60 Seats and stor age
Seats and storage
General recommen
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so
important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
you r seat prope rly so that :
- you can easily and quickly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is properly supported thus reduc
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and airbag system can offer
maximum protection ¢
page 144.
In the following sections, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust your seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat. Always follow the informa
tion regarding child safety provided in
¢ page 165, Child Safety.
WARNING
Refer to¢ page 126, Driving Safely for
important information, tips, suggestions
and warnings that you should read and fol
low for your own safety and the safety of
your passengers.
A WARNING
, -
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal injury .
- Always keep your feet on the floor when
the vehicle is in motion -never put your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out of the w indow or on top of the seat cush
ion. This applies especially to the passen- gers
. If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the risk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an accident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect, this could result in personal
injury or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and front passenger to keep a distance of at
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them
selves and the steering wheel and/or in
strument panel.
If you're sitting any
closer than this, the airbag system can
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they
can give you maximum protection.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the steer
ing wheel or instrument panel.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas
senger 's seat while the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpectedly, caus
ing sudden loss of veh icle control and
personal injury. If you adjust your seat
while the veh icle is moving, you are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving .
We recommend that you adjust the driver's
seat in the following manner :
.. Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the pedals to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees slightly bent
o &. in Why is your seat adjustment so im
portant? on page
60 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against the seatback , you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.. 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 .,.
90 On the road
speed. It goes out when t he speed fa lls below
the stored maximum speed .
The speed warning symbo l w ill also go out if
the speed
exceeds the s to red m ax imum speed
by more than about 25 mph ( 40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds. The stored maximum speed
is deleted.
Sett ing speed wa rning 1
~ page 90.
Speed warning 2*
Storing warning 2 is recommended if you al
ways
want to be reminded of a certa in speed,
for examp le when you a re traveling in a coun
try that has a general maximum speed limit,
or if you do not want to ex ceed a spec ified
speed for winter tires.
The . (USA models) /. (Canada mode ls)
speed warning 2 symbo l appears in the dis
p lay when you exceed the stored speed limit .
Unlike warning 1, it will not go out until t he
vehicle speed drops below the stored speed
limit.
Sett ing speed wa rning 2
~ page 90.
@ Tips
Even tho ugh your vehicle is equipped wi th
a speed wa rni ng sys tem, you s hou ld s till
watch the speedometer to make sure you
are not drivi ng faster than the speed limit.
Speed warning 1 : setting a speed limit
Warning threshold 1 is set by the I SET ! but
ton .
Fig. 102 SET button in the inst rum en t cluste r
Storing the ma ximum speed
.,. Dr ive at the desired maximum speed .
.,. Press the
ISETI button in the instrument
panel display ~
fig. 102 for 1 second.
Resett ing the maximum speed
.,. Dr ive the veh icle at a speed of at least
3 mph (5 km/h)
.,. Press the
I SET I but ton for more than 2 sec-
onds.
T he . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
speed w arning symbo l w ill appe ar briefly in
the d isplay when you release the
ISETI button
to indicate t hat the maximum speed has been
stored successfully .
T he maxim um speed remai ns stored un til it is
changed by pressing the
! SE T! button again
briefly or until it is deleted by a lengthy push
on the button .
Speed warning 2: setting a speed limit
Applies to veh icles: w it h trip co mputer
The radio or MMI* control unit is used to set,
change or delete warning threshold 2.
.,. Sele ct: !CAR I func tion button > Instrument
cl uster > Speed warnin g.
Or
.,. Select:
!CARI function button > Car system s*
contro l button > Dri ver a ssist > Speed warn
ing .
Warning threshold 2 can be set in the speed
range starting from 20 mph to 150 mph (30
km/h to 240 km/h) . Settings can each be ad
justed in intervals of 6 mph (10 km/h).
128 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 62 .
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 165. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 144 .
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 tha t 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 139.
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:
'"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
-Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru
ment panel.
- 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
passenger seat and head restraint prop
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop
erly and can even increase the risk of in
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are 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 165 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat <=:>
page 144.
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas-
Driving Safely 129
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
.,. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position <=:>
page 71.
.,. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seating position, slide the center head re
straint upward at least to the next notch.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
<=:> page 139 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in
a child restraint that is appro
priate for their size and age
<=:> page 165.
& WARNING ~
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash.
- 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 protec
tion when the seatback is securely latch
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting 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 . •
•
130 Driving Saf ely
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Appl ies to vehicles: with a djustable head restra ints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re
straint system and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations.
F ig . 14 0 Head restrain t: viewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust
ed to achieve the best protection.
• Adjust the head restraints so the uppe r edge
is as even as possible with 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 possible
c:> fig. 140.
• If there is a passenger on the rear center
seat ing pos ition, slide the center head re
stra int upward at least to the next notch .
