M N
0:: loo ,...., \!) ..,.,
N ..,., ,....,
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 54.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re
duce 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 breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in
jury 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. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli
sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats¢
page 150 . Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 128.
Driving safety
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 in
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
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 in
ches (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 upper
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 posi
tion as possible .
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:> page 123.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 53.
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 airbag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious per
sonal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po
sition 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 posi
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front passen
ger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
113
Driving safety
-Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas
senger seat and head restraint properly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in
crease the risk of injury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
r:=;, page 150. Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat
r:=;, page 128.
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 ve hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow
ing:
.. Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright position
r:=;, page 63.
.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢ page 123.
.. Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and ager:=;,
page 150.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
114
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position and the safety belts are properly positioned on the body. By not sit
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
-Always adjust the head restraint properly so
that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
App lies to vehicles : wit h adjusta ble h ead r estra ints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fig. 119 Head restra int: v iewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
.. Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head.
If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ fig. 119 .
Adjusting head restraints¢ page 56 .
A WARNING -
All seats are equipped with head restraints.
Driving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury
dramatically. To help reduce the risk of injury:
Iii>
M N
0:: loo ,...., \!) 1.1"1
N 1.1"1 ,....,
-Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly ad justed head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints so the upper edge is as even as possib le w ith the top of your head.
If that is not possib le, try to adjust the head
restraint so that it is as close to this position
as possib le.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the dr iver headrest for any rea
son, fi rst stop the veh icle safely before at
tempting to ad just the head restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrai ned
in a ch ild restraint that is appropria te fo r
their age and si ze
q page 150.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
I mproper seat ing posit ions can ca use serious in
jury o r death . Safety be lts ca n only work when
they are prope rly positioned on t he body. Im
proper sea ting pos it ions reduce the effect iveness
of safety belts and wi ll even increase the risk of
in ju ry and death by moving the safety belt to cr it
i cal areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys a nd strikes an occupant
who is not i n the proper seating position . A driver
i s responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu
pants and especia lly for children . Therefo re :
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition when the veh icle is being used
¢ ,&. .
The follow ing bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that will increase the risk of ser ious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seat ing pos itions that
are dangerous.
Dr ivin g s afet y
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving :
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride w ith the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out t he window
- neve r put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the ca rgo a rea
A WARNING
Imp roper seating posit ions increase the risk
of ser ious personal in jury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
-Always make sure that all vehicle occupants stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
App lies to vehicles : wit h knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag ca n in
flate w ithout interference. Objec ts between
yourself and the airbag can in crease t he risk
of inju ry in an accident by inter fering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in
to you as the airbag dep loys .
- No persons (children) or animals shou ld ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat. If the airbag deploys, th is can result in
serio us or fatal injur ies.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulk y objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
115
Safety belt s
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explain s why safety be lts are neces
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
.. Read all the information that fo llows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
&_ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, always correct ly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically im
paired persons must also use safety belts.
L ik e all veh icle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety be lts . The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
the ent ire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. Each seating
position has a safety belt .
&_ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small ch ildren, into any belt. It is espe
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
120
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and (on USA models only) front seat passenger
to remind you about the importance of buckling
up .
Fig. 121 Safety belt warning light in the instrument cl us
ter -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fas ten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
(0
"'
"' 0 N
and properly wear the ir safety belts .
.. Protect your children w ith a child restraint sys
tem appropriate for the siz e and age of the chil
dren.
The . warn ing light in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ign it ion is switched on as a re
minder to fasten the safety be lts. In addit io n,
you w ill hear a warning tone for a certain period
of time.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their safe
ty belts.
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 .
"' N
0:: I-C() rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
_& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death. Safety belts can work only
when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly be
fore driving off and make sure al l passen
gers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be pos itioned properly on the body.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small ch ildren, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap .
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven.
- Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat .
- Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing, such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury .
- Never allow safety belts to become dam
aged by being caught in door or seat hard
ware.
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position.
- Several layers of heavy clothing may inter
fere with correct positioning of belts and re duce the overall effectiveness of the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely.
- Never use comfort clips or devices that cre
ate slack in the shoulder be lt. However, spe
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acc i
dent. Inspect belts regularly. If webb ing,
bind ings, buckles, or retracto rs are dam-
Safety belts
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer .
- Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary even if damage cannot be clearly
seen. Anchorages that were loaded must al
so be inspected.
- Never remove, modify , d isassemble, o r try
to repair the safety belts yourself .
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly and can impair the func
tion of the inertia reel
Q page 181 .
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 127 Be lt buck le and to ngue on t he drive r's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belt s
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er 's body.
... Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper
ly
r::> page 53 , Seats and storage.
... Make sure the seatback of the rear sea t bench is
in an upr ight position and securely latched in
place before using the belt
Q _& .
.. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis
Q _&.
... Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
Qfig. 127.
... Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
Iii>
123
Safety belts
Autom atic safet y belt retractors
Every safety belt is eq uipped w ith an automatic
be lt retractor on the shou lder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the be lt is pulled o ut fast,
during hard brak ing and in an accident . The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv
ing the belt lets you move freely.
S afety belt p rete n sioner s
The safety be lts are equipped with a belt preten
sioner that helps to t ighten the safety belt and
remove s lack when the pretensioner is activated.
The function of the pretensioner is monitored by
a warning light
r:::') page 19.
Converti ble lock ing r etra ctor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertib le locking retrac
tor that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the important informat ion about this feature
r=;,page 159.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious injury in an accident¢
page 124,
Safety belt posi tion.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Never attac h the safety belt to the buc kle
for ano ther seat. At taching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt effec
tiveness and can cause serious persona l in
jury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrained
can be seriously in jured by the safety belt it
self when it moves from the stronger parts of the body into critical areas like the abdo
men.
-Always lock the convert ible lock ing retractor
when you are securing a child safety seat in
the vehicle¢
page 161.
124
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 12 8 Safety belt posit ion
Standard features o n your vehicle help you ad just
the position of the safety belt to match your body
size.
- he ight-adjustable fron t seats.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- The shou lder belt should Lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body . Ho ld the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so t hat it sits as low as pos
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should always fit
snug ly
r:::;, fig. 128. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- The lap be lt po rtion of the safety belt must
be positioned as low as poss ible across pel
vis and never ove r the abdomen.
Make sure
t he belt lies flat and snug
r=;, fig. 128. P ull on
t he belt to tighten if necessary.
- A loose-fit ting safety belt can ca use serio us
in ju ries by s hifting its position on your body
from the st rong bones to more v ulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious injury.
- Always rea d an d heed al l WAR NINGS and
other important information
r=;,page 122.
"' N
0:: loo
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
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