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.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly. Al
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe
ty belts properly
¢ page 121.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis
tracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve
hicle and all of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢.&, .Therefore:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular te lephone .
.. 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 you r speed to road, traff ic and
weather cond itions .
.. 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 pres
sure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
Driving safety
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 119 Correct se ating position
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver's seat to the following pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent¢.&, .
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
fu ll contact wi th it when you dr ive.
.. Adjust the steer ing wheel so that there is a dis
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steering whee l and your breast bone
¢fig. 119 .
If not possible, see your authorized A udi dealer
about adaptive equipment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steer ing wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. App lies to veh icles w ith adjustable head re
s tra ints: 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 restraint so that it is as close to this posi
tion as possible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 124.
.,. Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all times.
113
Driving safety
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 55.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re duce 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 breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in
jury 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 . Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli
sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
¢page 151. Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 129 .
114
-
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 in
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position :
.,. Move the front passenger seat back as far as
possible . There must be a minimum of 10 in
ches (25 cm) between the breastbone and the
instrument panel¢,&. .
.,. 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.
.,. Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re
straints: 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 restraint so that it is as close to this posi
tion as possible .
.,. Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢ page 124.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
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 airbag as it
unfolds . To help reduce the risk of serious per
sonal injury :
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po sition and never lean against or place any
pa rt of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye .
-Always make sure that there are at least 10
inches (25 cm) between the front passen
ger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
Safety belts
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 123 Unbelted occupants in a veh icle heading for a wall
Fig. 124 The vehicle crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi
cle and the passengers possess energy which var
ies w ith vehicle speed and body weight . Engi
neers call this energy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor. If the
speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/
h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us
ing safety belts
c::> fig. 123, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wa ll
c::> fig. 124.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even
at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to SO km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
122
(2,000 lbs . or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collision
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash.
Of course, the laws of phys ics don't just apply to
frontal collis ions, they determine what happens
in all kinds of accidents and collisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in
jured or killed . Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 125 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is violently
t hrown forward
Fig. 126 A rear passeng er not wearing a safety be lt will fly
forward and strike the d river
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tre
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves . Without the benefit of safe
ty restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant
will slam violently into the steering wheel, in
strument panel, windshie ld, or whateve r else is
in the way
c::> fig . 125 . This impact with the vehi
cle interior has all the energy they had just before
the crash. .,.
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Airbag system Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop
er seating position.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen
ge rs, befo re drivi ng off, always:
.,. Adjust the dr iver's seat and steer ing wheel
properly
r::> page 113,
.,. Adjust the front passenger 's seat p roperly
9 page 55,
.,. Wea r sa fety be lts prope rly r::> page 123 ,
.. Always properly use the p roper child restra int
to protect children
r::> page 151.
In a coll is io n air bags must infl ate wi thin the b link
of an eye and with cons iderab le force . The s up
p lemental a irbags can cause injuries if the drive r
or the front seat passenger is not seated p roper ·
Ly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to do its
job, it is importa nt, both as a dr iver and as a pas
senger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steer ing whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supplemental protection
in certa in fronta l col lisions
r:> page 113, Correct
passenger seating positions .
For details on the
ope rat ion of the seat adjustment cont ro ls
r::> page 55.
It's especially importa nt that children are prope r
ly rest rained
r:> page 151 .
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the ind ividual safety fea
tures ins talled in your Aud i wo rk together as a
system.
Prope r seat ing pos ition is important so that the
fro nt airbag on the dr iver side can do its job . If
you have a physical impairment or cond ition tha t
p reven ts you from sitt ing p roperly on the d river
seat with the safety be lt properly fastened and
Airbag syste m
reaching the peda ls, specia l mod ificat ions to your
vehicle may be necessa ry .
Co nta ct you r auth orized Aud i de aler, or call Aud i
Cu stome r Re lations at 1-800-822- 2834 .
When the airbag syst em dep loys , a gas gene rato r
will fill the airbags, brea k open the padded cov
ers , a nd infl ate between the stee ring wheel and
the driver and between the ins trumen t pane l an d
the front passenger. The ai rbags wi ll deflate im
mediate ly after deployment so that the front oc
c u pants can see th ro ugh the w indshie ld aga in
without interruption .
All o f th is takes p lace in the b lin k of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have dep loyed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be in the ir way when they dep loy. Fron t airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts s low
down and lim it the occupant's forwa rd move
ment . Togethe r they he lp to p revent the dr iver
and fron t seat passenge r from hi tting parts of
t h e inside the ve hicle while re ducin g the for ces
acting on the occupa nt dur ing the crash . In this
way they help to reduce the ris k of i njury to the
head and uppe r body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the a rms or the lower parts of the body.
