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
t il ted 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 158. Special precaut ions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 138.
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 b e properly restrained wh enever the ve
hicle i s 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 sea t must always observe the follow
ing:
... Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright position ¢
page 69.
... If there is a passenger on the rear center seat
ing position, slide the center head restra int up
ward at least to the next notch .
... Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety be lts properly
¢ page 133.
... Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age¢
page 158.
124
A 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 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 upr ight, 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
Applies to vehicles: with adjustable head restra 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. 139 He ad restraint : viewe d from t he 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. 139 .
... If there is a passenger on the rear center seat
ing position, slide the center head restraint up
ward at least to the next notch .
Adjusting head restraints¢
page 61.
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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:
-Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted 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 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 position
as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
whi le driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at
tempting to adjust the head restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
q page 158.
Examples of improper seating positions
-
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body. Im
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit
ical areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu
pants and especia lly for children. Therefore:
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
q& ,
Driving safety
The following bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with 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
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- 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 footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
-Improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mot or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely w ithout in
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions .
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners .
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav-
el is required to bring the vehicle to a fu ll stop . .,._
125
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Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
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 Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceed ing permissible weight
standards can cause the veh icle to slide and
hand le differently.
- Please observe information on safe driving
qpage 121.
A 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 area be
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid
open, observe the fo llowing notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
Driving safety
-Open all air outlets in the instrument pan
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation
,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING
=
Always make sure that the doors, a ll win-
dows, the sunroof and the rear lid are secure
ly closed and locked to reduce the risk of in
jury when the vehicle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
cially with the rear lid left open . A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug
gage compartment and close the rear lid be
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to ser ious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi cle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment . Vehicle occupants must al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
h icle 's seat ing positions.
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fog
ging . Stale air escapes to the outs ide
through vents in the tr im panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The t ire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tir e pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-pillar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter
q page 22 7
127
,....,
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I.Cl U"I ,....,
I.Cl ,....,
_& 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 correct ly.
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly be fore driving off and make sure all passen
gers are cor rect ly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be posit ioned 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 sitt ing
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat wh ile the vehicle is being driven.
- Never let any person ride w ith their feet on
the instrument panel or st icking out the
window or on the seat .
- Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving . Do ing so will increase your risk of
being injured or k illed.
- 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 requ ired for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt ha rdware can break in an acc i
dent. Inspect belts regularly.
If webbing,
bind ings, buckles, or re tractors are dam-
Safet y bel ts
aged, have belts rep laced by an authorized
Aud i dea ler .
- 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, mod ify, d isassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourse lf.
-Always keep the belts clean . Dirty belts may
not work properly and can impair the func
tion of the inert ia reel¢
page 193.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
F ig. 14 7 Belt buckle and tongu e on t he d river' s se at
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er 's body .
... Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper
ly
¢ page 59, Seats and storage.
... Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright posit ion a nd securely latched in
place before using the belt
Q _&. .
"' Ho ld the bel t by the tongue and pu ll it evenly
across the chest and pelvis¢_&. .
... Insert the tongue in to the correct buckle of
your seat unti l you hear it latch securely
Qfig. 147.
... Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle .
IIJ,,
133
Airbag syste m
passenger. In order to he lp provide this add ition
al protection, the side airbag must inflate within
a fraction of a second at very high speed and w ith
great force. The supplemental side airbag could injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands . This ap
plies especially to children
q page 158, Child
safety.
Supplemental side ai rbags inf late be
tween the occ upan t and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
collision
q fig . 157.
Although they are not a sof t pillow, they ca n
"c ushion" the impact and in t his way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may deve lop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that yo u and your passengers must
know and act accord ingly to help the safety be lts
and airbags do the ir job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
r isk of se rious personal injury and death
w henever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental s ide airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean aga inst the area where the s upple-
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a chi ld or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supp lemental s ide airbag
inflates.
154 -
Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate w ithout interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
A udi.
- Never use addi tional seat cush ions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de
ploy .
- Damage to the orig inal se at cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Objects be tween you and the airbag can in
crease the r is k of injury in an acc ident by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by being p ushed into you as the airbag in
flates.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
obje cts (s uch as cupholders, telephone
bracke ts, or even l arge, bulk y objec ts) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests .
- Such objec ts and accessories can be come
dange rous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen
gers to trave l in this position.
- Always use the b uilt-in coat hooks only fo r
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may inte rfere with s ide a irbag deployment
a nd can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an autho rized
Aud i dea le rship.
~
Airbag system
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re member that the 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 your safety belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 130, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain airbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and m inor abra
sions can also be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these airbags will dep loy o nly
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make ce rta in it is fun ction ing p roperly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignit ion , the air
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignit ion is tu rned off,
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat ion meas-
ured by the senso r is too low,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system w ill only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position<>
page 59,
Seats and storage.
-If the airbag indicator light ¢page 19
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
156
author ized Audi dealer . It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly re
strained.
Fig. 159 Illustration of principle: Inflated sid e curtain air
bags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc
cupant and the windows on the side of the veh i
cle that is struck in a side collision
¢ fig . 159 .
