
Safety belt s
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explain s why safety be lts are neces
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
.. Read all the information that fo llows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
&_ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, always correct ly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically im
paired persons must also use safety belts.
L ik e all veh icle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety be lts . The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
the ent ire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat
ing position has a safety belt .
&_ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small ch ildren, into any belt. It is espe
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
144
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and (on USA models only) front seat passenger
to remind you about the importance of buckling
up .
Fig. 154 Safety belt warning light in the instrument cl us
ter -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fas ten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly .
(0
"'
"' 0 N
and properly wear the ir safety belts .
.. Protect your children w ith a child restraint sys
tem appropriate for the siz e and age of the chil
dren.
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ign it ion is switched on as a re
minder to fasten the safety be lts. In addit io n,
you w ill hear a warning tone for a certain period
of time.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their safe
ty belts.
&_ WARNING
-Safety belts are the single most effective
means ava ilable to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
-

Safety belts
instrument panel, windshield, o r whatever else is
in the way~
fig. 157 . This impact with the vehi
cle interior has all the energy they had just before
the crash .
Never rely on airbags a lone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection . A irbags are not supposed to deploy in
all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor
rectly in orde r to min imize the risk of severe in
jury o r death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once
and that your safety be lts are always there to of
fer protection in those accidents in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy or when they have a l
ready deployed . Unbelted occupan ts can also be
thrown out of the vehicle where even mo re severe
or fata l injur ies can occur .
It is also important fo r the rear passenge rs to
wear safety belts co rrectly. Unbe lted passengers
i n t he rear seats endanger not only themselves
but also the driver and other passengers
~ fig . 158. In a frontal coll ision they wi ll be
thrown forward violent ly, where they can hit and
in jure the driver and/or front seat passenger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true!
F ig . 1 59 Driver is co rr ect ly re st rained in a sudden b rak ing
m ane uver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
146
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the u ncontrolled movement that ca n cause seri
ous injuries . In addition, safety be lts reduce the
danger of being thrown out of the veh icle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "softly" through the "give" in the safety
belts , cru sh zones and other safety features eng i
neered into today 's veh icles . By "absorbing" the
k inetic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more "tolerable " and less likely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision , safety be lts can also substantially re
duce the r isk of injury in other kinds of crashes .
So, whether you're on a long tr ip or just go ing to
the cor ner store, always bu ckle up and make sure
others do , too. Ac ciden t sta tis tics show that veh i
cle occupants properly wearing sa fety belts have
a lower risk of be ing injured and a much better
chance of surviv ing an accident. Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ab ility of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col
li sion. For this reason, wear ing a safety belt is le
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with a irbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal coll is ions . The front airbags are not acti
vated in all frontal col lisions, in s ide and rear co l
li sions, in ro ll overs o r in cases whe re there is not
enough deceleration th ro ugh impac t to the front
of the vehicle . T he same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
proper ly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safe ty belts must always be correctly positioned
acros s the strongest bones of your body .
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de
scribed in this chapter .
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged .

Safety belts
Autom atic safet y belt retractors
Every safety belt is eq uipped w ith an automatic
be lt retractor on the shou lder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the be lt is pulled o ut fast,
during hard brak ing and in an accident . The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv
ing the belt lets you move freely.
S afety belt pre te n sioners
The safety be lts are equipped with a belt preten
sioner that helps to t ighten the safety belt and
remove s lack when the pretensioner is activated .
The function of the pretensioner is monitored by
a warning light
r:::') page 16.
Swi tchable lo cking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped w ith a switchable locking fea
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the important informat ion about th is feature
r=;, page 181 .
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident¢
page 148,
Safe ty belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Always make sure that the rea r seat back
rest to which t he center rear safety belt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used . If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen
ger will move forward with the backrest dur
ing sudden braking, in a sudden maneuver
and especially in a crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buck le
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt effec
t iveness and can cause serious persona l in
jury .
- A passenger who is not properly restrained
can be se riously in ju red by the safety belt it
self when it moves from the stronger parts
148
of the body into critical areas like the abdo
men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are secur ing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
r=;, page 183.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 161 Safety belt posit ion
-"' .... 9 I ... a,
Standard features o n your veh icle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
s ize .
- belt he ight adjustment fo r the front seats,
- height-adjustable front seats.
.&_ WARNING
Imp roperly posit ioned safety be lts can cause
serious pe rsonal injury i n an accident.
- The shou lder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body . Ho ld the belt
above the latch to ngue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sit s as low as pos
sib le on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen . The belt should always fit
snug ly ¢
fig. 161. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- The lap be lt po rtion of the safety belt must
be positioned as low as possi ble across pel
vis and never over the abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug
¢fig. 161. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can ca use serious
in juries by sh ifting its position on your body
~

