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Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inflate without interference . Objects be
tween yourself and the airbag can increase
the risk of inju ry in an acc ident by interfer
ing w ith the way the a irbag deploys or by
be ing p ush ed into you as the airbag de
ploys .
- No persons (ch ild ren) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas
senger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fata l injuries .
- No objec ts of any k ind sho uld be car ried
in t he footwell area in front of the driv
er's or passenger's seat . B ulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham
per or prevent proper deployment of the
airbag . Small objects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you o r your passengers .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
M ake sure t hat all pedals move freely witho ut
in te rference and th at nothing prevents them
from returning to the ir origina l positions.
Only use floo r mats that leave the peda l area
free and can be secured w it h floor mat fas ten
e rs.
If a b rake circuit fails, increased b rake pedal
travel is req uired to br ing the vehi cle to a full
stop.
Dr iving S afel y 117
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk
of ser ious inju ry .
- Never p lace any objects in the drive r's
footwell . An ob ject cou ld get into the
pedal area and inte rfe re with pedal func
tion . In case of sudde n bra ki ng o r an ac
cident, yo u wo uld not be a ble to brake or
ac celer ate!
- Always ma ke su re tha t no thing can fall
or m ove into the driver's footwel l.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals .
" Make s ure that the floor mats are prope rly
secured and cannot move and inte rfe re with
t he ped als~ ,&. .
U se on ly floor mats that leave the pedal area
unobst ructed and that are firmly secu red so
that they cannot slip o ut of posi tion . You ca n
obt ain suitab le floo r mats from yo ur aut ho r
ized Audi dea ler .
Floor mat fastene rs a re insta lled in your Aud i.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at
tac hed to these fastene rs . Prope rly secur ing
the floor mats will prevent them from sliding
i nto positions that could interfere with the
peda ls o r impa ir safe ope rat io n of yo ur vehicle
i n othe r ways.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can result
in a loss of vehicle control and inc rease the
risk of serious persona l injury.
- Always ma ke s ure that floo r mats a re
properly secu red.
- Never p lace or ins tall floor mats o r other
f loor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be properly secured in p lace to prevent
them from slipping and interfer ing with
~
•
•
118 Driving Safely
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already instal
led 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 clean
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwell while the ve
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com
portment.
Fig. 133 Safe load pos itio nin g: place heavy objects as
low a nd as fa r forward as possible.
-M N 0 u.
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Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can also increase
the risk o f serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
... Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment .
... Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as possible
cc> fig . 133 .
... Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid
ed
c:> poge 67.
... 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
personal injury in the event of hard brak
ing or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
-Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the tie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
vehicle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per
missible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driv
ing
~ page 112.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
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area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
-If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power top,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the power top and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
.
Driving Safely 119
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor
mal load conditions, please see chapter
¢page 217.
Tie-downs
Applies to vehicles : wi th t ie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly
¢ page 118, Loading the luggage com
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre
vent items from shifting or flying for
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying
•
•
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or conta ct Tran sport C an ad a by
m ail at:
Tran sport Canada
Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga
tion s Laboratory
80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J8Z OAl
For additional road sa fet y infor
m ation, please visit the Road
Safet y websi te at :
http :/ /www.tc.gc.ca /eng/
roadsafety /menu.htm
Active rollover
protection system
Function
T he rollover protection system helps pro tect
vehicle occupan ts in the event of a rollover.
Fi g. 134 Rea r sea ts: Ro llba r deployment ra nge
ill N
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F ig . 135 Rea r sea ts: rollba r dep loyed
Driving Safely 121
T he a ct ive ro llover protec tion sys tem consists
of:
- t wo ro ll ba rs
- t he saf ety be lts with belt tension ers
- the wi ndshield frame
- the ro llover sensor s
T he act ive rollover protect ion system provides
additional safety in the event of a rollover.
Within milliseconds, sensors dep loy two roll
bars located be hind t he headrests i n the rear
seats
¢ fig. 135 .
The rollbars , reinforced windshie ld frame and
belt tensioners he lp protect front and rear
passengers i n the event of a rollover.
