢page 121, General in
formation .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accide nts in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle str ikes o r is s truck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why a n airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . T he refore, always wear your
safety belts correctly.
It is important to remember that while the sup
p lemental knee airbag system is des igned to re
duce the likelihood of serio us inj uries , other inju
ries, for examp le, swelling, bruising, and mi nor
abrasions and friction burns can a lso occur when
an airbag inflates .
The kn ee airbag system basically consists of:
- T he electronic con tro l module
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the drive r and one fo r the front
passenger
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-whe n the ignition is turned off
- in fronta l coll isions when the dece leration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in ro llovers
144
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
r::;, page 19.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection whe n occupants are in
the proper seating position
r::;, page 137.
- If the airbag indicator light r::;, page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer .
It is possible that
the airbag will i nflate when it is not sup
posed to, o r will not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully deployed knee airbags.
Fig . 13 7 Inflated airbags protect ing in a fro nta l collis ion
The knee airbag system has been des igned so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions.
If t he fron t air bags dep loy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fro nta l collisions whe n the dep loyment
thresho ld stored in the contro l unit is met .
When the system deploys, the ai rbags fill with a
propellan t gas, and inflate be tween the lower
part o f the instr ument panel and the d rive r and
the lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger
¢ page 137, fig . 134 .
Although they are not a soft p illow, they can
cush io n the impact and in this way they can help
to reduce the risk of injury to the lower extremi
ties .
M N
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rl I.O
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All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy .
Fu lly inflated airbags in comb ination with proper
l y worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc
cupant 's forward movement and help to reduce
the r isk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
A pp lies to vehicles: with k nee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
to provide supplementa l protection.
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in
jury. Wear ing safety belts incorrect ly and im
proper seati ng positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locat ions. When adjusting the ir
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies and knees at the followi ng
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instr ument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instru
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the airbag dep loy.
-
Ai rb ag system
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate w ithout interference. Objects be
tween you and the airbag can increase the
risk of injury in an accident by interfer ing
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into yo u as the a irbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
animals ride in the footwell in front of the passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can resu lt in serious or fatal injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot
well area in front of the driver's or pas
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shoppi ng
bags, for example) can i nterfere with or
preve nt proper deployment of the airbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag dep loys and injure yo u
or you r passengers.
- Ma ke sure there are no cracks, deep scratch
es or othe r damage in the area of the instr u
men t pa nel where the knee a irb ags are lo
ca ted.
- If ch ildren are inco rrectly se ated, their r isk
of injury in creases in a coll is io n
~ page 151, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 138 Side a irbag location in the drive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
fron t seat backres ts
q fig. 138 . They are iden ti
fied by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag sy stem basi cally con sis t s of : ..,.
145
Airbag syste m
-the e lectronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- the a irbag warning light in the inst rument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electron ica lly to
make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you tu rn on the ignition, the a ir
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to
the driver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col
lision. The airbag dep loys only in side impacts
and only when the vehicle accelerat ion registered
by the control unit is high enough. If this rate is
below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the side airbags will not be trig
gered, even though the car may be bad ly dam
aged as a result of the coll is ion. It is not poss ible
to define an airbag triggering range that will cov
er every possible ang le o f impact , since the c ir
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between one
collision and another . Important factors include,
for examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of the im
pacting object, the ang le of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 147, Important safety in
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protect ion.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re
member that the s ide airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
be lt and wearing it properly . This is another rea
son why you should always wear you r safety
be lts, not j ust because the law requ ires you to do
so ¢
page 121, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup
p lemental side a irbag system is des igned to re
duce the likelihood of serio us in juries, o ther inj u-
146
ries , fo r example, swelling, bruising, and minor
abrasions can a lso be associated with dep loyed
s ide a irbags. Remember too, side a irbags w ill de
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci
dents - your safety belts are always there to offer
protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may i nflate . Remembe r too, that a irbags w ill deploy
o nl y once and only in certa in kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts a re a lways there to offer p rotec
t ion in those accidents in wh ich airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side collisions when the accelerat ion meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collis ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
cu rtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 147.