M N
co ~ co
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
i::> page 146 .
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
correctly -throughout the pregnancy .
Fig. 162 Safety belt position during preg nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correct ly on the wear
er's body
i::> page 148.
• Adjust the front seat and head restraint correct
ly
c:> page 63, General information .
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
in an upright position and secure ly latched in
place before using the be lt.
• Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis
c:> fig . 162, c:> &_ .
• Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
i=:>page 147 , fig . 160 .
•Pullon the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
_& WARNING ,..__
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos
sible across the pelvis and below the round
ing of the abdomen.
Safety belts
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c:> & in Fasten
ing safety belts on page 148 .
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only a~er the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 163 Releas ing the tongue from the buck le
.,. Push the red release button on the buckle
i=:> fig. 163. The belt tongue will spring out of
the buckle
i::> &_.
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
_& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your risk of be
i ng injured or killed.
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust
ment, the three point safety belt strap routing
can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size .
Fig. 164 Safety belt height adjustmen t fo r the front seats
... 0 0
0
6 ... a,
- loop-around fittings ..,.
149

Safe ty belt s
The shou lder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the body
c::> A in Safety belt position on
page 148.
"' Push
the loop -around fittings up c::> fig. 164 @,
or
"'squeeze together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings
do wn @.
"'Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at
tachment is properly engaged.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth
er important information
c::> page 146.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also be used to adjust the po
sition of the safety belts .
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly posit ioned on the body .
Improper seating pos it ions reduce the effective
ness of safety be lts and will even increase t he risk
of injury and death by moving the safety be lt to
cr itical areas of the body. Improper seating posi
tions a lso increase the risk of serious injury and
death when an airbag deploys and strikes an oc
cupant who is not in the correct seating posit ion.
A dr iver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and espec ially for children. Therefore :
"' Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sit -
ting position in the vehicle while traveling
c> _& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
150
seating position whenever the vehicle is being used.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNINGS and
other important information
c> page 146.
Belt tensioners
· How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts
are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is act ivated by sensors
i n front, side and rear-end coll is ions of great se
verity and in a rollover . This tightens the belt and
takes up belt s lack
c::> .&. in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 151.
T aking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Neve r let the belt remain ove r a rear seatback
that has been folded forward .
(D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be acti
vated once.
- In minor frontal and s ide collisions, in rear
end co llisions and in acc idents involving
very little impac t fo rce, the safety belt pre
tensioner are not activated.
- When the safety belt pretensione rs are acti
vated, a f ine dust is released. This is normal
and is not caused by a fi re in the vehicle.
- T he re levant safety requirements mus t be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped . An authorized
Audi dealer or qua lified wor kshop is familia r
with these regulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, env ironmental
and other regu lations if the veh icle or indi
vidual parts of the system, part icu larly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend yo u have your author ized Audi
dea ler perform this service for you.

