
components is detected . The function of the
airbag indicator light is described in greater
deta il below . Because the front passenger
seat contains important parts of the Ad
vanced Airbag System, you must take care to
prevent it from being damaged. Damage to
the seat may prevent the Advanced A irbag for
the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash.
The f ront Ad vanc ed Airb ag S ystem
consists of the following:
- Crash sensors in the front of the veh icle that
measu re ve hicle acceleration/deceleration
to provide information to the Advanced Air
bag System about the severity of the crash.
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
c rash sensors for front and side impacts.
T he contro l unit "decides" whether to fire
the front airbags based on the information
received from the crash sensors . The control
unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for
the driver ins ide the steer ing wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator in
side the instr ument panel for the front pas
senger.
- A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery
padding of the front passenger seat cushion
that measures the total weight on the seat.
The information registered is sent continu
ously to the electron ic control unit to regu
late dep loyment of the front Advanced Air
bag on the passenger side.
- An a irbag monitoring system and indicator
li ght in the instrument cluster
¢page 118.
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center of the instru
ment pane l
¢page 119, fig. 113 and te lls
you when the front Adv anced Airbag on the
passenge r side has been turned off.
- A senso r below the safety belt latch for the
front seat passenger to me asure the tension
on the safety belt . The tens ion on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the
weight-sensing mat help the control unit
"dec ide" whether the front airbag for the
Airbag system 11 5
front passenger seat should be turned off or
not
¢ page 109, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driv
er and for the front seat passenger that
senses whether that safety belt is latched or
not and transmits this information to the
electronic control unit .
.&, WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from wor king
properly.
- Improper repai r or d isassembly of the
front passenge r and dr iver seat will pre
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenge r seat must
be pe rformed by qualified and p roperly
trained workshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger o r
driver seat from the vehicle .
- Never remove the upholstery from the
front passenger seat.
- Neve r d isassemble o r remove parts from
the seat or disconnec t wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in you r pockets
or place t hem on the seat. If the weight
sens ing ma t in the passenge r seat is
punctured it cannot work properly .
- Neve r carry things on you r lap or carry
objects on the passenger seat. Such
items can increase the weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and send the
wrong information to the airbag co ntrol
un it.
- Never store items under the front pas
senger seat. Parts o f the Advanced Air
bag System under the passenger seat
could be damaged, preventing them and
the airbag system from working proper ly.
- Never p lace seat covers or rep lacement
upholstery that have not been specifica l
ly approved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from recognizing chi ld
Ill>
•
•

-Always make sure that the knee airbag
can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter
fering with the way the airbag deploys or by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children
or animals ride in the footwell in front
of the passenger seat.
If the airbag de
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air
bag deploys and injure you or your pas
sengers.
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep
scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air
bags are located.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
Q page 129, Child Safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Fig . 116 Side airbag location in the driver 's seat
The s ide airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
¢ fig. 116facing the
Airbag system 125
doors. They are identified by the word "AIR
BAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
- the electron ic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioni ng properly
at all times. Each time you turn on the igni
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safe
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up
per torso on the s ide of the vehicle that is
struck in a side collision. The airbag deploys in
side impacts and only when the vehicle accel
eration registered by the control unit is high
enough. If this rate is below the reference val
ue programmed into the control unit, the side
airbags will not be triggered, even though the
car may be badly damaged as a result of the
collision . It is not possible to define an airbag
triggering range that will cover every possible
angle of impact, since the circumstances will
vary considerably between one collision and
another. Important factors include, for exam
ple, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting
object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed,
etc.
¢ page 127, Important safety instruc
tions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is another reason why you should always wear
IIJJ,

Intelligent technology Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers for the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event. EDR's are sometimes called "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, engine function, emis
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record
vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidding and loss of veh icle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects
Intelligent technology 141
certain difficult driving situations, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering ass istance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in
dicator light
B.J in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations .
It is important to remem
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics.
It will not always be able to help out
under all conditions 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 friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it would on the dry surface. If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con
tact 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 difficu lt driving situations as at lower
speeds.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic §&and weather conditions. ESC
cannot override the vehicle's physical limits,
increase the available traction, or keep a vehi
cle on the road if road departure is a result of
driver inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con
trol and on the road dur ing extreme maneu
vers by usin g the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di
rection. If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti- lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys -
tem and anti-slip regu lation (ASR). ESC is
Ill>
•
•

