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:
M N
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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
•
•
128 Safet y belt s
belt itself when it moves from the stron
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convertible locking re
tractor when you are secur ing a child
safety seat in the vehicle
c::> page 164.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is th e key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 14 6 Safety belt pos it io n
;;; r-0 ± .., CD
Standard features on your vehicle help you ad
just the position of the safety belt to match your body size .
- height -adjustable front seats .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause se rious personal injury in an acci
de nt.
- T he shoulder belt sho uld lie as close to
the cente r of the collar bone as poss ible
and should fit we ll on the body. Ho ld the
bel t above the latch tongue and pull it
even ly across the chest so that it sits as
low as possible on the pelvis and there is
no p ress ure on the abdomen. The be lt
should a lways fit snugly
c:> fig . 146. Pull
on the be lt to tighten if necessary.
- The lap belt portion of the safety be lt
must be positioned as low as possible
across pe lvis and never over the abdo
men . Make s ure the be lt lies flat and
snug
c::> fig . 146. Pull o n the belt to tight
en if necessary. -
A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri
ous injuries by shift ing its posit ion on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulnerable, soft tissue and cause ser ious
in ju ry.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS a nd
other important information
c::> page 126 .
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expe ctan t mothers always wear
safety belts corre ctly -throughout the preg
nan cy.
Fi g. 147 Saf ety belt pos it ion dur ing p re gnan cy
To prov ide max imum protect ion, safety belts
must a lway s be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
<=:>page 128.
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor
rectly
c::> page 60 , Seats and storage .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
benc h is in an upright position and secure ly
latched in place before using the belt .
"' Ho ld the belt by the tongue and pull it even
ly ac ross the chest and pelvis
c:> fig . 147,
c::> &_ .
"' In sert the tong ue i nto the correct buckl e of
your seat unt il yo u hear i t latch secu re ly
c;, page 12 7, fig . 145 .
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure t hat it is se
curely latched in the buck le.
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make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on continuous ly whenever the
i gnit ion is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light does not appear and not stay on all
the t ime, stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt for the
front passenger seat has been correct ly
routed around the child restraint as descr i
bed in the child restraint manufacturer's in
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking re
tractor on the safety belt for the front pas
senger seat has been act ivated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose o r have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
¢ page 162 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the chi ld and child safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen
ger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sen
sor is not b locked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the we ight-sensing mat to measure
more we ight than is actually on the seat.
If the PA SSEN GER AIR B AG OFF light st ill
do es not come o n
and does not stay on con
tinuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the chi ld restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions. Have the a irbag system
inspected by your author ized Audi dealer
i mmediately .
- move the ch ild to a rear seat posit io n and
make sure that the child is properly restrain
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
A irbag system 143
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignitio n is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un
der these c ircumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the center of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not recl ined
¢ page 113, Proper occupant seating posi
tions,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door o r support
ing thei r weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is being properly wo rn and
tha t the re is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- accesso ry sea t covers or cushions o r other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or imp ression on the weight-sensing mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In add ition to the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster disp lay. This is to in
form the dr iver of the current front passenger
airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light
¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
It i s
-
•
•
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Model Manufactured on or
after
Grace Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo V i- September 25, 200 7
aggio SI P IMUN00US
Subpart C - Forward-facing and
con vertible child r estra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
E venflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 200 7
352xxxx
Grace Comfort5port September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Grace Platinum Ca rgo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
T o reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the fro nt pas
senger seat and install it properly at one of the rea r seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate
ly.
Child Sa fet y
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been statically tested by A udi on ly for
the Advanced A irbag function.
' Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are responsib le for the safe
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially ch il
dren:
... Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
¢page 158 .
... Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
... When using the veh icle safe ty belt to install
a child safety se at, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 162.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with yo ur
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
sideways mo re than one inch (2.5 cm) .
... If a strap or tethe r is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the fron t passenger
s eat, make sure tha t it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
... Sec ure unused safety be lts on the rear seat
¢page 157.
