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Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others . We have summar
ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags , chi ld restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Al
ways observe the informat ion and warn ings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers .
The information in this section app lies to all
model ve rsions of your vehicle . Some of the fea
tures described in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
eq uipment on others .
If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the in
terest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owne r's Litera
ture in your Aud i when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important info rmation
will always be ava ilable to the driver and
passenge rs.
-
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques
tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re
straint system and work together to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident sit
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in tec h-
; nology have made a var iety of fea tures available
~ to help reduce the r isk o f injury in an accident. ,....,
Dr ivin g sa fet y
The following is a list of just a few of the sa fety
features in your A udi:
- sophisticated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll pas-
senger seat ing pos itions,
- be lt fo rce limi ters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- be lt he ight adjustment for the front seats,
- head restra ints for each seating posit ion,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats *,
- side curtain airbags,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child rest raints,
- adjustab le steering colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to
gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a w ide range of accidents . T hese
features cannot work as a system if they are not always cor rect ly adjusted and co rrectly used.
S afet y is ev erybod y's re sponsibil it y !
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care
ful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers,
before driv ing alway s:
.,. Make s ure that all lights and signals are operat
ing correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
Q page 77 .
.,. Ma ke s ure that nothing can inte rfere wi th the
peda ls .
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re
straints according to the ir height.
.,. Make sure to use the r ight child restraint cor
rectly to protect ch ildren
Q page 172, Child
safety.
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Driving safet y
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
c:> poge 63,
General information .
• Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly. Al
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe
ty be lts properly
c:> page 144 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver os well as the driver 's abili
ty to concentrate on the rood without being dis
tracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve
hicle and all of its occupants . If your ab ility to
drive is impaired, safety r isks for everybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
eve ryone else on the road
c:> .& . Therefo re:
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by us ing a cellular te lephone .
• NEVER drive when your driv ing ability is im
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws, ru les of the road and
speed limits and pla in common sense.
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic 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 t ired, under pres
sure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired d riving safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
136
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the drive r
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 151 Co rrect seat ing posit ion
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
c:> & -
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact with it when you dr ive.
• Ad just the steering wheel so th at t here is a dis
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steer ing whee l and your breast bone
c:> fig. 151.
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.
• Ad just the head rest rain t so the upper edge is
as even as possib le w ith the top of you r head .
If
that is not possib le, try to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
<=>page 147.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all times .
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For detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 64.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be ser ious ly 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 he lp reduce the risk of personal in
jury if the dr iver's a irbag inflates.
- Never hold the steer ing whee l at the
12 o'cloc k posit ion or with your hands at
other pos it ions 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 whee l toward your
face decreases the ability of the supp lemen
tal driver's a irbag to protect you in a colli
sion.
- Always s it 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 driv ing, a lways 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 recl ined or
t ilted far back! The farther the back rests are
t il ted back, the greater the ris k of injury due
to incorrect pos ition ing of the sa fety belt
and improper seating posit ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats¢
page 172 . Special precautions ap
ply when installing a ch ild safe ty seat on the
front passenger seat ¢
page 152.
Drivin g s afet y
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
Fo r yo ur own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
t h at you adjust the sea t for the front passenger
to the fo llow ing pos ition:
"' Adj ust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact w ith it wheneve r th e vehi cle is moving.
"' Ad just the head rest ra in t so the upper edge is
as even as possib le w ith the top of your head. If
that is not possib le, try to adj ust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ page 138.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
"' Fasten and wear safety belts correct ly
¢ page 147.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 63.
A WARNING
--
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
se riously in ju red o r killed by the a irbag as i t
unfo lds. To help reduce the risk of serious per
sona l injury :
- Passenge rs must always si t in an upright po
sition and never le an aga inst or place any
pa rt of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located .
- Passengers who are unbelted, ou t of posi
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri
ously injured by an airbag as it unfo lds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas
senger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and proper ly fasten and wear the
safety belt be long ing to that seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas
senger seat and head restraint properly.
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Driving safety
-Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in
crease the risk of injury in a crash .
- 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 r=;,
page 172. Spec ial precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat r=;,
page 152.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow
ing:
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat
ing position, slide the center head restraint up
ward at least to the next notch r=;,
page 67.
~ Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright position
r:=:>page 69 .
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
~ Fasten and wear safety belts properly
r:=:> page 147.
~ Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age r=;,
page 172.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
138
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position and the safety belts are properly positioned on the body. By not sit
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly so
that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fig. 152 Head rest ra in t: v iewed from the fro nt
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
~ Adjust the head restraints 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 re
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible r=;,
fig. 152.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat
ing position, slide the center head restraint up
ward at least to the next notch .
Adjus ting head restraints r=;,
page 67.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints.
Driving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury
-
dramatically. To help reduce the risk of injury: ~
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-Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly ad justed head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints so the upper edge is as even as possib le w ith the top of your head.
