Safety belts
Never rely on airbags a lone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection . A irbags are not supposed to deploy in
all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor
rectly in orde r to min imize the risk of seve re in
jury o r death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once
and that your safety be lts are a lways there to of
fer protection in t hose accidents in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy or when they have a l
ready deployed . Unbelted o ccupan ts can also be
thrown ou t of the vehicle where even mo re severe
or fata l injur ies can occur .
It is also important fo r the rea r passenge rs to
wear safety belts co rrectly. Unbe lted passenge rs
i n t he rear se ats endanger not only themselves
but also the driver and other passengers
~ fig . 125 . In a frontal coll ision they wi ll be
thrown forward violent ly, where they can hit and
in ju re the driver and/or front seat passenger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It 's simply
not true!
F ig . 12 6 Driver is correct ly rest ra ined i n a sudden b rak ing
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats , gradually reduce energy levels ap
plied to the body in an accident, and he lp prevent
the uncont ro lled movement that can cause seri
ous injur ies. In add it ion, safety belts reduce the
danger of being throw n ou t of the vehicle.
122
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "softly" through the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features eng i
neered into today's veh icles. By "absorbing" the
ki net ic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety be lts make the forces on the body more
"tole rable" and less li kely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based o n a frontal
collision, safety be lts can also substantially re
duce the r isk o f injury in other kinds o f crashes.
So, whether you're on a long tr ip or just go ing to
t he cor ne r store, always bu ckle up and ma ke sure
o thers do, too. Ac ciden t sta tis tics show that ve hi
cle occupants properly wearing sa fe ty belts have
a lowe r risk of be ing injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident. Pro perly using
safety belts a lso greatly increases the ab ility of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col
li sion. For this reason, wear ing a safety be lt is le
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with a irbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are act ivated only in some
fron tal coll is io ns . The front airbags are not act i
vated in a ll frontal col lisions, in s ide and rear co l
li sio ns, in ro ll overs o r in cases whe re the re is not
eno ugh deceler ation th rough impac t to the front
of the vehicle . T he same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
proper ly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body .
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de
scribed in this chapter .
.,. Make s ure that your safety belts are always
ready fo r use and are not damaged .
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Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
correctly -throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 129 Safety belt pos it io n during p regnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er's body
c:> poge 124.
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint correct
ly
c> page 53, Seats and storage .
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt .
.. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis
c:>fig . 129, c:> &_.
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
c:>poge 123, fig . 127 .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos
sible across the pelvis and below the round
ing of the abdomen .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
~.& in Fasten
ing safety belts on page 124.
Safety belts
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only o~er the vehicle hos stopped .
J-L
Fig. 130 Releasing the tongue from the buck le
.. Push the red release button on the buckle
c:> fig. 130. The belt tongue will spring out of
the buckle
c> &_ .
.,. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
_& WARNING ,-
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Doing so will increase your risk of be
ing injured or killed.
Improperly worn safety belts
0 ..... N 0 :i:
"' CD
Incorrectly positioned safety belts con cause se
vere injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri
ous injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effective
ness of safety belts and w ill even increase the risk
of injury and death by moving the safety belt to
critical areas of the body. Improper seating posi
tions also increase the risk of serious injury and
death when an airbag dep loys and strikes an oc
cupant who is not in the correct seating position.
A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occupants and especially for children . Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sit-
ting position in the vehicle while traveling
c> &_ . ~
125
Safe ty belt s
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seat ing pos ition whenever the veh icle is be
ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢ page 122 .
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular sev erity, safety belts are tensioned au
tomatically.
The safety be lts are equipped with safety be lt
p retens ioners. The system is activated by sensors
in front, side and rear-end co llisions of great se
verity. This tightens the be lt and takes up belt
slack
¢ .&. in Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner on page 126.
Taking up the slack
helps to reduce forward occupant movement dur
ing a collision .
(D Note
Never let the be lt remain over a rear seatback
that has been folded forward.