T he rollover pro tection system funct ions
when the power top is both open and closed.
A WARNING
Do not use t he a rea behind the rear seat
headrests
¢fig. 134 as a storage area.
This is the area whe re the rollbars dep loy .
If the rollover protect io n sys tem is trig
ger ed, obje cts pla ced t her e c an be p ropel
l ed through the vehicle a nd m ake it m ore
diffi cult for t he r oll ba rs to deplo y. This in
creases the risk fo r se rious o r life-th reat
e ning injur ies .
When is rollover protection deployed?
Rollover p rotection de ploys in a colli sion or
rollover.
Dep end ing o n th e c olli sion, senso rs th rough
o ut t he ve hicle a nd the co ntro l m odu le t rigge r
t he r ollover sy ste m to depl oy.
Fo r sa fety reasons, rollover p rotection also de
ploys during front, side a nd rea r collisions
above a cer ta in level of sever ity.
122 Driving Safel y
Retracting rollover protection
Fig. 136 Deployed roll bar w it h release loop .
Fig. 137 Dep lo yed r ollbar w it h po wer t op frame facing
up wa rd .
If the rollover protect ion has t riggered but
the vehicle was not involved in an acc iden t
'
you can ret ract the ro llover protec tion your-
se lf in an eme rgency. Drive to your authorized
Audi dealer o r qualified repair facility immedi
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
With the power top open
> Pull the loop upwa rd in the di re ction of the
arrow and ho ld i t in p lace
~ fig. 136 .
> Slide the roll bar down .
> Release the loop just before the rollbar
reaches its end position by approximately 1-2 in . (3-5 cm).
> Press the rollbar down until it stops.
> Make sure the rollbar is secure before re-
leasing it.
> Close the cover@¢ fig. 13 7.
> Repeat the procedure on the other rollbar.
Wi th the power top clo sed
> Switch the ign it ion on.
> Press the convertible switch to adjust the
co nvertible frame unt il it is vertical
¢ fig . 137 .
> Pull the loop upward in the direction of the
arrow and hold it in place
¢ fig . 136.
> Slide the rollbar down.
> Release the loop just before the rollbar
r eaches its end position (3-5 cm).
> Press the rollbar down until it stops .
> Make sure the rollbar is secure before re-
l e asing it .
> Close the cover@¢ fig. 13 7.
> Repeat t he p rocedu re on the othe r rollb ar .
> Yo u can now close the power top again .
_&. WARNING
--Make sure you r head or othe r parts of
your body are not located in the area
above the ro llbar when press ing the roll
bar down. If the roll bar is not secured
correctly , it cou ld deploy agai n as soo n as
you release it and cause injur ies .
- Have the rollover protection system
checked by your authorized Audi dealer if
it is fa ulty . Otherwise, the system may
not deploy correctly in a coll is ion.
- Mod ifying the rollover protecti on system
or ind ividual components is not pe rm it
ted .
- Wo rk on the rollover p rotection system
should only be pe rform ed by yo ur au
thor ized A udi dealer or qua lified wo rk
shop. O the rwise the sys tem m ay not
fu nction correc tly in a collision or it co uld
deploy unexpectedly.
- H ave the system inspected at service in
tervals . This ensures the system wi ll al
ways be ready for use . Have your author
ized Audi dealer check the rollove r pro
tect ion system every two years at the lat
est .
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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts a re nec
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read a ll the informat ion that fo llows and
heed all of the inst ruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of se
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci
de nts . For your prot ecti on and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrec tly wear
sa fe ty bel ts when the ve hicle is mov ing.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically
imp aired perso ns must also use safe ty
belts. L ike a ll vehicle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser ious ly injure d if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fet us is to protect the mother -
thro ughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat
i n g position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
N ot wea ring safety belts or wea ring the m
im properly increases the risk of ser ious
perso nal i njur y an d deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in
cl ud ing small ch ild ren, into a ny belt . It is
e speci ally dangerous t o pl ac e a safety
bel t over a child s itting on yo ur la p.