Basically, energy management consists of
batter y di agno sis, idling cur rent man age
ment
and d yn ami c en ergy m anagement.
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously dete rmines
the state of the battery. Senso rs determ ine
battery vo ltage, battery current and battery
temperature. This determines the current
state of charge and the power of the battery.
Idling curre nt management
Idling c urrent management red uces energy
consumption while the vehicle is standing.
With the ignition switched off, it contro ls the
energy supply to the various electrica l compo
nents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid
ered.
Depending on the battery's state of charge,
individua l consumers are grad ually turned off
to prevent excess ive d ischarge of the battery
and thus mainta in start ing capability.
Dynam ic energ y manag em ent
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic en
ergy management distributes the energy gen
erated according to the needs of the individu
a l components. It regu lates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge for the battery .
(D Tips
-But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are l imited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, you are
i nformed by a warn ing
c!;> page 148,
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display.
Int ellig ent technolog y 147
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of year . Abundant electrical energy is re
quired, but only a l ittle is generated .
It is also
c ritical if the engi ne is not running and electri
ca l components are turned on . In this in
stance ene rgy is be ing consumed but none is
being generated.
It i s in precise ly these situations that you will
notice ene rgy management act ive ly regu lat
ing the d istribu tion of ene rgy.
V ehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks , e lectr ica l compo
nents a re g radually cut back or switched off.
T his reduces energy consumption and ma in
ta ins s tart ing capability over a longer pe riod .
Take into considerat ion that when you unlock
you r vehicle, some convenience functions,
s u ch as the remo te key o r power seat adjust
ment, may not be available. The convenience
f unct ions wi ll be available again when you
turn on the ignition and start the engine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
the engine tu rned o ff, the battery is being dis
charged .
If starting capabi lity is jeopardized due to en
ergy consumption , a message appears in the
driver in formation d isplay.
You have to start t he engine to charge the
battery.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be come discharged . This happens mostly when
little energy is being gene rated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
c h arge is not opt imal.
•
•

148 Intelligent technology
To bring the energy balance back into equilibrium, consumers which require especia lly
l arge amo unts of energy are temporari ly c ut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par
ticular requ ire a great dea l of energy. If you
n otice, for example, that the heated seats * or
the heated rea r window a re not heating, they
have been temporar ily cut back o r switched
off. These sys tems will be ava ilable again as
soon as the energy ba lance has bee n restored.
You will also not ice that engine idle speed has
been inc reased slightly. This is no rma l and not
a cause fo r concern . By increas ing engine idle
spee d the add itiona l ene rgy required is gener
ated and the ba ttery is charged .
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ability of the engine to start, th is
i s shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•) Low battery charge : battery will be
cha rged while dri ving
This notification reminds you that the starti ng
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driving aga in, the battery
will be recharged and the notification will go
out .
Driv er notificat ion appears and goes out
again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig
ni tion is turned on or while driv ing and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately rec harged.
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If t his driver notification appears after the ig
n ition is turn ed on or while driv ing and does
n ot go ou t aga in, t he battery's s tate of charge
is not i n the opt imal range. St arting ability is
restricte d. Have the bat tery checked as soon
as possible by a n authorized Audi dealer or
q ua lified workshop.

