-An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Always carefully follow the manufactur
er's instructions provided with the child
seat or carrier .
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig. 165 Loca tion of driver a irbag: in stee ring wheel
Fig. 166 Location of front passenger's a irbag: in the in
s trument pan el
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System " in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured. he safety belts for
the seats have "pretensioners" that he lp to
take slack out of the belt system. The preten-
Airbag system 155
sioners are also activated by the electronic
control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body in a crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steering
wheel hub
i=;, fig . 165 and the airbag for the
front passenger is in the instrument panel
i=;,fig . 166 . The general location of the airbags
is marked "AIRBAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the air
bags in your vehicle. We urge you to read the
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and ch ild safety in th is and the other
chapters that make up the owner's literature.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for your safe ty and
the safety of your passengers, especially in
fants and small children.
_& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection .
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplementa l 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 ve
hicle is properly restrained.
_& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , es
pecially infants and small children, will re
ceive serious injuries and can even be kil-
led by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates .
- Altho ugh the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle 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 under these special conditions is impossible in all conceiva
ble situations that may happen during
-
the useful life of your vehicle . 11>-
,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-Occ upants who are unbelted, out of posi
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 153.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat i n
stalled on the front passenger seat will be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflati ng a irbag w ill hit the child sea t
or infant carrier w ith great force and w ill
smash the ch ild seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear -facing child sea ts on
the rear seat .
- If you mus t install a rearward facin g
child seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi ·
ately install the rear-facing chi ld seat in a
rear seating position and have the a irbag
system inspected by your Aud i deale r.
A WARNING
Objects be tween you and the a irbag will
increase the risk of i njury in a crash by i n
terfering wi th the way the air bag unfolds
or by being pushe d in to yo u as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold th ing s in your hand s or on
yo ur lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never tran sport i tems on or in the are a
o f the front passenge r seat. Objects
cou ld move into the area of the front air
bags during braking or other s udden ma
neuvers and become dangerous projec
t il es that can cause serious persona l in
jury if the airbags inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or oth
er objects (such as cup ho lders, tele
phone brackets, large, heavy or bu lky ob
jects) o n the doors, over or near the area
-
-
A irbag system 16 1
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat bac krests or be
tween those areas and yo urself . These
objects could cause in ju ry in a crash, es
pecia lly when the airbags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transport objects. Items can a lso
move into the area of the s ide a irbag or
the front a irbag du ring braking or in a
sudden maneuve r. Obje cts near the air
b ags can become projec tiles and c ause
in jur y, partic ula rly when the sea t is re
clined .
& WARNING
-=
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems fo r people
with a history of asthma or ot her 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 out of the veh icle or
ope ning windows or doors .
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy , was h your hands a nd face with
mild soap and water before eating .
- Be careful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or sc ratches .
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli (USA models)/!f (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advan ced Airbag System: the airbag
moni toring indicator light and the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
T he Adva nced A irbag System ( in cl uding the
electron ic co ntro l u nit, se nsor circu its and sys
t em wir ing) is mo nitore d con tinuously to
make su re that it is funct ion ing properly
•
•
,....,
N ,....,
N
0 J:
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OF F
light will stay on. Nev
er insta ll a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 153, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 174, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light c omes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
O FF
ligh t stays on cont inuous ly whenever the
ignition is on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- reactivate the system by switc hing the igni
tion off and then switching it on again;
- remove and reinstall the chi ld restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
insta lled and that the sa fety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
ro uted th roug h the child restraint as descri
bed in the chi ld restraint manufacturer 's in
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea
ture on the safety be lt for the front passen
ger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled t ight . The belt
mus t not be loose o r have loops of slack so
that the senso r below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job ¢
page 184.
-make su re that th ings that may increase the
weight of t he ch ild and child sea t are no t be
ing transported on the front passenger sea t;
- make su re that the safety be lt tension sen
so r is not b locked . Shake the safety be lt
latch on the front passenger seatbac k and
forth;
- If a st rap or tether is being used to tie the
child seat to the front passenger seat , make
s ur e that it is not so tig ht that it ca uses the
weight-sensing mat to meas ure more
weight than is actually on the seat.
A irbag system 163
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con
ti nu ous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restra int off the front passen -
ge r seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by yo ur Audi dealer immed iate ly .
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make s ure that the c hild is properly restrain
ed in a ch ild rest ra int that is appropriate for
its si ze and age.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht sho uld
NOT come on when t he ignitio n is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes fo r about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
¢ poge 134, Prope r occupant seating posi
tions,
-the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
a bove the fron t passenger door o r su pport
ing their weight on the armres t,
- the safe ty be lt is be ing properly wo rn and
t ha t the re is no t a lot o f sla ck in the safety
be lt webb ing ,
- acce sso ry sea t covers or cushions or other
t hings tha t may cause an in correct reading
or imp ression on the weight-sensing mat
unde r th e upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not bee n left in
the safety be lt latch for the front passenger
seat.
