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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 .
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- 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 Ad
vanced 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 be especially careful if you must in
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir
cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in
stall the rearward-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
Child safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instruc tions when installing a child restrain t in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a sea t, preferably on
the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path
~ . & .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating posit ion.
.. Guide the saf ety belt back into the retractor un
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat .
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt .
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re
tractor is now activated .
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child safe
ty seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a crash. ..,.
161
Child safety
-Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restraint to the front passenger seat,
make sure that it is not so tight, that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat .
- The heavier weight registered can make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an
adult were on the seat and deploy the Ad
vanced Airbag when it must be suppressed
causing serious or even fatal injury to the
child.
- 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.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 151 Tether strap: proper routing and mountin g
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restraint according to the child restraint manu
facturer's instructions .
166
.,. Guide the upper tether strap under the rear
head restraint r=:>fig.
151 (raise the head re
straint if necessary).
.,. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into the
opening of the tether anchorage .
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages.
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around
the tether strap. This applies especially to
leather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child restraint sys
tems come with a tether. Please read and heed
the child restraint system manufacturer's instruc
tions carefully to determine how to properly in
stall the tether.
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, or
door.
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-A tight tether or other strap on a rearwa rd
facing child rest raint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and reg ister a
heavier weight in the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem . The heavier we ight registered can
make the sys tem wor k as t hough an adult
we re on the sea t and dep loy the Advanced
Air bag when it mus t be supp ressed c ausing
serious o r even fa tal i nju ry to the child.
- If you mus t in sta ll a rearwar d fa cing child
sa fety seat on the front passenge r seat be
cause of exceptional c ircumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rearward-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your author ized Audi
d ealer.
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional infor
mat io n about child restra int selection, i nstalla
tion and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat is
the one that fits your ch ild and fits in your vehi
cle, and that you will use co rrectly and c onsis
tently .
T ry before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra
tion
T e l.: 1 -888-327 -4236 (TTY : 1-800-424-9153)
www .nhtsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Te l.: (202) 662 -0600
www.safekids.org
Safety BeltSafe U.S .A
Te l.: (800) 745-SA FE (E nglish)
Te l.: (800) 747 -SANO (Spanish)
www.carseat .org
Child sa fety
Transport Canada Information Centre
T el. : 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll 1 -613-998-86 16 if
yo u are in the Ottawa a rea
http://www .tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/menu .htm
Audi Customer Relations
T el.: (800) 822-2834
167
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N 1.1"1 ,....,
shared, please see your contract with the
wireless telecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI*:
IMENU I button> Audi connect > About
Audi connect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid
ding and loss of vehicle control. It works only
when the engine is running. ESC detects certain
d ifficu lt driving situations, including when the ve
hicle is beginn ing to spin (yaw) out of control and
helps you to get the vehicle back under control by
selectively braking the whee ls, and/or reducing
engine power and prov iding steer ing ass istance
to help hold the vehicle on the driver's intended
course. The indicator light
Bl in the instrument
cluster blinks when ESC is taking action to help
you control the veh icle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not always be able to help out under all con
ditions you may come up against. For example, ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudden change in the
coefficient of frict ion of the road surface . Whe n
there is a section of dry road that is suddenly cov
ered with water, slush or snow, ESC cannot per
form the same way it wou ld on the dry surface. If
the vehicle hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of wa
ter instead of the road surface), ESC will not be
ab le to he lp you steer the vehicle because contact
with the pavement has been interrupted and the
vehicle cannot be braked or steered . During fast
cornering, particularly on winding roads, ESC
cannot always deal as effectively with difficult
driving situations than at lower speeds. Whe n
tow ing a trailer, ESC is not able to help you regain
con trol as it wou ld if you were no t towing a trail
er .
A lways adjust your speed and dr iving sty le to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC cannot
override the vehicle's physical limits, increase the
Smart Technology
available traction, or keep a vehicle on the road i f
road departure is a result of driver inattention.
Instead, ESC improves the possibility of keeping
the vehicle under control and on the road dur ing
extreme maneuvers by using the driver's steering
inputs to help keep the vehicle go ing in the in
tended direction. If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
can prov ide any assistance, you may not expe ri
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC is switched on all the time . In certain situa
t ions when you need less traction, you can switch
off ASR by pressing the button
[ru ~ page 170,
fig. 152 or ~page 170, fig . 153. Be sure to
switch ASR on again when you no longer need
less traction.
T he following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up when braking. The vehicle can still be steered even dur
i ng hard braki ng. Apply steady pressure to the
brake pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in
the brake pedal indicates that the system is he lp
ing you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake ass ist system can decrease braking dis
tance . It increases braking power when the driver
presses the brake peda l quickly in emergency sit
u at ions. You must press and hold the brake pedal
until t he situat ion is over. In vehicles with adap
tive cruise control*, the brake assist system is
more sensitive if the distance detected to the ve
hicle ahead is too sma ll.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR red uces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin to spin and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acce le r
ate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
T he EDL brakes whee ls that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other wheels.