forget the spare tire. If the press ure in any tire
is too high when the tire is "cold," let air out
of the tire slowly with the edge of the t ire
gauge and keep checking the pressure until
you reach the pressure that is correct for the
load (passengers and luggage) and kind of
driving you plan to do .
If the pressure in any tire is too low, note the
d ifference between the pressure in the cold
tire and the pressure you need and add the a ir
that you need to reach the correct pressure for
the veh icle load (passengers and luggage) for
the tires on your veh icle as listed on the on
your ve hicle and in this manua l and the kind
of dr iving you p lan to do .
Never exce ed the ma ximum inflation pres
s ur e listed on t he tire s idewall for any re a
s on.
Remember that the vehicle manufacturer , not
the t ire manufacturer , determ ines the correct
tire pressure for the tires on your veh icle .
It is important to check the tire pressure when
the t ires a re cold .
- Read the req uired tire press ure from the tire
pressure label located on driver's s ide B-pil
l ar .
- Turn the valve stem cap counter-clockwise
to remove it from the tire valve .
- Place the air pressure ga uge on the valve.
- The tire pressures sho uld on ly be checked
and adjusted when the tires are cold . The
s light ly raised pressures of warm tires must
not be reduced.
- Adjust the tire pressure to the load you are
carrying.
- Re insta ll the va lve stem cap on the valve .
When should I check the tire pressure?
The correct tire pressure is espec ially impo r
tant at high speeds . The pressure sho uld
therefore be checked at least once a month
and a lways befo re starting a journey.
When should I adjust the tire pressures?
Adj ust the tire pressu re to the load you are
carry ing . After changi ng a wheel
or replacing
Tire s an d wheel s 187
whee ls yo u have to adjust the ti re p ressu res
o n all whee ls. In addition, yo u m ust then initi
a lize the new tire pressu res in the t ire pres
s u re monitoring system
Q page 198.
A WARNING
Incorrect tire pressures and/or underinfla
tion can lead sudden tire fa ilure, loss of
control, collision, serio us pe rsonal injury
or even death.
- When the warning symbol
It] appears in
the instrument cluster, stop and inspect
the t ires.
- Inco rrect tire pressure and/or underinfla
tion can cause increased tire wea r and
can affect the handling of the vehicle and
stopping ability.
- Inco rrect tire pressures and/or unde rin
flation can a lso lead to sudden t ire fail
ure, including a blowou t and su dden de
flation, caus ing loss of veh icle cont ro l.
- Th e drive r is responsib le for the co rrec t
tire pressures for all tires on the veh icle.
The applicable pressure values a re locat
ed on a sticke r on the driver's side B-pil
lar.
- On ly when all tires on the vehicle are fil
led to the correct pressure, the t ire pres
sure mon itor ing system can work cor
rectly.
- The use of incorrect tire pressu re va lues
can lead to acc idents or other damage.
Therefore it is essential that the driver
observe the spec ified t ire pressure val ues
for the tires and the correct pressures for
the function of the t i re p ress ure monito r
ing system.
- Always inf late t ires to the recommended
and correct t ire p ress ure before dr iv ing
off.
- Driving with unde rinflated tir es bend
mo re, lett ing t hem get too hot resulting
in tre ad separ ation, sudden tire failure
and loss of cont rol.
- Excessive speed and/overloading can
cause he at bu ild- up, sudden tire failure
an d loss of cont rol. •
•