I n add ition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON wi ll briefly appear
i n the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in
form the dr iver of the current front passenge r
a irbag status.
•
•
174 Child Saf ety
Child Safety
Important things to
know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision.
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~ page 144, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts?.
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l
oped, they require restraint systems especial
ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re
straint systems for infants and small ch ildren.
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your ch ild's size ~
page 177, Impor
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about child safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re- straints are on the front passenger seat
. Be
cause of the large amount of important infor
mation, we cannot repeat it all here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner's manual about airbags and the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport
ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in
fants and small children.
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must be restrained properly when
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str iking the i nterior or by be
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre
strained or improperly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal
led and used at one of the rear seating positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING ,_
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in
jured or even killed when an airbag in
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- 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, or door.
II>-
196 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
E ve nt Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data
Recorder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR
is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like
situations, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in
understand ing how a veh icle's systems per
formed. The EDR is designed to record data
re lated to vehicle dynamics and safety sys
tems for a short period of time, typically
30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is
designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in you r vehicle were
operating;
- Whether or not the d river and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was dep ress ing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better under
stand ing of the cir cumstances in which crash
es and injuries occur . NOTE : EDR data are re
corded 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 recorded. However,
other parties, such as law enforcement, cou ld
comb ine the EDR data with the type of per
sonally identifying data routinely acquired
during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required, and access to the vehi
cle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the ve hicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law
enforcement, that have the special equip
ment, can read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR. Some state
laws restrict the retrieval or down
loading of data stored by ED Rs installed in a
vehicle for the express purpose of retrieving
data after an accident or crash event without
the owner's consent .
Audi will not access the EDR and/or simi lar
data or g ive it to others -
- un less the vehicle owner (or lessee if the ve
hicle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the ord er of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the ju
dicia l discovery p rocess.
- Aud i may also use the data for research
about vehicle operat ion and safety perform
ance or provide the data to a third party for
research purposes without identifying the
specif ic vehicle or information about the
identity of its owner or lessee and only after
the recorded vehicle data has been ac
cessed.
Vehicle control modules
You r vehicle is also equ ipped with a number of
electron ic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emis
sion control, airbags, and safety belts.
T hese electronic control mod ules record data
during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic
and repair purposes. The recording capability
of these modu les is limited to data (no sound
is recorded). Only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very lim ited period of
t ime, or stored when a system fault is detect
ed by a contro l modu le. Some of the data
stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction,
o r braking, as well as restraint system use and
performance in the event of a crash. Stored
data can also only be read and downloaded
with special equipment that is directly con-
nected to the vehicle. .,..
206 Driving and en vir onm ent
Catalytic converter
Appl ies to vehicles: with gasoline e ngin e
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 .
.. Always use lead-free gasoline i=> page 220,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp-
ty .
.. Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 234, Adding engine oil
The catalytic converter is an eff ic ient "clean
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalyti c converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclus ive use of unleaded fuel is cr itically
important for the l ife of the cata lytic convert
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
T he temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- 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 contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic con
verter or heat shields . During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
@) Note
- Be aware that just one tank f illing with
leaded fuel will al ready seriously de
grade the perfo rmance of the cata lytic
conve rter. -
Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
i=>page 234.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine co uld m is
fire . Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the
vehicle is mov ing .
- Do not continue to ope rate your vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise 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:
- Have you r vehicle maintained p roperly
and in accordance w ith the service rec
ommendations in your Warranty & Maintenance book let.
- Lack of prope r maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the vehicle wi ll impair
the function of the em ission contro l
system and could lead to damage.
@) For the sa ke of the en vironment
Even when the Emission Control System is
ope rat ing properly, the exhaust gas can
have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operat ing states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Usi ng a different brand of fuel may help,
or f illing the tank with lead-free super
grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diese l eng ine
The diesel part icu late filter filters nearly all of
the soot pa rticles out of the exhaust . T he fil
te r cleans itself automat ica lly unde r no rma l
dr iv ing cond itions . If the filte r cannot clean it
self (for example, because you are on ly driving
short distances), the filter becomes clogged
with soot and the
Cl symbol for the diese l
particulate filter i lluminates
i=> page 21. ..,.
24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
Always check wi th your a uthorized Audi
dealer to make s ure you are using the
correct brake flu id. The correct type of
brake fluid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
long. This can ser ious ly affect the effi
ciency of the b ra kes as well as yo ur
safety. This could result in an acc ident.