T his function is available up to about 60 mph
(100 km/h).
169
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The following situations are exceptions where it may be useful to switch on sport mode to allow
the wheels to spin:
Smart Technology
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode on ESC/ASRoff Sport mode off or
ESC/ASR on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization funct ion is The full stabilization func-
t ion funct ions are limited not available
¢ &.. ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢&_ . ASR are switched off. available again.
Operation Press the I!> OF FI button Press and hold the I.!> OFFI Press the I.$ OF F! button
briefly. button longer than
3 sec- again .
onds .
Indicator II turns on. • and lf'll•U~ turn on . II turns off or. and
lights lf'll•l~~ turn off .
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC ): Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization control
sages Sport. Warning! Restricted off. Warning! Restricted (
ESC) : On
stability stability
A WARNING -
You should only switch sport mode on or
sw itch ESC/ASR off if your driving ab ilities and
road conditions permit.
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is switched on. The dr iving
wheels could spin and the vehicle could
swerve, especially on slick or slippery road
surfaces.
- There is no vehicle stabilization when ESC/
ASR are sw itched off.
(D Tips
- ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or sport
mode cannot be sw itched on when cr uise
control or adaptive cruise control* is switch
ed on.
- Malfunctions in the rear spoiler may make it
i mpossible to switch the ESC/ASR off or to
switch sport mode on.
Rear spoiler
Applies to vehicles: with retractable rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling and
enhances driver control.
Fig. 154 Center console: button fo r the rear spo ile r
The rear spo iler deploys and retracts. Spoiler op
eration can be set for automat ic or manual oper
ation.
Automatic mode (normal operation)
-Extends automatically: when the vehicle speed
exceeds approx imately 75 mph (120 km/h).
- Retracts automatically: when the vehicle speed
drops below approx imately 50 mph (80 km/h).
Manual mode
- Manual deployment: Tapping briefly on the
switch ~ fig. 154 deploys the rear spoiler.
171
Smart Technolog y
-Manua l retraction: At speeds up to about
10 mph (20 km/h) , retract the rear spoiler by
pressing and holding the switch. At speeds be
tween 10 mph (20 km/h) and 75 mph (120 km/h), retract the rear spoiler by tapping
on the switch
Ind icat or light
- Rear sp oile r: sy st em m alfu ncti on
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to a
malfunct ion . This cou ld change the vehicle's driv
ing characteristics at high speeds . Do not drive at
speeds above 85 mph (140 km/h) . Drive to the
nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair
facility to have the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing at higher speeds w ithout the rear
spoiler deployed can impa ir handling charac
teristics, mak ing the veh icle harder to co ntrol.
- Always make sure that the spoiler is de-
ployed when driving at speeds over 85 mph
(140 km/h) . If the rear spoiler warn ing/ indi
c ator light in t he instrument cluster comes
on, the rear spoi ler may not have deployed .
- Never dr ive at speeds highe r than 85 mph
(140 km/ h) if the spoiler is not deployed.
Have the spo iler inspected as soon as possi
ble by an author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied
workshop.
- Always obey speed limi ts and o ther traffic
laws .
A WARNING ,.__.__
Improper ope ration of the rear spoiler can
cause crushing injuries .
- Always make sure that nobody, espec ia lly
children, is in the way when the rear spo iler
is deployed or retracted .
(D Note
Never push the vehicle or apply fo rce to the
rea r spo ile r - i t cou ld be damaged.
(D Tips
Clean the spo ile r compartment every 2 to 3
months. The spoiler compartment m ust al-
172
-
ways be free of ice, snow, leaves or other de bris .
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess their full braking e ffect, they
have to be "broken in" first¢.&. . The break -in pe
riod can be considerably longe r for vehicles with
ceramic brake rotors*. You can compensate for
th is slightly reduced braking power by pushing
harder on the brake pedal. Avoid heavy braking
loads during the b reak-in period.
Op era ting condition s and dri ving h abit s
The brakes on today's automobiles are still sub
j ect to wear, depending largely on operating con
dit ions and driving habits ¢.&, . On vehicles that
are either dr iven most ly in stop-and-go city traf
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by yo ur autho rized Aud i dealer more of
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte·
nan ce bookl et.
Fail ure to have you r brake pads
i nspected c an resu lt in red uced b rake pe rform
ance.
On steep slopes, you shou ld use the braking ef
fect of the engine. This way, you prevent unnec
essary wear on the bra ke system. If yo u must use
you r brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin
u ously. Pump the brakes at intervals .
Operating noise
Noises may occur when brakin g depending on the
speed, braking force and ou ts ide cond itions su ch
as tempera ture and hum idity.
Due to the nature of the materials used in ceram
i c bra ke roto rs*, noises may become mo re appa
r ent at low speeds.