(D Tips
The safety be lt pretensioner can only be acti
vated once.
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in rear
end collisions, in a rollover and in accidents
i nvo lv ing very little impact force, the safety
belt pretensioner are not act ivated.
- In the case of a side crash, the safety belt pretensioners w ill act ivate on the driver's or
front passenger's sides only, depending on which side of the vehicle the crash occurs.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are acti
vated, a fine dust is released. This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
126
of the system are sc rapped . An authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop is familiar
with these regulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regu lations if the vehicle or indi
vidual parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We recommend you have your author ized Audi
dealer perform this service for you .
Service and disposal of safety belt preten
sioner
'
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi. Insta lling, removing,
servicing or repairing of be lt pretensioners can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from work ing correctly in a collision.
There are some important t hings you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
componen ts do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
& WARNING
Improper care, serv ic ing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
a nd death by p reventing a safety be lt preten
sione r from activating when needed or acti
vating it unexpected ly:
- The belt pretensione r system can be act ivat
ed only once. If belt pretensioners have been activated, the system m ust be re
placed .
- Never repair, adjus t, or change any parts of
the sa fety belt system.
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretens ioners cannot be repaired. Spec ial
procedures are req uired for remova l, instal
lation and disposa l of this system .
- For any wo rk on the safety be lt system, we
strongly recommend that yo u see your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified technician
who has an Audi approved repair manual,
train ing and spec ial equ ipment necessary .
M N
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@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Mater ial
- spec ial handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo rate. When the veh icle or parts of the re
straint system includ ing a irbag modules safe
ty belts with pretensioners a re scrapped, a ll
ap plicab le laws and regu lations mus t be ob
served. Your author ized Audi dealer is fam iliar
w ith these requi rements and we recommend
t hat you have yo ur dealer pe rform this service
for you.
Sa fety bel ts
127
Airbag system
Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers, befo re driving off, always:
"' Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
Q page 112,
"'Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
Qpage 54,
"'Wear safety be lts properly C? page 122,
"'Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children
Qpage 150.
In a coll is ion airbags must inflate within the blink
of an eye and with considerab le force. The sup
p lemental airbags can cause injuries if the driver
or the front seat passenger is not seated proper•
Ly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to do its
job, it is important, both as a driver and as a pas
senger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions
c> page 112, Correct
passenger seating positions.
Fo r details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
c>page54.
It's especially important that children are proper
ly restrained
Qpage 150.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the individual safety fea
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system .
Proper seat ing position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a phys ical impairment or condition that
prevents you from sitt ing properly on the dr iver
seat with the safety be lt properly fastened and
128
reaching the pedals, specia l modifications to your
vehicle may be necessary.
Contact your authorized Audi deale r, or call Audi
Customer Relat ions at 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag system dep loys , a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov
ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger. The airbags wi ll deflate im
mediate ly after deployment so that the front oc
cupants can see through the w indshield again
without interruption.
All o f this takes place in the blink o f an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have dep loyed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be
in the ir way when they deploy. Front a irbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and lim it the occupant's forwa rd move
ment . Together they he lp to prevent the driver
and front seat passenge r from hitting parts of
the insid e the veh icle wh ile red ucing the forces
acting on the occupant dur ing the crash. In this
way they help to reduce the risk o f injury to the
head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system de
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collis ion and registered by the electronic con
trol unit. If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the coll is ion . Vehi
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi
cle damage is not necessar ily an indication of
whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possible kind and an
gle of impact that will always trigger the air bags,
since the circumstances will vary considerably be
tween one collision and another. Impo rtant fac
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc . The front airbags will
IJ>-
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also not inflate in side or rear co llisions, or in roll
overs .
Alwa ys rememb er: Airbag s wi ll deploy on ly once,
and on ly in cer tain kinds of collisions. Your safety
b e lts a re a lways there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most
effectively when used w ith the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
c::>page 120.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing whee l o r in
strument panel will decrease the effect ive
ness of the airbags and will increase the risk
o f persona l injury in a coll is ion .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steer ing whee l, investi
gate whethe r adaptive equipment may be
available to help yo u reach the peda ls and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward, sit
ting s ideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of in jury is much higher.