(D Note
Brake flu id will damage the paint of your
veh icle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of brake flu id as wel l as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the b rake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Under
normal operating conditions, the bat
tery in your Audi does not need any mainte
n ance . With
high outside temperatures or
l ong daily dr ives we recommend that you have
the elec trolyte level checked by a service fa
cili ty. The e lec trolyte level sho uld a lso be
checked each time the battery is charged
¢ page 242.
Have the b attery checked when you ta ke yo ur
ve hicl e in for service. Yo u are well adv ise d to
replace a battery that is older than S years .
W ith certa in types of airbag deployment, the
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle ele c
tr ica l system for sa fety reasons¢
& in Re
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 165.
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some veh icle func tions (power w indow regu
l ato rs, for example) a re los t if the b attery ter- mina
ls are disconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery termina ls are
connected aga in. To prevent th is, the battery
sho uld only be disconnected from the ve hicle
electrical system when abso lutely necessary
for repairs.
Vehicle s not driven for long peri ods
If you do not d rive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, e lectr ica l compo
nents are gradually cut back or sw itched off.
This reduces energy consumption and ma in
ta ins start ing capability over a longer period
¢
page 202. Some of the convenience func
t ions may not ope rate, such as the inter ior
li gh ts or the power seat adjus tment. The con
venience func tions will be ava ilable ag ain
when you switch on the ignition and start the
engine .
Winter operation D uring the winte r months, battery capac ity
tends to de crease as temperatures drop. This
is beca use more power is also consumed wh ile
sta rting, and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc ., are used more often .
Avoid unnecessary power consumpt ion, p ar
t icu lar ly in city traffic or whe n traveling only
short distances. Let yo ur au thorized Aud i
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winter sets in ¢
page 242. A well
charged battery will not on ly prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer.
(!) Tips
If your vehicle is left standing for several
weeks at extremely low temperatures, the
vehicle battery sho uld be removed and
stored where it w ill not freeze. This will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be repla ced.
250 Tires and wheels
Bear in mind that the tire pressure monitoring
system* can only monitor the tire pressures
you have stored . The system does not recog
nize the load condit ion of your vehicle.
The effectiveness of the tire pressure monitor
ing system* will be impaired if you store nor
mal load pressures but then operate the vehi
cle at its max imum load
c:> &. .
See the illustration c:> fig. 208 for the location
of the label on driver's side B-pillar (color of
the act ua l label and exact location on the ve
hicle will vary slightly). Note
that the following table is accurate at
the time of going to press and is subject to
change. In the event of d iscrepancies, the t ire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B
pillar always takes precedence.
The table below lists the recommended cold
t ir e inflation pressures for the Audi mode l
covered by your Owner's Literature at the vehi
cle's capacity weight and the t ire sizes instal
led on the respective models as orig inal
equipment, or as a factory opt ion.
Tire pressure
Model/En- Tire designation normal load condition full load condition
gine fronta> reara>
front rear
PSI kPA
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
A8/A8 L: 235/55 R18 104H
35 240 32 220 36 250 38 260
3.0 liter
255/45 R19 104H 35 240 32 220 36 250 38 260
6-cylinder
265/40 R20 104H 35 240 32 220 36 250 38 260
265/40 R20 104V 33 230 32 220 33 230 35 240
275/35 R21103Y XL 35 240 32 220 36 250 35 240
A8/A8 L: 235/55 R18 104H 35 240
32 220 38 260 38 260
4.0 liter
255/45 R19 104H 35 240 32 220 38 260 38 260
8-cylinder
265/40 R20 104H 35 240
32 220
38 260
38 260
265/40 R20 104V 33 230 32 220
35 240 35 240
275/35 R21103Y
XL 35 240
32 220
38 260
38 260
ASL
: 265/40 R20 104V 35 240 32 220 36 250 35 240
6.3 liter
255/45 R19 104H 36 250 32 220
39 270
38 260
12-cylin-
265/40 R20 104H 36 250 32 220 39 270 38 260
der
275/35 R21103Y XL
35 240 32 220 36 250
35 240
58: 265/40 R20 104V 36 250 32 220
39 270 38 260
4.0 liter
265/35 R21101 Y 39 270 35 240 44 300 42 290
8-cylinder
275/35 R21103Y XL 39 270
35 240
44
300 42
290
XL= reinforced or extra load tire. It may also appear as xl, EXTRA LOAD, or RF on the tire side-
wall.
al n orma l lo ad co ndi tio n~ page 249.
The correct tire pressure for the spare wheel is
locat ed on a label on the driver's side B-pillar.
Because technical changes may be made to
ve hicl e equipment during the model year, al
ways compa re the tire size designation on the tire
pressu re lab el on your vehicle wi th the
tires on your vehicle. Make sure that the tire
s iz e inform ation on the vehicle label is the
same as the size of the tires on the vehicle.
This is espec ially important if the vehicle be-
l ongs to someone e lse or yo u bought the ..,.