- N ever le t mo re peo ple ride in t he ve hicle
th an there are s afety be lts availab le.
Safety belts 12 3
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate sa fe
ty belt or child restra int.
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 impor
tance of buckling-up.
Fig . 138 Safety belt warni ng light in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, alway s:
~ Fasten your safety be lt and ma ke su re you
are wearing it properly .
~ Make sure that yo ur passengers a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
~ Protect your children w it h a child restraint
sys tem app ropriate fo r the size a nd age of
t h e children.
The . war ning light i n the instrument clus
te r li ghts up when the ig nition is switched on
as a reminder to fasten the safety belts . In ad
dition, you will hear a warning tone fo r a cer
ta in period o f time.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure
that your passengers al so properly put on
their safety belt s.
•
•
126 Safety belts
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
,.. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
,.. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
,&. WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly
before driving
off and make sure all pas
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person , in
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv
en .
- Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument panel or sticking out
the window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
may cause injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder pa rt of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos i
tion . -
Several layers of heavy clothing may in
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev
er, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint sys
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly .
If web
bing, bindings, buck les, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au
thorized Audi dealer.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer. Replace
ment may be necessary even if damage
cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that
were loaded must also be inspected .
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel~
ta
ble Cleaning interior on page 186 .
Safety belts
Belt positioner
The driver and front passenger seats are
equipped with belt positioners .
Fig. 144 Driver 's seat: Be lt positio ner
The front seats are equipped with belt posi
tioners so it is easier to fasten the safety be lts . T he belt positioners automatically ex
tend when the door closes and the ignition
sw itches on ¢
fig. 144.
The belt positioner retur ns to its starting posi
tion again when
- th e tongue in the bel t latc h engages o r the
belt was not fastened within 60 seconds .
- yo u sw itch the igni tion off.
- you ope n the doo r.
_& WARNING
- O nly y our auth orize d Au di de aler s hou ld
wor k on the sys tem or remove and in stal
ling system com ponents when perform
ing other work .
- T he be lt positioners could cause in jury or
damage if they pi nc h peop le or objects
when extendi ng or retracting .
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 145 Be lt buckle an d to ngue o n th e dr iver's seat
T o provide maxim um protection, sa fety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the
wearer's body .
~ Adjust the front seat and head restraint
properly ¢
page 60, Seats and storage .
~ Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright pos ition and securely
latched i n place before using the belt¢ ..
&.
~ ~ Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even-
~ Ly across the ch est and pelvis ¢ ,&. .
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Safety belts 12 7
~ Insert the tongue into the correct buck le o f
your seat unti l you hear it latch securely
¢ fig. 145.
~ Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buck le.
Automatic safety belt ret ractors
Eve ry safety bel t is equipped with an a utomat
ic be lt ret ractor on the shoulder belt. This fea
ture locks the belt when the be lt is pu lled out
fast, during hard brak ing and in an accide nt.
The belt may a ls o l ock when you drive up or
down a steep h ill or t hrough a sha rp cu rve.
D uring normal driv ing the be lt lets you move
freely .
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre
tensioner that he lps to tighten the safety belt
and remove slack when the p retensioner is ac
t ivated. The function of the pretensione r is
monito red by a warn ing light ¢
page 19.
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the one on t he d river
seat is equipped with a convert ible locking re
tractor tha t
must be used when t he safety
belt is used to attach a ch ild safety seat . Be
su re to read t he importa nt infor mation about
t h is feature ¢
page 162.
_& WARNING
Im properly posit io ned s afe ty be lts c an
cause serious injury in an accident
¢ page 128, Safety belt position .
- Safety belts offer opt imum protec tion
only when the seatba ck is upr ight a nd
be lts a re p ro perly posit io ned on the
body.
-
- Never attach t he safety be lt to the buck
le for another seat. Attac hing t he belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt
effectiveness and can cause ser ious per
sonal injury .
- A passenge r who is not properly restrai n-
ed can be seriously injured by t he safety .,.