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all c h il dren, especially those 12 years and young
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper -
ly restra ined for the ir age and size. .,_
155
•
•
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range, and as far away from the airbag
as poss ible before instal ling the child
restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre
vents the front passenger's seat from be ing moved to the rearmost position
i n its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upr ight position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a coll is ion .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
c:::;,page 123, Safety
belts,
c:::;, page 131, Airbag system and
¢ page 152, Child Safety.
.8, WARNING
To reduce t he risk of serious injury, make
sure tha t t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child rest raint is installed o n the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Aud i dealer immediate
ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
F ig. 157 Schematic overview: kee p un used safety be lts
away fro m children in child safety seats. @-oute r rear
safety be lt
.
Child S afety 15 7
If a child safety seat is used on the rea r bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower ancho
rages, the unused safety belts
must be se
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
c:::;, &,.
- Guide the safety belt webbing @behind the
head restra int o f the seat where the child re
straint is installed ¢
fig. 157. When doing
so, do not engage the convertib le locking re
tractor ! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when wind ing up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wi nd up the safety belt
webbing.
.8, WARNING
A child in a chi ld safety seat installed with
the LA TCH lower a nc ho rages or with the
stan dard safety be lt or a child in a boos ter
se at o n the rea r seat co uld play with un
used rea r seat safety belts and become en
tang led . This cou ld cause t he chi ld ser ious
personal injury and even death.
-A lways secure unused rear seat sa fe ty
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by proper ly rout ing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the ch ild restraint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tracto r when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.
158 Child S afet y
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-fac
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
-- /
Fig . 158 Sche matic overview: rearward- facing infant
seat, properly installed o n the rear seat
> When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a ch ild safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ¢
page 162 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments.
> Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 157.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infant carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts believe that infants and
small children should ride only in spec ial re
straints in which the chi ld faces the back of
the vehicle . These infant seats support the ba
by's back, neck and head in a crash ¢
fig. 158.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
fro nt seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide . The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forwa rd-facing child seat.
I t is a very dangerous p lace for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
-Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stalling a ch ild restra int increases the risk
of ser ious personal in ju ry and death in a
crash.
- Never install rearwa rd-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr ie rs on the front pas
senger sea t -even with an Advanced Air
bag Sys tem. A c hild will be ser iously in
jured and can be killed whe n the inflat
ing ai rbag hits the child safety seat or in
fant carrier with great force and smashes the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof
c:> page 132, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe
ty seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Never install a rearward-facing ch ild re
straint in t he forward-facing direction .
Such rest ra ints are des igned for the spe
cial needs of infan ts and very sma ll chil
d ren and cannot protect them p roperly if
the seat is forward -facing.
- If you m ust ins ta ll a rearwa rd fac ing
chi ld safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install t he rearward-fac ing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect
ed by your authorized Aud i dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever us ing a child restrained in ave
h icle is being used
¢ page 123, Safety
belts, ¢ page 131, Airbag system
and
c> page 152, Importan t things to know.
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Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9
and
18 kg) in a crash.
F ig . 159 Schematic overview: installation of the at
tachments applicable to a LA TCH seat
.r
F ig. 160 Schematic overview: installat ion of the seat
using the vehicle 's safety belt system
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll
a chi ld safety seat, you must f irst activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
c:> page 162 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really t ight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
s ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c:> page 162.
.,. Secure un used safety belts on the rear sea t
c:>page 157.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in
fant restraint if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg).
Toddle rs and children who are older than one
yea r up to about 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
Child S afety 159
always be properly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for their size and weight
c:>fig.159and c:>fig .160.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward -facing child safe
ty seat. It is a
very dangerous p lace for an in
fant or a larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or imprope rly in
stalling a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death in a
coll is ion or other emergency sit uat ion.
- Chil dren o n the front seat of any ca r,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be se ri
ously inju red or even k illed when an air
bag inflates. A child in a rearwa rd -facing
child safety seat installed o n the front
passenger seat will be serious ly injured
and can be k illed if the front airbag in
fl-ates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
-
-The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, doo r or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld safe
ty seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on t he front passenge r
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan
ces and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately insta ll the rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect
ed by your authorized Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be pos itioned as close as poss ib le
to the backrest on the vehicle seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a chi ld restrained in ave-
hicle is being used
c:> page 123, Safety ..,_