Driving sa fe ty
-Always drive with the head restraints i n
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restra ints so the upper edge is as
even as possib le w ith the top of your head.
If that is not possib le, try to adjust the head
restra int so that it is as close to th is position
as possib le.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint wh ile driving.
If you have dr iven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea
son, fi rst stop the vehicle safely before at
tempting to ad just the head restr aint.
- Children must always be p roperly restrained
in a chi ld restrain t th at is appropria te fo r
their age and size~
page 151.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated.
I mp roper seating positions can cause se rious in
ju ry or deat h. Safety belts can only wo rk when
they are p roperly posi tioned o n the body . Im
p roper seating posi tions reduce t he effe ct iveness
of sa fety belts and w ill even increase the r isk o f
in jury and death by moving the safety be lt to crit
ical areas of the body . Improper seating posit ions
also increase the risk of ser ious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the prope r seat ing position. A driver
is respo nsible for the safety of all vehicle occu
pants and especially fo r children. Therefo re:
~ Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition w hen the veh icle is being used
~ .&. -
The follow ing bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that will inc rease the risk of serious inju ry
and death. Ou r hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seat ing pos it io ns that
a re dangero us.
116
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving :
-neve r stand up in the vehicle
- neve r sta nd on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- never ride w ith the seatback recl ined
- neve r lie down on the rear seat
- neve r lean up against the instrument panel
- never s it on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out t he window
- neve r put your feet o ut the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- neve r 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
Imp roper seating positions inc rease the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
stay in a proper seating posit ion and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is be ing used .
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
' Important safety instructions
Applies to vehicles : wi th knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make su re that the k nee airbag can in
fl ate w ithout interfe rence. Object s between
yourself and the airb ag can inc re ase the risk
of injury in an accident by in terfering with the
way the ai rbag dep loys o r by being pushed in
to you as the airbag dep loys.
- No persons (ch ild ren) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat .
If the airbag deploys, this can res ult in
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's seat. Bu lky objects (shopping
bags, for examp le) can hamper or prevent
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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0 1-CX)
,-1 I.Cl U"I
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How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help reduce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig . 138 Inflated side airbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex
pands between the side trim panel and the pas
senger. In order to help provide this additiona l
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fract ion of a second at very high speed and with
great force. The s upplemental side airbag cou ld
injure you if your seating position is not p roper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap
plies especially to children
¢ page 151, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collis ion
¢ fig . 138 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Airbag sys tem
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and yo ur passengers must
know and act according ly to he lp the safety belts
and airbags do their job to prov ide supplementa l
pro tect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upr ight position and never
lean against the area where the supp le
mental s ide airbag is located .
- Neve r let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the s upplementa l side airbag
inflates.
- Always make s ure tha t safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting 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 without interference .
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholste ry over the front seatbacks that
have not been specif ically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cu shions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers 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 between you and the a irbag can in
crease the r is k of injury in an ac ciden t by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds o r _,.
147
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one co llision and another. Important factors in
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
¢ page 149 , How side curtain air
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec
tion .
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu
pant restraint system in your veh icle . Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
p rotect you if you a re wea ring your safety belt
and wear ing it properly. Th is is anot he r reason
why you should always wea r your s afety be lts ,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 121, General information.
It is important to remember that wh ile the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp red uce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other in juries,
for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abra
sions can a lso be associated with these airbags .
Remember too, these a irbags w ill dep loy only
once and only in certa in kinds of acc idents -your
safety be lts are always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag sy stem ba sically
consists of :
-The electronic contro l module and external s ide
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and rear s ide windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to
make certain it is f unctioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the air
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self d iagnost ics).
The side curtain a irbag is not activated:
- if t he ignition is turned off,
- in s ide collisions when the acce lerat io n meas -
ur ed by the senso r is too low,
Airb ag sys tem
-in rea r-end col lisions,
- in rollover s.
A WARNING
-- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating posit ion
¢ page 54,
Seats and storage.
- If the ai rbag in dicator light¢ page 19
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen 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 .
E
Fig. 140 Ill us tratio n of prin cip le: Inflated s ide c urtain a ir
bags o n the left s ide
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc
cupant a nd the w indows on the side of the ve hi
cl e that is st ruck i n a side collision ¢
fig. 140.
When the system is t riggered, the s ide curta in
airbag is filled w ith propellant gas and breaks
th rough a seam above the front a nd rear side
windows iden tified by the AIR BAG label. In o rder
to help provide this addition al pro te ct ion, the
s ide cu rtain a irb ag m ust infl ate w ith in the blink
of a n eye a t ve ry high spee d and with g reat fo rce.