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
Airb ag syst em
by being pushed into you as t he airbag in
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Su ch ob jects and ac cessories can become
dangerous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de
p loys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de
p loyment space between them and the
airbags or allow chi ldren or other passen
gers to trave l in this position .
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing . Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be ing
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
o r hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be rep laced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (c racks, deep scratches etc.) to the
o riginal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must a lways
be repaired immedia tely by an authori zed
Audi dealer .
-If children a re seated improperly, their risk
of injury i ncreases in the case of an a ccident
~ page 151, Child safety .
-Never a ttempt to modify any com po nents of
the a irbag sys tem in any way .
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags w il l not fu nc
t ion prope rly if sensors canno t correc tly
measure increas ing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r doo r tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the ins ide door panel and the
open ings they leave hav e not bee n prope r
ly closed.
148
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker ho les have bee n properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or f illed if add itiona l speakers or
other equipment is installed i n the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
autho rized Aud i dea le r or q ualified work
shop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup
plemental protection to properly restrained oc
cupants .
Fig. 1 40 Sid e curt ain system , driver's s ide : side c urtain ai r
bag loca tion
The side curtai n airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win
dows
~ fig. 140 . They are identif ied by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windsh ield frame and the cen
ter roof pi llar.
The side curtai n airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk o f in
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll i
s io n. The side curtain ai rbag inflates in side im
pacts and only when the veh icle acceler ation reg
istered by the cont ro l unit is high enough . If t his
rate is below the reference value prog ram med in
to the control un it, the side a irbags w ill not be
trigge red, even thoug h the ca r may be bad ly
damaged as a resul t of t he coll is ion. It is no t po s
s ible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since .,._
Child safety
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear
ward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat
ing position and have the airbag system in
spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions provided with the child safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible before installing the child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
152
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
· Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight-sensing mat in the seat cushion and the sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight of
the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re
straint as it sits on the seat . The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint offered
by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes
and models of child restraints that the NHTSA
has specified in the Safety Standard together
with the weight ranges of typical infants and typ-
ical 1 year-old child have been stored in the .,..
Child safety
Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tr ibute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace To ddler Sa fe ty Sep
tember 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
G race Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the ris k of serious injury, make sure
t ha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re
st raint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Take the child rest raint off the front passen
ger seat and insta ll it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by yo ur
autho rized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The ch ild sea ts listed in catego ries A to C have
been statica lly tested by Audi only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in on occident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, espec ially children:
... Always use the right child sa fety seat for each
c h ild and a lways use it properly
¢ page 156.
154 ...
Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufact urer's instructions on how to ro ute
the sa fety belt proper ly through the c hild safe
ty seat.
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first act ivate the
convert ible lock ing ret ractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 160.
... Push the ch ild safety sea t down wi th yo ur fu ll
weigh t to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
... If a strap or tether is be ing 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-sensi ng mat to measure more we ight
than is actually o n the seat .
... Secu re unused safety belts on the r ear seat
¢ page 156.
Always remember : Even tho ugh you r vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, espe cially those 12 years and younge r,
shou ld always r ide in the back seat prope rly re
stra ine d f or t heir age an d size.
.&_ WARNING
-
N ot using a child safe ty seat, using t he wrong
chi ld safety seat or improper ly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
m ust always be restrained properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle.
- An un rest rained or imp rope rly res trained
chi ld ca n be inju red or killed by being
t h rown ag ains t the i nsid e of the vehicle or
b y being ejected from it du ring a s udden
mane uver o r impact.
- An unrestrained or im properly res trained
ch ild is at much greater risk of i nju ry or
death by being struck by an inflating air
bag.
- Commercially available ch ild safety seats
are req uired to comply with U.S. Federal Mo
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213). .,_
M N
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N 1.1'1 ,....,
Smart Technology Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re
corder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa
tions, such as an a irbag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand
ing how a vehicle's systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle dy
namics and safety systems for a short per iod of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper
ating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can he lp provide a better understand
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in
juries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your
vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e .g.,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re
corded. However, other parties, such as law en
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip
ment is requ ired, and access to the vehicle or the
E DR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment , can read the in
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR.
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down
l oading of data stored by EDRs installed in a vehi
cle for the express purpose of retriev ing data af-
Smart Technology
ter an accident or crash event without the own
er's consent.
