M N
er
u..
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-Occasiona l noises when the parking
brake is applied and re leased are norma l
and are not a ca use for concern .
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a se lf-test cycle at
regular intervals. Any associated noises
are norma l.
Parking
.,. Press the brake pedal to stop the vehicle .
.. Pull the switch@¢
page 78, fig . 92 to set
the parking brake .
.,. Move the selecto r leve r to P .
.. Turn the eng ine off ¢,& .
.. When on incl ines or decli nes, tu rn the steer
ing wheel so that the vehicle w ill roll into
the cu rb if it begins to move .
_& WARNING
--When you leave your veh icle -even if on
ly briefly -always remove the ign ition
key . This applies part icularly when chil
dre n remain in the vehicle. Otherw ise the
children cou ld start the engine, release
the parking bra ke or operate electrical
equipment (e .g. power wi ndows). There
is the r is k of an accident .
- Whe n the vehicle is loc ked, no one -par
t ic ularly not c hild ren sho uld remain in
the vehicle . Locked doors make it more
difficult for emergency workers to get in
to the vehicle -putting lives at risk .
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon
starting.
Stopping and applying parking brake
.,. Pull the switch @ ~ page 78, fig. 92 to ap
ply the pa rk ing brake.
On th e ro ad 79
Starting and automatically relea sing the
parking brak e
.. When you sta rt to drive as usual, the park
ing brake is autom atically released and your
veh icle begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signa l or stopping
in c ity traffic on v ehicl es with an automatic
tran smission, the pa rking b rake can be ap
plied . The vehicle does not have to be held
with the footbrake . The parking brake elimi
nates the tendency to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged . As soon as you d rive
off as usual ,
t h e pa rking bra ke is re leased automat ically
and t he veh icle s tarts to move .
Starting on slopes
When sta rting on inclines, the sta rting assist
prevents the vehicle from un intent ionally roll
ing back . The braking force of the parking
brake is not re leased unti l su ff ici ent d riving
f orce has been built up at the wheels .
(D Tips
For safety reaso ns, the pa rking brake is re
l eased automatically o nly when the d riv
e r's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys
tem fails or locks .
.. In an emergency , pull the switch @
¢
page 78, fig . 92 and continue to pull it to
slow you r vehicle down with the parking
br ak e.
.. As soon as you re lease the swi tch @ or ac-
celerate, the braking process stops.
If you p ull the swi tch@ and hold it above a
speed o f abo ut 5 mph (8 km/h), the eme rgen
cy bra king f unct ion is initiated. The ve hicle is
braked at all four whee ls by activating the hy
draulic b rake system. The brake pe rformance
is sim ilar to making an emergency stop¢
A.
In orde r not to act ivate the eme rgency brak -
ing by mistake, an audib le wa rning tone (bu z
zer) so unds when the switch @ is pulled. As
ll>
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lever is left in N (Neutral) for more t han ap
prox imately 2 seconds, without the b rake ped
a l being pressed .
Release button
The release b utton on the selec tor leve r pre
ve nts the leve r from bei ng accide ntally s hifte d
i n to ce rtain positions. Depen ding on the direc
tion of the shift, the se lector lever locks at d if
ferent positions. The positions are h ighlighted
in the ill ustration
c!> fig . 97.
Ignition key safety interlock
The key canno t be removed from the igni tion
un less the se lector lever is in the P park posi
tion . When the ignition key is remove d, the
se lecto r lever wi ll be locked in the P pos ition.
Driving the automatic transmission
F ig. 98 S hift gate o n th e ce nte r conso le: selector lever
wit h release bu tton
Starting the engine
.. The selector leve r must be in P or N.
Starting off
.. Press a nd ho ld t he brake ped al.
.. Press and ho ld the release bu tton in these
l ector lever handle, se lect the desi red se lec
tor leve r pos ition such as D/S and re lease
t h e b utton.
.. Wait br iefly u ntil t he transmission has shift
ed (you will feel a slight movement).
.. Remove your foot from the b rake pedal a nd
acce le rate.
Stopping temporarily
.. Keep the vehicle stationary us ing the brak
ing peda l, for e xamp le at traffic lights.
Transm ission 85
.. Do not press the accelerator peda l w hen do
ing this .
.. To preve nt t he vehicle from ro lling when yo u
start dr iv ing, set the parking b rake w hen
stopping on steep inclines
c!> _&. .