The side c urtain airbag cou ld injure you if yo ur
seating position is not prope r or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple
mental s ide curtain a irbag inflates. This applies
especially to ch ildren
¢ page 151. ..,.
149
Child safety
• Pull straps tight fo llowing the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
Relea sing
• Loosen the tension on the straps following the
child restraint manufacturer's instruct ions .
• Depress the spring catches to release the an
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tether straps to he lp keep the
child restraint f irmly in place .
8_ WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can in
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in an accident.
- These anchors were deve loped only for child
safety seats using the "LA TCH" system.
- Never attach other child safety seats, belts or othe r objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click when
latching the seat in place . If you do not hear
a click the seat is not secure and could fly
forward and hit the interior of the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehicle.
8_ WARNING
Improper installation of ch ild restraints will
increase the r isk of injury in an acc ident.
-Always follow the child restra int system
manufacturer's instructions for proper in
stallation of the child restra int system and
proper use of tether straps as well as the
lower anchorages or safety be lts in your ve
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor
mation and WARNINGS abo ut child safety
and the installation of child restrain t sys
tems
r=> page 151, Child safety.
166
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 150 Tet her an ch ors : recess flap s behind the re ar s eat
back s
The tether anchors for the rear seat ing positions
are located in recesses in the rear window shelf
r=> fig. 150.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at
taches the top part of a chi ld restraint to special
anchorage points in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for
ward movement of the child restrain t in a crash,
i n order to help reduce the risk of head injury
that cou ld be caused by striking the vehicle inte
rior.
Forward facing child restra ints manufactured af
te r September 1, 1999 , are requi red by U.S . fed
era l reg ulations to comply with child head move
ment performance requirements . T hese new per
formance requirements make a tether necessary
on most new child safety seats.
8_ WARNING
Improper installation of child restra ints w ill
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash .
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you
intend to install in your Audi .
- Improper use of child restraint anchors ( in
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a co llision . The anchors are des igned to
w ithstand only those loads imposed by cor
re ctly fi tted ch ild restraints.
- Never mount two ch ild rest raint systems on
one LA TC H l owe r anchor point. ..,.
Intelligent Technology
according to t he needs of the individua l compo
nents. It regu lates consumption , so that more
e lectr ical energy is not being used than is being
generated and ensures an optimal state of
charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot neg
ate the limits of physics . Cons ider that the
power and life of a battery are limited.
- If starting ability is threatened, the indica
tor light (•) appears ¢
page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining start
ing capability.
The batte ry is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in c ity traffic and d uring the co ld time of
year. Abundant electrical energy is req uired, but
only a little is generated . It is also c rit ica l if the
engine is not runn ing and electrical components
are turned on . In this instance energy is be ing
consumed but none is be ing generated .
It is in precisely t hese situations that you will no
tice energy management active ly regulat ing the
d istr ibut ion of energy .
Vehicle stands fo r an e xtended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or sw itched off. T his reduces
energy consumption and ma inta ins starting ca
pab ility over a longer period . Some of the con
ve nience funct ions may not ope rate, such as the
i n terio r lights or the powe r seat adjustment. The
conven ience f unc tions w ill be available again
when yo u switch on the ign it io n and s tart the en
g ine.
With the engine turned off
I f you listen to t he radio, fo r example , with the
engine tu rned off o r use other MMI functions,
the batte ry is being discharged.
If start ing capabili ty is jeopardized due to energy
consumpt ion, a message appears in t he M MI dis
p lay. The message indicates that the system wi ll
176 b
e switched off a utomat ica lly in a moment . If
you wish to continue using the functions, you have to sta rt the eng ine.
With the engine running
Althoug h elec trica l energy is gene rated w hen t he
vehicle is bei ng drive n, the batte ry can become
discharged. This happens mostly when little en
ergy is being generated and a great dea l con
s u med and the battery 's state of charge is not
optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equilibri
u m, consumers whic h require espec ia lly large
amounts of energy are temporar ily cut back or
switched off. Heating systems in particular re
quire a great dea l of energy. If you notice, for ex
ample, that the heated seats* o r the heated rear
window are not heati ng, they have bee n tempo
r arily cut back o r switched off . These systems will
be available again as soon as the ene rgy balance
has been res tored.
You w ill also no tice that eng ine idle speed has
been increased slig htly . T his is no rma l and not a
ca use for concer n. By in cr easi ng engine idle
speed t he ad ditional energy required is gene rat
ed and the battery is charged.