
Driving safety
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All Luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the Luggage compart
ment.
Fig. 120 Safe load positio ning: place heavy objects as low
and as far forwar d as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac
teristics . Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma
neuver or in a collision.
• Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com
partment.
• Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as low and as far for
ward as possible
¢ fig. 120.
• Secure the load with the cargo net* or with
non-elastic straps secured to the tie-downs
c>page 65.
• Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
A WARNING
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.
118
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. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driving
c> page 112.
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 following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
- 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, all 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. .,..

.... N
0 I-co ....
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 serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seating positions.
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fog ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire 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
c:> page 215.
Tie-downs
App lies to vehicles: wit h tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
¢ page 118, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in
jury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the item . Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
Driving safety
weight of the item. This means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col
lision like this.
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fai l during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent items from shifting or flying forward as dan
gerous missiles .
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from flying forward as dangerous
missiles into the passenger compartment .
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in
form the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com
plaints, it may open an investiga
tion, and if it finds that a safety defects exists in a group of ..,.
119

Safety belts
_& 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 all passen
gers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, 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 belt. 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 acci
dent . Inspect belts regularly.
If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
124
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 , disassemble, or 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¢
page 184.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 127 Be lt buckle and tongu e on t he drive r's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must alw ays be positioned correctly on the wear
er 's body.
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper
ly¢
page 54, 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¢,&. .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢fig. 127.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle. .,,_

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Automatic safety belt r etractors
Every safety be lt is equ ipped wi th an automatic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. Th is feature
l ocks the belt when the belt is p ulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety be lt pret en sioner s
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated.
The funct ion of the pretensioner is monitored by
a warning light
r::> page 19 .
Convertibl e loc king retract or
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible 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 information about this feature
r::;, page 160.
& WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accide nt
r::;, page 125,
Safe ty belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upr ight and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the body.
- Never a ttac h the safety belt to the buckle
for ano ther sea t. Attaching the bel t to the
wrong buckle w ill red uce safety bel t effec
tiveness and can cause serious persona l in
jury .
- A passenger who is no t properly restrained
can be se riously injured by the safety be lt it
self when it
moves from the stronger parts
of the body into cr itical areas like the abdo
men .
- Always lock the convertible lock ing retractor
when you are secur ing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
r::> page 162.
Safet y bel ts
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 128 Safet y belt po sit ion
Standard features on yo ur vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
size.
- he ight-adj ustable fro nt seats.
& WARNING
Imp roper ly positioned safety belts can ca use
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 that it sits as low as pos
sible on the pelvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should a lways fit
snug ly
r::;, fig. 128 . Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- The lap belt portion of the safety belt must
be posi tioned as low as poss ible across pel
vis and neve r ove r the ab domen . Make s ure
the bel t lies fla t and sn ug
r::;,fig. 128. Pull on
the bel t to tig hte n if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can ca use serious
in jur ies by s hift ing its posi tion on your body
from the stro ng bones to more vulnerab le,
soft tissue and cause se rious i njury.
- Always read and hee d all WAR NINGS an d
other impor tant in format ion
r::;, page 123.
125

Safe ty belts
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
corre ctly -throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 129 Safety be lt pos itio n during preg nan cy
To prov ide maximum protection , safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the wear
er's body
¢ page 125.
... Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor
rectly¢
page 54, 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 be lt by the tongue and pull it even ly
ac ross the chest and pe lv is
c::> fig. 129 , c::> &_.
... Inser t the tong ue into the cor rec t buckle of
you r seat until you hear it latch secure ly
¢ page 124, fig. 127 .
... Pu ll on the be lt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le.
A WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious persona l injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must a lways wear the
lap po rtion of the safety belt as low as pos
sible across the pelvis and below the ro und
i ng of the abdomen .
- Always read a nd heed all WARNINGS and
othe r important information
c::> .&. in Fasten
ing saf ety belts on page 125.
126
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only ofter the vehicle hos stopped.
.,,
Fig . 130 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
... Push the red re lease button on the buck le
c::> fig. 130. The belt tongue wi ll spring out of
the buck le
c::> A .
... Let the belt wind up on the retractor as yo u
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your r isk of be
ing inj ured or killed .
Improperly worn safety belts
0 ,-. N 0 :i: .. m
Incorrectly positioned safety belts con cause se
vere injuries.
Wear ing safety belts improperly can cause seri
ous injury or deat h. Safety belts can only work
whe n they are correct ly posit ioned on the body .
Imprope r seating positions red uce the effective
ness of safety belts and w ill even increase the
risk of inj ury and dea th by moving the safety be lt
to c rit ic al are as of the body . Imprope r seating
pos itions also increase the ris k of serious injury
and death when an airbag dep loys and strikes a n
occupant who is not in the correct seating posi
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all
vehicle occupants and especially for chi ldren .
Therefore:
... Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitt ing position in the vehicle while traveling
c::> A -