.. The parking brake will release automat ica lly
an d the vehicle will start mov ing o nce you
p ress th e acce lerator pedal.
Stopping/parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position
whe n you open the driver's door , the veh icle
could roll . The message
Transmission: Car
may roll! Shift to park! ap pears .
.. Press and hold the brake peda l until the ve-
hicle has come to a comp lete stop .
.. App ly t he park ing brake
co page 79 .
.. Select the P selec to r lever posit io n
co _&. .
Stopping on an incline
.. Always press the brake pedal to ho ld the ve
hicle in place and prevent it from "ro lling
back"
co _&. . Do not try to p revent the ve hi
cle from "rolling back" when a gear is en
gaged by increas ing t he engine spee d co (!).
Starting on an incline
.. Activate the parking brake .
.. With t he driving gear selected, p ress the ac
celerato r peda l carefully . The parking brake
w ill rel ease au toma tically if your sea t belt is
fast ene d .
U nder certa in circumstances, such as driving
in the mounta ins, i t may be usefu l to sw itch
t emporar ily to the man ual sh ift program in or
d er to adju st the gears to th e d riv in g con di
ti ons by ha nd
co page 87 .
On s lopes, activate the parki ng b rake first and
t hen move the s electo r leve r to the P posi tion .
T his pr eve nts t oo much st ress from be ing
p la ced o n the locking me chani sm .
&_ WARNING
- Th e vehicle c an als o roll whe n the engi ne
is s topped .
~
86 Transmission
-Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serious injury .
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your vehicle when the engine is running,
activate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P .
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the engine is running and the selector
lever is in D/S or R or "tiptronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever position
while the vehicle is stationary and the
engine is running.
- Never shift into
R or P while driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lower
gear with "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re
duces braking performance, increases
braking distance or causes complete fail
ure of the brake system.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, always hold it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch . The clutch opens auto
matically when it becomes too hot from
the overload . An indicator lamp
l'§J illu
minates and a driver message appears
Q page 88 when the clutch is overload
ed.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving position engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and
is locked in P with the parking brake set
Q page 195. Otherwise, any increase in
engine speed may set the vehicle in mo- tion
, even with the parking brake ap
plied.
@ Note
- When stopping on an incline, do not try
to hold the vehicle in place by pressing
the accelerator pedal while a driving gear is selected. This can cause the transmis
sion to overheat and can damage it. Acti
vate the parking brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling .
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the en
gine is stopped and the selector lever is
in N will damage the transmission be
cause it is not lubricated under those cir
cumstances.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driv
er's safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when these
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically selects
a gear that is suitable for the incline. Hill de
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach
ieved at the time of braking, within physical
and technical limitations. It may st ill be nec
essary to adjust the speed with the brakes.
Hill descent control switches off once the de
cline levels out or you press the accelerator
pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
Q page 81 , hill descent control is also activat
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING -
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical limitations, so it may not be able
to maintain a constant speed under all
112 Driving Saf ely
Driving Safely
General notes
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
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures described in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment 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 inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important info r
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- be lt fo rce limi ters fo r the front seats,
- belt p retensioners for the seats,
- head restra ints for each seating posit io n,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child re -
straints,
- adj ustab le steering column .
T hese ind iv idual safety features, can wo rk to
ge ther as a system to he lp p rotect you and
yo ur passengers in a w ide r ange of acci dents .
T hese features canno t work as a system i f
they a re not always correct ly adjusted and co r
rect ly used.
Safety i s everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Sofety is everybody's job! Vehide ond occu
pant safe ty alw ays depends on the informed
and careful driver.
F o r yo ur safe ty and the safety of your passen
gers,
before driving alwa ys:
" Make su re t hat all lights and signa ls are op
erati ng correctly .
" Ma ke sur e that the t ire p ressu re is co rrect.
" Ma ke su re t hat all windows are clean and af
ford good v isibili ty to the outs ide.
" Secure all luggage and other items caref ully
¢page 65.
"Ma ke su re that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
" Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly fo r your height .
" Inst ruct passe ngers to adjust the head re
straints according to the ir height .
" Ma ke sur e to use the r igh t chi ld res traint
correctly to p rotect children ¢
page 15 2,
Child Safety .