A udi will not access the EDR and/or similar data
o r give it to others -
- unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the veh i
cle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the judicial
discovery process .
- Audi may also use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
provide the data to a th ird party for research
purposes without identifying the spec ific vehi
cle or information about the ident ity of its own
er or lessee and only after the recorded vehicle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equ ipped with a number of
electron ic contro l modules for various vehicle
systems, such as eng ine management, emission
control, airbags, and safety belts.
These electronic control modules record data during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and
repair purposes. The recording capabil ity of these
modules is lim ited to data (no sound is reco rded).
Only a small amount of data is actua lly recorded
over a very limited period of time, or stored when
a system fau lt is detected by a contro l module.
Some of the data stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, or braking, as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash . Stored data can also only be read and
downloaded w ith specia l equipment that is di
rectly connected to the vehicl e.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi con
nect. Your use of certain Audi connect fea
tures requires wireless serv ices that are pro
v id ed by a third party wire less telecommuni
cations provider . For detai ls regard ing how in
formation obtained through Audi connect is
collected, processed, transmitted, used, and ..,.
169
Smart Technolog y
shared, ple ase see your contract with the
wireless telecommunications provider and the "About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI*:
I MENU ! button > Audi connect > About
Audi conne ct .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of sk id
d ing and loss of veh icle control.
It works only
when the engine is runn ing . ESC detects certain
d ifficult driving situations, including when the ve
h icle is beginn ing to sp in (yaw) out of control and
he lps you to ge t the vehicle back u nder cont rol 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 indicator light
liJ in the instrument
cluster blinks when ESC is taking action to help
you control the veh icle.
ESC has limitations. It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not always be able to help out under all con
d 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. Whe n
there is a section of d ry road that is s uddenly cov
ered wi th wa ter, s lush or snow, ESC cannot per
form the same way it wou ld on the d ry surface . If
the vehicle hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of wa
ter instead of the road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because contact
with the pavement has been i nterrupted and the
ve hicle cannot be braked or steered. Dur ing fast
cornering, particula rly on w inding roads, ESC
cannot a lways deal as effect ively with d iff icu lt
d riving situat ions than at lower speeds. When
towing a trailer, ESC is not able to he lp yo u regain
con trol as it wou ld if yo u were not towing a trail
er .
A lways adjust you r speed and dr iving style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC cannot
override the vehicle's physical limi ts, increase the
170
available traction, or keep a vehicle on the road if
road departure is a result of driver inattention .
Instead, ESC improves the possibility of keeping
the ve hicle under control and on the road dur ing
extreme maneuvers by using the dr iver's steering
i nputs to help keep the vehicle going in the in
tended direction. If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
can p rov ide any assistance, you may not expe ri
ence the benefi ts of ESC.
ESC is switched o n all the time. In ce rtain s itua
tions when you need less traction, you can switch
off ASR by p ress ing the button [!]¢
page 171,
fig. 153 or ¢page 171, fig. 154. Be s ure to
swi tch ASR on again when you no longe r need
l ess traction .
The following system s are integrated in the ESC:
Anti- lock braking s ystem (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locki ng up when
braking. The vehicle ca n still be steered even dur
i ng hard braki ng . Apply steady pressure to the
brake pedal. Do not pump t he pedal. A pu lsing in
t h e b ra ke peda l ind icates that the system is he lp
i ng yo u to b ra ke the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake ass ist system can decrease brak ing dis
ta nce. It increases braking power when the d river
presses the bra ke peda l quickly in emergency sit
u at ions. You must press and hold t he b ra ke peda l
u nt il t he s ituation is ove r. In vehicles with adap
tive cru ise contro l*, the bra ke assist system is
more sensitive if the distance detected to the ve
hicle ahead is too sma ll.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the d rive wheels
begin to spi n and adap ts the force to the ro ad
cond it ions . This makes it eas ie r to start, acce le r
ate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL bra kes whee ls that a re spinn ing and
t ransfers the dr ive power to the othe r drive wheel
o r whee ls if the ve hicle is equippe d wi th a ll-wheel
drive*. T his function is not available at higher
speeds .