Child safet y
Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -
September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 200 7
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety Sep tember 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
Graco P latinum Cargo September 25, 2007
,& WARNING
T o red uce the risk of serio us i njur y, m ake s ure
t ha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht
comes o n and stays on wheneve r a child re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is sw itche d on.
- Take the ch ild rest raint off the front passen
ger seat and insta ll it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspecte d by your
autho rized Aud i dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The ch ild seats listed in catego ries A to C have
been statica lly tested by Au di only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in on occident!
As the driver, you are respons ible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially chi ldren:
... Always use the r ight chi ld safety seat for each
c h ild and a lways use it properly
¢ page 156.
154 ...
Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufact urer 's instructions on how to route
the sa fety be lt properly thro ugh the ch ild safe
ty seat.
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first act ivate the
convertib le lock ing retracto r o n the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
¢ page 160.
... Push the ch ild sa fety sea t down wi th yo ur fu ll
weigh t to get the safety belt rea lly tight so tha t
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm).
... If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenge r seat, make
sure that it is not so tight t hat it causes the
weight -sensing mat to measure more weight
t han is actually o n the seat .
... Secu re unused safety belts on the rear s eat
¢ page 156.
Always remember : Even though your veh icle is
equipped wi th an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, especially those 12 yea rs and you nger,
s h ould always ride in th e back sea t proper ly re
strained for their age and s ize.
,& WARNING
-
Not usin g a child sa fe ty seat, us ing t he wrong
c h ild safety seat or imprope rly installing a
chi ld restraint inc reases t he risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and es pecially children
m ust always be restra ined properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestra ined o r imprope rly restrained
c h ild ca n be injured or killed by bei ng
t h rown ag ai nst the inside of the vehicle or
b y being ejected from it durin g a sudden
maneuver o r impact.
- An unrestra ine d or i mprope rly restrained
ch ild is at much g reater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air
bag .
- Commerc ia lly available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada C MVSS 213). ...

Child safety
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSEN GER AIR
BA G OF F
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
F ig . 14 1 Schematic overv iew: keep unused safety be lts
away from c hildren i n chil d safety seats.@-oute r rear
safety belt
I f a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LA TCH universal lower anchorag
es, the unused safety be lts
mu st be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them ¢,& .
- Gu ide the safety belt webbing @beh ind the
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed ¢
fig. 141. When doing so,
do not engage the convertible locking retrac
tor! You should not hear a "clicking" sound
when winding up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt webb ing .
_& WARNING
A ch ild in a child safety seat installed with the
LATC H lowe r anchorages or w ith the standard
safety belt or a child in a booste r seat on the
rear seat could p lay with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
cou ld cause t he chi ld ser ious personal injury
and even death.
- Always sec ure unused rear seat safety belts
o ut of reach of ch ild ren in child seats such
as by proper ly routing them aro und the
156 head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint
is installed .
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs . or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig . 14 2 Schema tic overv iew : rearward -facing infa nt seat,
p rope rly insta lled on the rea r seat
..,. When usi ng the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safe ty seat, yo u must first act ivate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
¢ page 160 or insta ll the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
..,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
..,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 156.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carr ie rs and child
safe ty seats designed for the ir age group . Many
expe rts be lieve that infants and small ch ild ren
sho uld r ide o nly in special res tra ints in wh ich the
ch ild faces the back of the vehicle . These in fant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
r=> fig. 142 . ..,.

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The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous p lace for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing chi ld seat. It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward -facing seat .
& WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the w rong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
child restra int increases the r isk of se rious
personal in jury and death in a crash.
- Never install rearward-fac ing c hild safety
seats or infant car riers on the fron t passen
ger seat -even wit h an Advanced A irbag Sys
tem . A child w ill be seriously injured and can
be k illed when the inflat ing airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof ¢
page 130, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seats or infant car riers on the rear seat .
- Never install a rearward-facing chi ld re
straint in the forward -facing direction . Such
restra ints are designed for the special needs
of infants and ve ry small ch ild ren and can
not protect them prope rly if the seat is for
wa rd -facing.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
sa fety seat on t he front p asse nger seat be
ca use of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay o n, immediate ly install
the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restra ined in a veh icle is
being used¢
page 121, Safety belts,
¢ page 129, Airbag system and
¢ page 151, Important information.
Child sa fety
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
F ig . 14 3 Schem atic overv ie w: installat ion o f the attac h
men ts applicable to a LA TCH sea t
Fig. 144 Schemat ic overv iew : insta llat ion of the seat usin g
t he ve hicle 's sa fety b elt syst em
.. W hen using the vehicle safe ty belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent t he chi ld safety seat from moving
¢
page 160 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with yo ur full
we ight to ge t the safety belt really tight so that
t he seat can not move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm) ¢
page 160 .
.. If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a tether
strap, attac h it to the tether anchors
¢ page 166 .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 156.
A toddler or child is usua lly too large fo r an in
fant restraint if it is more th an one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg). ..,
157