Ad justing head restraints
<:>page 63.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re
straints. Dr iv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa
t al nec k injury dramat ica lly. To help reduce
t he risk of inju ry:
- Always drive with the head restra ints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each pe rson in the ve
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re
stra int. Adjust the head rest raints so the
upper edge is as even as possib le with
the top of your head. If that is not possi
ble, try to adjust the head restra int so that
it is as close to this posit ion as pos
sible.
- Never attempt to ad just head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be
fore attempting to adjust the head re
straint.
- Chil dren must a lways be prope rly re
strained in a child restraint that is appro
p ria te fo r their age and size
c:> page 165.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the
body . Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and w ill even in
c rease the r is k of i njury and dea th by moving
the safety be lt to cr itical are as of the body.
Improper seating posi tions a lso increase the
risk of serio us injury and death when an air
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating posit ion. A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle occu
pants and espec ially for children. Therefore :
• Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
c:> ,& .
The following bulletins list on ly some samp le
pos itions that will increase the risk of serious
injury and death. Our hope is that these exam
ples will make you more aware of seat ing po
s itions that are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stand up i n the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride wit h the sea tback reclined
- neve r lie down o n the rear seat
- neve r lean up against the instrument panel ..,.
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,...., ..,., ,....,
-never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the w indow
- never 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 footwe ll
- never ride in the cargo area
8_ WARNING
-
Improper seat ing positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu
pants stay in a proper seating pos ition
and are properly restra ined whenever the
vehicle is be ing used.
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
M ake sure that all pedals move freely without
i nte rferen ce and that no thing prevents them
from re tu rning to the ir origin al posi tions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area
free and can be secured w ith floor mat fasten
e rs.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake peda l
travel is required to br ing the vehicle to a full
stop.
8_ WARNING
Pedals that canno t move freely ca n cause
loss o f vehicle control a nd incr ease the r is k
o f serious injury.
- Never pl ace any ob jects in the d river's
f ootwell. An object could ge t into the
peda l area and inter fere with pedal func
tion . In case of s udden braking or an ac
c ident, you would not be able to brake or
accele rate!
Dr iving S afel y 131
-Always ma ke sure that nothing can fall
or move into the driver's footwel l.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
.,. Make s ure t hat the f loor mats are properly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the peda ls
c> &_ .
Use only f loor mats that leave the peda l area
u nobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot slip o ut of position. You can
obta in suitable floor mats from your author
ized Audi dealer.
Floor mat faste ners are insta lled in your Audi.
Floor mats used in yo ur vehicle mus t be at
tached to these fastene rs . P rope rly securing
the floor mats wi ll prevent them from sliding
into positions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operat ion of your vehicle
in other ways.
8_ WARNING
Pedals that cannot move free ly can result
in a loss of vehicle control and increase the
risk of serious persona l injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured .
- Never p lace or install floor mats or other
f loor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be prope rly secured in p lace to prevent
them from slipping and interfer ing with
the peda ls o r the a bility to cont ro l t he
veh icle.
- Never place or ins tall floor mats o r other
f loor coverings on top o f al ready in stal
led floo r mats . Ad ditiona l floo r mats and
o ther cover ings will red uce the size of
the peda l area and interfere with the
pedals.
- Always prope rly reinstall and secure floo r
mats that have been taken out for clean
ing .
•
•
132 Driving Safel y
-Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwe ll wh ile the ve
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
contro l.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop
erly stowed and secur ed in the luggage com
partment.
Fig. 141 S afe load positio nin g: place heavy objects as
l ow a nd a s far forward as pos sible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle hand ling
characteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
.,. Distribute the load even ly in the luggage
compartment .
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as possible¢
fig. 141.
.,. Secure the load with the cargo net* or with
non -elastic straps secured to the tie-downs*
¢ page 73 ¢page 74.
.,. Make sure that the rea r seatback is secu rely
latched in place.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly throug h the vehicle ca using serious
personal inj ury in the event of hard brak
ing or an accident. To help reduce the r isk
of serious personal injury: -
Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the t ie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
.&_ WARNING
-
Heavy loads w ill influence the way your ve
hicle handles . To help reduce the risk of a
l oss of cont rol leading to serious personal
in jury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling :
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per
miss ible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and hand le differently.
- Please observe information on safe dr iv
ing
c:> page 126.
.&_ WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
a rea because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely m ust dr ive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
red uce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switc h off the ai r rec irc ulat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
M N
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Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 143 Unbelted occupant s in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 144 The vehicle c ras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies with vehicle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en
ergy ."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h) , the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not
using safety belts
r::;, fig. 143, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving just before the crash, until something
stops them -here, the wall
c:> fig . 144.
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to
50 km/h) , the forces acting on the body can Safety belts
13 7
reach one ton (2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are
even
higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli
sion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was travelling just before
the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and col
lisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 145 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is vio lently
thrown forward
Fig.
146 A rear passeng er not wearing a safety belt
w ill fly forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves . Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained oc
cupant will slam violently into the steer ing
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what
ever else is in the way ¢ fig. 145 . This impact Ill-