When the system is triggered, the s ide curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
s ide curta in airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with g reat fo rce .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if yo ur
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple
mental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to chi ldren
¢ page 158.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the r isk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle.
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of the battery is extended.
Basically, energy management consists of
bat
t e ry di agno sis, idl ing curr ent mana gement
and
dy namic en ergy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery diagnosis continuous ly determines the
state of the batte ry . Sensors dete rm ine battery
voltage, batte ry current and battery tempera
ture . This determ ines the current state of charge
and the power of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy con
sumpt io n while the veh icle is stand ing . With the
i gn it ion sw itched off, it controls the energy sup
p ly to the various ele ctrical components . Data
from battery diagnosis is considered.
D epending on the battery's state of charge, ind i
vid ual consume rs a re gradually turned off to p re
vent excessive discharge of the battery and thus
maintain starting capability.
Dynam ic energy management
While the vehicle is being driven, dynamic energy
management dist ributes the ene rgy generated
accord ing to the needs of the individual compo
nents . It regulates cons umption, so that mo re
e lectrica l energy is not being used than is being
generated and ensures an optimal state of
charge for the battery.
@ Tips
- But even energy management cannot neg
ate the limits of physics. Consider that the power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica
tor light
(•j appears 9 page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start
ing capability.
The ba tte ry is severely taxed in short -d istance
driving, in city traffic and d uring the co ld time of
year. Abundant electrical energy is requ ired, but
Intellig ent Technology
on ly a little is generated . It is a lso critical if the
engine is not running and electrical components
are turned on. In this instance energy is being
consumed but none is being generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you will no
tice energy management actively regulating the distribution of energy .
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do no t drive your vehicle ove r a period of
severa l days o r weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or switched off. This reduces
energy consumption and maintains starting ca
pability over a longer period. Some of the con
venience functions may not operate, such as the interior lights or the power seat adjustment. The
convenience functions will be ava ilable aga in
when you switch on the ignition and start the en
gine.
With the engine turned off
If you listen to the rad io, for example, with the
engine turned off or use other MMI funct ions,
the battery is being d ischarged .
If starting capab ility is jeopardized due to energy
consumption, a message appears in the MMI dis
play . The message ind icates that the system will
be switched off automat ica lly in a moment . If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, you
have to sta rt the eng ine.
With the engine running
Although e lectr ical energy is generated when the
vehicle is being driven, the battery can become
discharged. This happens mostly when little en
ergy is being generated and a great dea l con
s u med and the batte ry's state of charge is not
optimal.
T o bring the energy balance back into equilibr i-
um, consumers w hich require espec ia lly large
amounts of ene rgy are tempo rar ily cut back o r
swi tched off . Hea ting systems in particular re-
quire a great de al of energy. If yo u no tice, fo r ex
amp le, that the heated seats * or the heated rear
window are not heating, they have been tempo
rarily cut bac k or switched off. These systems will .,..
183
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lights and the license plate .
- Perform a brake test (especially after dr iving
t h rough water) .
& WARNING
-Be espec ially aware and attentive when driv
ing under difficult conditions. Damages to
the vehicle and injuries may occur when
dr iv ing at an excessive ly high speed or w ith
incorrect dr iving maneuvers.
- Always adjust your speed and handling to
the roads, terrain, traffic and weather con
ditions. Drive especially slow if offroad wit h
low v is ibility.
- Please note that the wheels can spin and
the vehicle can break away when the ESC
Off road Mode is switched off, especia lly
w he n t he roa d is slippery.
- Driv ing stabi lity is reduced in the ESC Off
road mode.
@) For the sake of the environment
Avoid harming the environme nt and take na
ture into conside ra tion .
(D Tips
Only drive where it is allowed and always stay
on t he p rovided roads and paths.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: allroad
There is only one right way to drive in difficult
conditions: slowly and with caution!
When driving offroad, observe the fo llowing:
.. Never dr ive the veh icle in te rrai n which is not
s ui tab le for the vehicle, o r which exceeds your
driving skills. Never ta ke any unnecessary risks!
.. Drive slowly and ca utiously!
.. Pay attention to the
ground clearance of yo ur
vehicle! This may vary depending on the load and compos it io n of the ground and the environ
me nt. The driver is therefore responsible for
deciding whether a vehicle can handle a specif ic
s itu atio n.
Driving and the envir onment
.. Activate the ESC-Offroad-Mode ¢ page 178 as
needed .
Difficult terrain
Never dr ive in areas t hat are not fam ilia r to you
and dr ive slow ly when off road and be prepare d
and expect the unexpected (e .g. potho les, bould
ers, t ree stumps, etc.)
T o p reve nt the vehicle from bottom ing and avoid
damage to t he un derbody, you shou ld dr ive
straight ac ross seve re bumps in the ground w ith
on ly one side of the vehicle so tha t on ly two of
your whee ls cross the bumps .
Dr ive quickly th ro ugh sandy o r m ars hy off road
sections and do not stop, if at all possible .
Driving through water on roads
Read the informa tion on ¢ page 185.
189