remain continuous ly illuminated . This se
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the ma lfunction ex ists.
When the malfunct ion indicator is ill uminat
ed, the system may not be able to detect or
signa l low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunct ions may occur for a variety of rea
sons, including the installat ion of replace
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the veh i
cle that prevent the TPMS from funct io ni ng
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunct ion
tellta le afte r replacing one or more t ires or
wheels on your veh icle to ensure that the re
p lacement or a lternate tires and wheels allow
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Tire pressure indicator appears
Applies to vehicles: with tire pressure monitoring system
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument
cluster informs you if the tire pressure is too
low or if there is a system malfunction.
F ig. 1 41 Disp lay : under in fla tion warn ing
Using the ABS sensors, the tire pressure moni
toring system compares the t ire tread circum
fe rence and vibration characteristics of the in
d iv idual tires . If the pressure decreases in one
or mo re tires, th is is indicated in the instru
ment clus ter with a warning symbol
[I] and a
message
'* fig. 141. The dr iver message in the
d isp lay goes out after 5 seconds . The driver
message can be d isplayed again by pressing
the
! CHECK I button @¢ page 10, fig . 3 . If on
ly one tire is affected, the display will indicate
its pos ition.
The ti re pressure monito ring m ust be reset in
the menu display each time the pressures are
ad justed (e.g. when switching between parti-
Tire s an d wheel s 199
al and fu ll load pressure) or after changing o r
replacing a tire on your vehicle '*
page 200.
The TPMS indicator on ly mon itors the t ire
pressure that you have previously stored . You
can f ind the recommended tire pressures for
your vehicle on the label on the driver's door
pillar ¢
page 184 .
Tire tread circumference and vibration charac
teristics can change and cause a tire pressure
warning if:
- the t ire press ure in one or more tires is too
low,
- the tire has structural damage,
- the t ire press ure was changed, wheels rotat -
ed or rep laced but the TPMS was not reset
¢ page 200.
Warning symbo ls
[I] Loss of press ure in at least one tire'*& .
Check the tire or tires and rep lace or repa ir if
necessary . The indicator light
[I] in the instru
ment cluster a lso i lluminates
¢ page 13.
Check/correct the press ures of all four tires
and reset TPMS in the menu display .
mm (T ire Pressure Monitoring System) Ti re
pre ssure! System malfun ction . Ifll appears
after switching the ign it ion on or while dr iving
and the indicator light
[I] in the instrument
clus ter blinks fo r approximately one m inute
and then stays on, there is a system malfunc
tion . Attemp t to store the correct t ire pres
su re '*
page 200 . If the ind icator light does
not turn off or if i t turns on shortly thereafte r,
immedia tely drive your vehicle to an au thor
ized Audi dea ler or author ized repai r fac ility to
have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
=
-If the tire pressure indicator appears in
the instrument cluster display, one or
more of your t ires is significant ly under
inflated. Reduce your speed immediately
and avoid any hard steer ing or b rak ing
maneuvers. Stop as soon as possib le and
check the tires and their pressu res . In
flate the tire pressure to the prope r pres-
sure as indicated on the vehicle's tire .,..
•
•

206 What do I do now ?
@ For the sake of the environment
Used sealant bottles can be dropped off at
a recycling facility .
@ Tips
- If sealant has run out, allow it to dry.
Then you can peel it off.
- Have the tire se alant replaced every 4
years at a dea lership .
Preliminary steps
Applies to vehicles: with Tire Mobil ity System
Some preliminary steps are necessary for tire
repair.
Fig. 149 Luggage co mpa rtment : T ir e Mobil ity System
.. If you have a flat tire, park the ve hicle as far
as possible from mov ing traffic .
.. Apply the parking brake firmly .
.. Move the selector lever to the P po sition .
.. Check whether a repa ir using the T ire Mob ili
ty System is possib le
~ page 205 , General
and safety pointers .
.. Have all passengers leave the vehicle and
stay away from the danger zone
c:> /.1. .
.. Take the sealant bottle and the electric air
pump from the luggage compartment un
der the floor
c:> fig. 149 .
.. Remove the "max. 50 mph" (80 km/ h) stick
er from the sealant bottle and aff ix it to the
instrument cluster in the driver's view.
A WARNING
- T urn the ha zard flashers on and set up
t he w arning t ria ng le if you have a fla t
t ire in moving traffic. In this way you pro
tect yo urself and other road users .
-
-Make sure that all passengers are in a
safe place, out of the danger zone (for
example, beh ind a guard rail).
(D Note
Particular care is necessary if you are mak
ing a tire repa ir on a steep incline.
(D Tips
Obey all laws.
Making a tire repair
Appl ies to vehicles: with Tire Mob ility System
Tire repair consists of the following sec tion s.
F ig. 1 50 Parts of t he T ire Mob ility System
Fig. 1 51 Conn ector for th e Tire Mob ility System
As sembling Ti re Mobility System
.. Open the lid@ of the electric air p ump
c:> fig.150 .
.. Pull the plug @) and the pressure hose ®
with the gauge out of the housing .
.. Screw the pressure hose ® of the electric
air pump onto the flange @ of the sealant
bott le @ .
"' Push the sealant bottle w ith the flange
down into the recess @ on the lid of the
elec tric air pump. ..,.