B oth fron t airbags w ill not inf late in all fronta l
collisions . The t riggering of the a irbag system de
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the coll is ion and registe red by the e lectronic con
trol unit. If t his rate is below the reference value
programmed into the contro l unit, the airbags
will not be t rigge red, even t hough the car may be
badly damaged as a result of t he collis ion . Vehi
cl e damage, r epai r costs or even the lack of vehi
cl e damage is no t necessari ly an indica tion of
whethe r an a irb ag should infl ate o r not.
It is not possib le to defin e a range of vehicle
speeds t hat w ill cove r ev ery possib le kind and an
gle of i mpact tha t will a lways trigger the a irbags,
s in ce the circumst ances w ill vary conside rably be
tween one collision and anot her. Impo rtant fa c
tors include, for example, the nat ure (hard or
soft) of the object w hich the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc . The front airbags will .,,.
129
Airbag syste m
also not inflate in s ide or rear collisions, or in roll
overs.
Al wa ys rem ember : Airbags will deploy on ly once,
and only in certain kinds of collis ions . Your safety
be lts are a lways there to offer p rotection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle s trikes or is struck by
ano ther a fter the firs t collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restra int and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works mos t
e ff ectively when used w it h the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
r=;, page 121 .
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or in
strument panel wil l decrease the effect ive
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
o f personal injury in a collision .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
( 2 5 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi
gate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and
increase yo ur seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, leani ng forward, s it
ting sideways o r out of position in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is much higher.
- You wi ll also receive serio us injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inf lates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
c> page 124, Safety belts .
- Always make certain that children age 12 or
younger always r ide in the rear seat. If chil
dren are not properly restrained, they may
be severely injured or killed when an airbag
inflates .
- Never let children ride unrestrained or im
properly restrained in the vehicle. Adjust the
front seats properly.
130
-
- Never ride with the backrest reclined .
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer -
ing wheel or the instrument panel
c> page 113.
-Always sit upright with yo ur back against
the backrest of yo ur seat .
- Never p lace your feet on the instrumen t
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre
vent serious injur ies to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag o r the front air
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu
ver . Objects n ear the airbags can become
projectiles and cause in ju ry when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags that have deployed i n a crash mus t be
replaced.
- Use o nly orig inal equ ipmen t airbags ap
proved by Audi and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary too ls and
diagnostic equipment to properly rep lace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assure system
effectiveness in a crash.
'
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle .
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
""Be sure to read the importa nt information and
head the WARNINGS for importa nt details
about ch ild ren and Advanced Airbags
r=;, page 151 .
Even thoug h your veh icle is equipped w ith an Ad
vanced Airbag Sys tem, make ce rtain tha t all chil
dren, especially those 12 years and younge r, a l
ways ride in the ba ck seat p roperly res trained fo r
their age and size. The a irbag on the passenger
s ide makes the front seat a potent ially dangero us
place for a child to r id e. T he front seat is not the
safest p lace for a chi ld in a forward-fac ing chi ld ..,.
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Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu
pants.
Fig . 132 Location of driver airbag: in steering wheel
Fig . 133 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the instru
ment panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your veh i
cle was manufactured. The safety belts for the
seats have "pretensioners" that help to take slack
out of the belt system. The pretensioners are also
activated by the electronic control unit for the
airbag system .
The front safety belts also have load limiters to he lp reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steer ing wheel
hub
c::> fig . 132 and the airbag for the front pas
senger is in the instrument panel
~fig. 133. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR
BAG".
Ai rb ag system
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle. We urge you to read the detailed
information about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children.
_&. WARNING
Neve r rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supp lemental protection.
- Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is properly rest rained.
_&. WARNING
--A pe rson on the front passenger seat, espe
cially infants and small ch ildren, will rece ive
se rious inj uries and can even be k illed by be
i ng too close to the airbag when it inflates.
- Altho ugh the Advanced Airbag System in
your veh icle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un
der these special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the "low r isk" option under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a ch ild that is
heav ier than the typical one-year old child is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
-Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the fron t seating position.
- For their own safety, all ch ildren, especially
12 years and yo unger, should a lways ride in
the back properly restrained for their age and size .