If that is not possib le, try to adjust the head
restraint so that it is as close to this position
as possib le.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the dr iver headrest for any rea
son, fi rst stop the veh icle safely before at
tempting to ad just the head restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrai ned
in a ch ild restraint that is appropria te fo r
their age and si ze
qpoge 172.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
I mproper seat ing posit ions can ca use serious in
jury o r death . Safety be lts ca n only work when
they are prope rly positioned on t he body. Im
proper sea ting pos it ions reduce the effect iveness
of safety belts and wi ll even increase the risk of
in ju ry and death by moving the safety belt to cr it
i cal areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys a nd strikes an occupant
who is not i n the proper seating position . A driver
i s responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu
pants and especia lly for children . Therefo re :
.. Never allow anyone to ass ume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition when the veh icle is being used
¢ ,&. .
The follow ing bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that will increase the risk of ser ious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seat ing pos itions that
are dangerous.
Dr ivin g s afet y
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving :
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride w ith the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out t he window
- neve r put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cush ion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the ca rgo a rea
A WARNING
Imp roper seating posit ions increase the risk
of ser ious personal in jury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
-Always make sure that all vehicle occupants stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used.
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mot or
any other object .
Make sure that a ll peda ls move free ly without in
te rfe ren ce and t hat no thing prevents them from
re tu rning to t he ir o riginal posi tions.
Only use floor mats t hat leave the pedal a rea free
and can be secured with floor mat fastene rs.
If a brake circuit fa ils, increased brake pedal trav
el is required to bring the veh icle to a full stop .
A WARNING
-
Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause loss
of vehicle co ntrol and increase the risk of ser i-
ous injury.
~
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Driving safety
-Never place any objects in the driver's foot
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal function . In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver 's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mots that con be securely at
t ached to the floor mo t fas teners and do no t in
terfere with the free movement of the pedals .
• Make su re that the floor mats are properly se
cured and cannot move and interfere with the pedals
c> _&. .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area un
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position. You can obtain
suitable floor mats from your authorized Audi
dealer .
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor mats will prevent them from sliding into posi
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im
pair safe operation of your vehicle in other ways.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
serious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop
erly secured .
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and inte rfering w ith the ped
als or the ability to control the vehicle .
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
coverings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for cleaning.
140
-Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving. Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus
ing a loss of vehicle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly stowed and secured in the luggage comport
ment.
Fig. 153 Safe loa d positioning : place heavy o bjects as low
and as far fo rwa rd as poss ib le.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac
teristics . Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma neuver or in a collision .
• Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com
partment.
• Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as low and as far for
ward as possible
c> fig . 153.
• Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
c>poge 70.
• Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury: ..,.
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-Always put objects, for examp le, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage c ompart
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com
partment us ing the tie-down eye lets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to ser ious personal injury:
- Always keep in m ind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distribute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the G ross Ax le Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
doo r jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to s lide and
hand le different ly.
- Please observe information on safe driving
r=>page 135.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driv ing.
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitt ing completely into the luggage a rea be
cause the rea r lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must drive w ith the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close a ll windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open al l air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Sw itch off the air recircu lation,
- Set the fresh ai r fan to the h ighest speed.
Dr ivin g s afet y
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows,
the Panoramic sliding sunroof * and the rear
lid are securely closed and locked to reduce
the r is k of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is p roperly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
cially with the rea r lid left open . A child
could crawl into the ve hicle through the lug
g age compartmen t and clo se the re ar lid be
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
pe rsonal injury .
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment . Vehicle occupants must al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circul ation helps to reduce window fog
ging . Stale ai r escapes to the outs ide
through vents in the t rim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure m ust correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The t ire p ress ure label is lo
cated on the dr iver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
t ire inflation pressures fo r the veh icle at its
maximum ca pac ity weight and the tires that
we re on your vehicle at the t ime it was man
ufac tured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load condi tions, please see chap
ter
r=> page 246.
Tie-downs
The luggage compar tment is equipped wi th four
tie-downs to se cure luggage and other items .
Use the t ie-downs to secu re your cargo prope rly
r=> page 140, Loading the luggage compar tment. lliJ,
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Driving safet y
In a collision, the laws of phys ics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle wi ll
become heavy miss iles that can cause serious in
jury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the item . Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
For examp le, in a frontal coll is ion at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (5 kg) object are about 20 t imes the normal
weight of the item . This means that the we ight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying free ly through
the passenger compartment could ca use in a co l
lision like this .
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fa il during hard
bra king or in a collision and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is fo lded down ,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
item s from flying forwa rd as dangerous mis
siles into the passenger comp art ment.
- Never attac h a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If y ou b eliev e that y our vehicl e
has a defe ct which could caus e a
cr ash or could cause injury or
d eath , you should immediately in
form the National Highw ay Tr affi c
Saf ety Admini stration (NHTSA) in
142
a d dition t o notif ying Audi of
Am eri ca, Inc .
If NHTSA r ecei ves similar com
plaint s, it may open an inve stiga
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defect s ex ists in a group of
v ehicles, it may order a recall and
remedy camp aign. How ever,
NHTSA cannot become in vol ved in
indi vidual pr oblems between you ,
your dealer, or Audi of America ,
Inc.
T o conta ct the NHTSA, you m ay
e ither call:
Tel.: 1-888-32 7-4 236 (TTY :
1-800-4 24-9 153) or
1-800-424-9393
or you ma y write to:
NHT SA
U .S . De part ment of Tran sp ort a
tion 1200 Ne w Jer sey A ve ., S. E.
W est Building
W ashington , D C 2 0590
You can also obtain other infor
mation about motor vehicle saf e
t y from:
http: / /www .s af ercar.g ov