- You will also receive serio us injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
¢ page 123, Safety belts .
- Always make certain that children age 12 or
younger always r ide in the rear seat. If chil
dren are not properly restrained, they may
be severely injured or killed when an airbag
inflates .
- Never let children ride unrestrained or im
properly restrained in the veh icle. Adjust the
front seats properly.
-
Airbag syste m
- Never ride with the back rest reclined .
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer -
ing wheel o r the instrument panel
c::> page 112.
- Always sit up right with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre
vent serious injur ies to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air
bag d uring braking or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
p rojectiles and ca use in jury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags tha t have deployed i n a crash mus t be
r eplaced.
- Use o nly orig inal equipment airbags ap
p rove d by Aud i an d in stalled by a trained
technici an who has the ne cessary too ls and
diagnostic equipment to properly rep lace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assu re system
effectiveness in a crash.
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in you r vehicle .
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be su re to read the important information and
head the WARNI NGS for important details
about ch ild ren and Advanced Airbags
c::> page 150.
Even though your veh icle is equipped wit h an Ad
vanced Airbag System, make certain that a ll chil
dren, especially those 12 years a nd you nger, a l
ways ride in the bac k seat properly restrained fo r
the ir age and size. The airbag on the passenger
s ide makes the front seat a potent ia lly dangerous
place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the
sa fest p lace for a child in a forward-facing ch ild ..,.
129
Airbag system
safety seat. It can be a very dangerous place for
an infant or a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been ce rtified to comp ly w ith the Requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehi
cle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off ("suppressed") if
a child up to about one year of age restrained in
one of the rear-fac ing or forward-facing infant re
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced A irbag
System in your vehicle was certified has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat. Fo r a listing
of the ch ild restraints that were used to certify
comp liance with the US Safety Standard
¢page 152.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electron ic control unit.
E ach t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light will come on for a few
seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child re
stra int on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu
pied by an adult as registered by the weight
sensing mat¢
page 138, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight on
the front passenger seat that requ ires the front
ai rbag to be turned off.
If the tota l weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year -old child but
less than the we ight of a small adult, the front
ai rbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come
on). If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the electronic
130
control unit and can dep loy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the conditions stor
ed in its memory .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small ch ild that is heavier than a typical 1
year-old chi ld is on the front passenger seat (re
ga rdl ess of whethe r the child is in one of the
child safe ty seats listed¢
page 152), or
- a child who has outgrow n chi ld restraints is on
the front passenger seat .
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
instr ument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) even if a sma ll adult
o r teenager, or a passenger who is not sitt ing up
r ight w ith their back against a non-reclined back
rest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat
¢ page 112, Proper seating position for the driv
er .
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of in
ju ry through interaction with the airbag. "Low
risk" deployment occurs in those crashes that
take place at lower decelerations as defined in
the electronic control unit ¢
page 138, PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF light .
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carr ier installed on the front seat may be struck
and knocked out of position by the rapidly inflat
i ng passenger's airbag in a frontal collision . The
airbag could greatly reduce the effectiveness of
the child restraint and even seriously injure the
child during inflation.
For th is reason, and because the back seat is the
safest place for children - when prope rly restra in
ed accord ing to their age and size -we strong ly
recommend that children always sit in the back
seat ¢
page 150, Child safety. ..,.
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A WARNING ,~
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and cause serious personal injury to the child .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
-Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan
el.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible before installing the for
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Airbag system
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will
be displayed whenever a child restraint is in
stalled on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not stay on, perform the checks described
~ page 138, Monitoring the Advanced Air
bag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
-Always carefully follow instructions from
child restraint manufacturers when instal
ling child restraints.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward or rearward-facing child re
straint on the front passenger's seat:
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
-Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in
jury in a crash.
131