133
Airbag syste m
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped w ith a front Advanced
A irbag System in compl iance with Un ited States
F ederal Motor Vehicle Sa fety Standard 208 asap
plicab le at the time your vehicle was manu fac
tured .
The front Advanced Airbag System supplements
the safety belts to provide add itiona l protect ion
for the driver's and front passenger's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags in
flate only in fronta l impacts when the vehicle de
celeration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety be lts. Rather, it is part of the overall occupant re
straint system in your veh icle. Always remember
that the airbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitting upright, wearing your safe
ty belt and weari ng it properly . This is why you
and your passengers must always be p roper ly re
strained, not just because the law requires you to
be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been ce rtified to meet the "low risk" require
ments for 3 and 6 yea r-old ch ild ren o n the pas
senger side and very small ad ults on the drive r
side . The low risk deployment c riteria a re intend
ed to he lp red uce the risk of injury through inter
action with the front airbag t hat can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering wheel
and instrument panel when the airbag inflates.
I n addition, the system has been certified to
comp ly with the "suppression" requirements of
the Safety Standard, to turn off the front airbag
for infants 12 months old and yo unger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in ch ild re
straints that are listed in the Standard
c::> page 153, Child restraints and Advanced Air
bags.
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be turned off if:
- a chi ld up to about one year of age is restrained
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear
facing or forward-fac ing infant restraints listed
i n Federa l Motor Veh icle Safety Standard 208
134 with which the Advanced Airbag System in you
r
vehicle was certified. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify your vehi
cle 's compliance with the US Safety Standard
c::> page 153,
- weight less than a thresho ld level stored in the
control unit is detected on the front passenger
seat.
When a person is detected on the front passen
ger seat, weighing more than the tota l we ight of
a child that is about
1 year old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant re
stra ints (listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System i n your vehicle was certified), the front
a irbag on the passenger s ide may or may not de
ploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n the elect ron ic cont ro l unit detects a total
weight on the fro nt passenger seat that requires
the front airbag to be tu rned off. If the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not been
turned off by the control unit and can dep loy if
the control unit senses an impact that meets the cond it ions stored in its memory.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year-o ld, but less
than the weight of a small adult, the front airbag
on the passenger s ide may deploy (the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG O FF
light does not come on).
For ex ample , the air b ag ma y deplo y if:
-a small ch ild that is heavier than a typical 1
year -old chi ld is on the front passenger seat (re
gardless of whether the chi ld is in one of the
child safety seats listed
c::, page 153),
- a child who has outgrown chi ld restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the fron t passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
the i nstr ument pane l will come on and stay on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not ill uminate and stay lit) if: .,..
Airbag syste m
detail below . Because the front passenger seat
contains important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System, you must take care to prevent it from be ing damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent
the Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat
from doing its job in a crash .
The front Ad vanced Airb ag System con sis ts
of the follow ing :
-Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measure veh icle acceleration/decelerat ion to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control un it "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the informa tion rece ived from
the crash sensors. The con trol un it also "de
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
shou ld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag wi th gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steering
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control va lve inside the instrument panel for
the front passenger.
- A weight -sensing mat under the upholste ry
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat. The information registered is sent continuously to
the electronic control un it to regu late dep loy
ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the pas
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
r=> page 139.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis
tance between the respect ive seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor
mation registered is sent cont inuously to the
electron ic co ntro l unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- T he
PA SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l
c>page 139, fig . 135 and tells you when
the front Advanced A irbag on the passenger
side has been turned off.
- A sensor below the safety belt la tch for the
front seat passenge r to measure the tension on
136 the safety belt
. The tension on the safety be lt
and the weight registered by the weight-sens
ing mat help the control unit "decide" whether
the front a irbag for the front passenger seat
should be turned
off or not c> page 130, Child
restraints on the front seat -some important
things to know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and transm its this info rmat ion to the elect ro ni c
cont ro l unit .
_&. WARNING
Damage to the fron t passenger seat can pre
vent the front a irbag from working properly.
- I mproper repa ir or d isassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will p revent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenge r seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger o r driver
seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upho lstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble o r remove par ts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sharp obje cts in yo ur pocke ts or
place them on the seat. If the weight-sens
ing mat in the passenger seat is p unctured
it cannot work properly.
- Never carry things on you r lap or carry ob
jects on the passenger seat. S uch items can
increase the weight registe red by the
weight-sensing mat and send the wrong in formation to the airbag contro l unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys
tem from wo rking prope rly.
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement up
holstery that have not been specifically ap
proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air bag System from recogniz ing ch ild