"Sit prope rly in your seat and ma ke sure t hat
your passengers do the same ¢
page 60,
Seats and storage. ..,
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.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 123.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and a ll of its occupants . If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢ ,&. .
Therefore:
.,. Do not let yourself be distracted by passen
gers or by us ing a cellular telephone.
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense.
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 113
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 131 Correct seat ing pos ition
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
following position:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢ ,&. .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that th ere is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone ¢
fig. 131. If not possible, see your au
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip
ment .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. App lies to veh icles with adjustable head re
straints: Adjust the head restraint so the up
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this posit ion as possible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 126.
114 Driving Safely
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢page 61.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce 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 breast
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de
ploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect
edly and you could lose control of the ve
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in- jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 152. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 131.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Move the front passenger seat back as far as
possible . There must be a minimum of
10 inches (25 cm) between the breastbone
and the instrument panel¢,&. .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re
straints: Adjust the head restraint so the up
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this position as possible.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 126.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 60.
A WARNING
-
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
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-Passengers must always sit in an upright
posit ion and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located .
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po
sition 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 .
- Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenge r's breastbone and the instru
ment pane l.
- Ea ch passenger must always sit on a seat
of the ir own and properly fasten and
wear the safety bel t be long ing to that
seat .
- Before driv ing, a lways adj ust the front
passenger seat and head restra int prop
er ly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win
dow, etc . The airbag system and safety
belt w ill not be ab le to protect you prop
er ly and can even increase the risk of in
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are ti lted back, the greater the risk of in
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi
t io n.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c::> page 152 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
o n t he front pas senge r sea t
c::> page 131.
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 vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor
rect seat ing pos ition in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas-
Dr ivin g Sa fely 115
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
'" Make su re that the seatba ck is secure ly
la tched in the up right position
c::> page 66.
'" Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
'" Fasten and wear safety belts proper ly
c::> page 126 .
'"Make sure that children are always properly
restrai ned in a child restraint that is appro
pr iate for the ir s ize and age
c::> page 152.
.&, WARNING
Passengers who are imp roperly seated on
the rea r seat can be seriously i njured in a
crash.
- Each passenge r must always si t on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec
tion when the sea tback is sec urely latch
ed in the upright position and the safety
be lts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
inj ury from improperly positioned safety
be lts!
Proper adjustment of head restraints
App lies to vehicles: with adjustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig . 1 32 Head restra int: vi ewed from the front
116 Driving Saf ely
The head res traints must be correct ly a djust
ed to achieve the best protection.
... Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge
is as even as poss ible w ith the top of yo ur
head.
If that is not possib le, try to ad just
the head restraint so that it is as close to
t h is position as possible¢
fig. 132.
Adjusting head restraints ¢ page 63 .
.&, WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re
straints . Driving without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints that are not proper ly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa
tal neck injury dramat ically . To help reduce
the risk of in ju ry:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and proper ly adjusted .
- Every person in the veh icle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the ve
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re
straint. Adj ust the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possible with
the top of your head . If that is not possi
ble, try to adju st the head restra int so
that it is as close to this position as pos
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head rest raint
wh ile driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the dr iver head rest for any
reason, first stop the ve hicle safe ly be
fore attempting to adjust the head re straint.
- Children must always be properly re
strained in a ch ild restraint that is appro
pr iate for their age and size ¢
page 152.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
I mproper seating positions can ca use serio us
in ju ry or death . Safety belts can on ly work
when they are properly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiven
ess of safety belts and wi ll even in
c rease the r isk o f injury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Imprope r sea ting positions a lso increase the
risk of serious inju ry and death when an a ir
bag deploys and str ikes an occupa nt w ho is
not in the proper s eating posit ion . A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle o ccu
pants and espe cially for child ren. The re fo re :
... Never allow anyone to assume an incor rect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢& .
T he following bulletins list o nly some sample
pos itions tha t w ill increase the r isk of serious
i njury and dea th . O ur hope is that t hese exam
ples will ma ke yo u more aware o f seat ing po
s itions tha t a re dangerous.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r sta nd up i n the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- neve r sit on the e dge of the seat
- neve r sit s ideways
- neve r lean out the window
- never 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
- neve r ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo a rea
.&, WARNING
Imp roper seating posit ions increase the
risk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occ u-
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
veh icle is being used.