M N
co
a:
co
,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
also not inflate in side or rear co llisions, or in roll
overs .
Alwa ys rememb er: Airbag s wi ll deploy on ly once,
and on ly in cer tain kinds of collisions. Your safety
b e lts a re a lways there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most
effectively when used w ith the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
c::>page 144.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing whee l o r in
strument panel will decrease the effect ive
ness of the airbags and will increase the risk
o f persona l injury in a coll is ion .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi
gate whethe r adaptive equipment may be
available to help yo u reach the peda ls and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward, sit
ting s ideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of in jury is much higher.
- You will also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
¢ page 147, 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 veh icle. Adjust the
front seats properly.
-
Airbag syste m
- Never ride with the back rest reclined .
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer -
ing wheel o r the instrument panel
c::> page 136.
- Always sit up right with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
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 or the front air
bag d uring braking or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
p rojectiles and ca use in jury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags tha t have deployed i n a crash mus t be
r eplaced.
- Use o nly orig inal equipment airbags ap
p rove d by Aud i an d in stalled by a trained
technici an who has the ne cessary too ls and
diagnostic equipment to properly rep lace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assu re system
effectiveness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in you r vehicle .
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be su re to read the important information and
head the WARNI NGS for important details
about ch ild ren and Advanced Airbags
c::> page 172.
Even though your veh icle is equipped wit h an Ad
vanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll chil
dren, especially those 12 years a nd you nger, a l
ways ride in the bac k seat properly restrained fo r
the ir age and size. The airbag on the passenger
s ide makes the front seat a potent ia lly dangerous
place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the
sa fest p lace for a child in a forward-facing ch ild ..,.
153

Airbag system
safety seat. It can be a very dangerous place for
an infant or a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been ce rtified to comp ly w ith the Requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehi
cle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off ("suppressed") if
a child up to about one year of age restrained in
one of the rear-fac ing or forward-facing infant re
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced A irbag
System in your vehicle was certified has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat. Fo r a listing
of the ch ild restraints that were used to certify
comp liance with the US Safety Standard
¢page 174.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electron ic control unit.
E ach t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light will come on for a few
seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child re
stra int on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu
pied by an adult as registered by the weight
sensing mat¢
page 162, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight on
the front passenger seat that requ ires the front
ai rbag to be turned off.
If the tota l weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year -old child but
less than the we ight of a small adult, the front
ai rbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come
on). If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the electronic
154
control unit and can dep loy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the conditions stor
ed in its memory .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small ch ild that is heavier than a typical 1
year-old chi ld is on the front passenger seat (re
ga rdl ess of whethe r the child is in one of the
child safe ty seats listed¢
page 174), or
- a child who has outgrow n chi ld restraints is on
the front passenger seat .
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
instr ument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) even if a sma ll adult
o r teenager, or a passenger who is not sitt ing up
r ight w ith their back against a non-reclined back
rest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat
¢ page 136, Proper seating position for the driv
er .
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of in
ju ry through interaction with the airbag. "Low
risk" deployment occurs in those crashes that
take place at lower decelerations as defined in
the electronic control unit ¢
page 162, PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light .
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carr ier installed on the front seat may be struck
and knocked out of position by the rapidly inflat
i ng passenger's airbag in a frontal collision . The
airbag could greatly reduce the effectiveness of
the child restraint and even seriously injure the
child during inflation.
For th is reason, and because the back seat is the
safest place for children - when prope rly restra in
ed accord ing to their age and size -we strong ly
recommend that children always sit in the back
seat ¢
page 172, Child safety. ..,.

M N
co
a:
co
,...., \!) 1.1'1
N 1.1'1 ,....,
A WARNING ,~
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- 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, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and cause serious personal injury to the child .
A 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.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan
el.
- 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 for
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Airbag system
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will
be displayed whenever a child restraint is in
stalled on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not stay on, perform the checks described
~ page 162, Monitoring the Advanced Air
bag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
-Always carefully follow instructions from
child restraint manufacturers when instal
ling child restraints.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward or rearward-facing child re
straint on the front passenger's seat:
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
-Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in
jury in a crash.
155