Effect of water and road salt
In certa in situations, for examp le after driv ing
through water, in heavy rain, after overnight con
densation or after washing your car , the braking
effect can be redu ced by moistu re or ice on the
1111>
Smart Technolog y
-If y ou dama ge the front spo iler, or if you in
sta ll a di fferent spoile r, be sure the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed . Other
wise the brake system co uld overheat reduc
ing the effectiveness o f the enti re brake sys
tem .
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair the
braking capab ility r esult ing in a n increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driving the veh icle
and have it towed to the nearest au thorized
Audi de aler or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle ro ll to a stop with the
engine shut off .
-If the brake booster is not work ing, the
brake pedal must be pressed considerably
harder to make up for the lack of booste r as
sistance .
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps the
driver when steering .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and me ss a ges
• Steering defe cti ve! Do not dri ve vehicle!
If th is indicator light tu rns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may
have fa iled .
D o
n ot co ntinue driving. See yo ur authorized
Audi dealer or a qua lified repair fac ility for assis
tance.
l;r-ij Dynamic steering : System fault! You can
c on tinu e drivin g
If the indicator light tu rns on and the message
appears, the steer ing may be more difficult to
move or mo re sensitive than usual. The steer ing
wheel may a lso be at an ang le when dr iv ing
straight.
Drive s low ly to your author ized Audi dealer or
qua lified wor kshop to have the malfunction cor
rected.
174
':r-ij Dynamic stee ring: initializing
If this drive r message appears and the indicator
li gh t is flashing on the instr ument pane l, dynam
i c s teer ing* is being rein itia lized. After sta rting
the engine, the steering wheel w ill move slightly.
Re-initialization might be necessary if the steer
i ng whee l was moved hard to the left and right
while the vehicle was not moving. The display goes out as soon as initialization is comp lete.
A WARNING
H ave the dynamic steering* system malfunc
tion repaired as soon as possible by an author ized A udi dealer or qualified wo rkshop -risk
of accident!
@ Tips
- If the . or ':rfl indicator light only stays on
for a sho rt time, you may cont inue driving.
- The dynamic steering* stab ility systems are
not availab le in the event of a system mal
function.
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steering*, refer to~ page 101.
Driving with your quattro
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driven .
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to all
four wheels . This happens automatically depend
i ng on your driving style and the road conditions
at the t ime . See also ~ page 169.
A center d ifferential distributes the driving power
variably to the front and rear axle. It works to
gether w ith select ive whee l torque control, which
activates w hen d rivi ng throug h curves
~ page 170 . With the spo rt diffe rential*, power
dist ribution to the rear wheels is variab le and can
be adjusted with drive select~ page 101.
The all-whee l dr ive concept is des igned for hig h
engine power . Yo ur vehicle is exceptiona lly pow
e rfu l and has excellen t drivi ng cha racte rist ics
both unde r normal d riving condi tions and o n
snow and ice . Always read and follow sa fe ty pre-
ca utions ~& .
1111>
Smart Technolog y
(D Tips
-But even energy management cannot neg
ate the limits of physics. Consider that the power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica
tor light (•)appears
Qpage 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start
ing capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and during the co ld time of
year . Ab undant electrical energy is required, but
only a little is generated. It is also critical if the
engine is not runn ing and electrical components
are turned on. In this instance energy is being
consumed but none is being generated.
It is in precisely these situat ions that you wi ll no
tice energy management actively regulating the
d istr ibut io n of energy.
Vehicle s tand s for an exte nded p eriod
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, e lectrica l components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca
pability over a longer period. Some of the con
ven ience funct ions may not operate, such as the
interior lights or the powe r seat adjustment. The
conven ience functions will be ava ilable again
when you sw itch on the ign it io n and start the en
g ine.
With th e engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for example, with the
engine turned off or use other MMI funct ions,
the battery is being discha rged .
If starting capability is jeopardized due to energy
consumption, a message appears in the MMI dis p lay . The message ind icates that the system will
be sw itched off automat ica lly in a moment. If
you wish to cont inue using the functions , you
have to start the engine .
176 With the en
gine running
Although elec trical energy is generated when the
vehicle is being d riven, the battery can become
discharged . This happens mostly when litt le en
ergy is being generated and a great deal con
sumed and the battery's state of charge is not
optimal.
T o bring the energy ba lance back into equilibri
u m, consumers whic h req uire especially large
amounts of energy are temporari ly cut back or
switched off. Heating systems in part icular re
quire a great deal of energy. If you notice, for ex
ample, that the heated seats* o r the heated rear
window are not heating, they have been tempo
r ari ly cut back o r switched off . Th ese systems w ill
be ava ilable again as soon as the ene rgy ba lance
has been res tored.
You w ill also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . Thi s is normal and not a
ca use for concer n. By increasing eng ine idle
speed the addi tional energy required is gene rated
and the battery is charged.