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BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4 ft .
9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall .
Fig. 145 Rear seat: c hild prope rly rest rai ned in a booste r
sea t
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (5 7 in
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these chi ldren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of the ir bodies and the safety belt
can help protec t them in a crash.
.,.. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when usi ng the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a ch ild on a booster seat .
.,.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen
ter of the child 's collar bone as possible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen. Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight
en if necessary .
.,.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
<=>page 156.
Children up to about 40 lbs. (18 kg) are best pro
tected in ch ild safety seats des igned for their age
and weight . Experts say that the skeletal str uc
ture, pa rticular ly the pe lv is , of these children is
no t fully developed, and they must not use the
Child safety
vehicle safety be lts wi thout a suitable child re
straint.
It is usually best to put these childr en in appro
priate booster seats. Be su re the booster seat
meets all applicab le safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places. The routing o f
the belt over the chi ld's body is very important
for the ch ild's protection, whether or not a boos
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Ch ildren who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle 's
three point lap and shoulder belts . Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone
to restrain any ch ild, regard less of how big the
ch ild is. Always remember that childr en do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts . T he
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pe lvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child 's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occ upant who is out of position and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close , he or she
will be struck violently and w ill receive serious or
possibly even fata l injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children, who must be in the front seat be
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
possible. By keeping room between the child's ..,.
159
Child safety
body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions.
.,&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se
rious personal injury and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body.
It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
~ page 121.
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place
~page 58. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
160
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when
ever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described~
page 139, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
~ page 121, Safety belts,
~page 129, Airbag system
and
~ page 151, Important information.
Securing child seats
' Securing a child safety seat using a safety
I _l:>elt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas
senger's seat can be locked with the convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child safety
seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas senger 's seat safety belt have a convertible lock
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving . A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re-
strained for their age and weight . ..,.
Child safet y
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possib le before insta lling the for
ward-facing child restra int. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier wi th great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat a nd child
against the backrest, cen ter armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in
sta ll a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir
cumstances .
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-fac ing
child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much pressu re on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi er we ight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heav ier we ight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it m ust be s uppressed causi ng serio us or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make s ure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on , immediately in
sta ll the rearward-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the a irbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .
162
· Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's
i nstruct ions when installing a child restra int in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all th e w ay out .
.. Route it around or through the child restra int
be lt path
~ ,&. .
.. Push the ch ild safety sea t down wi th yo ur full
weigh t to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the be lt tong ue into the b uck le for that
seating position .
.. Guide the safety be lt back into the retracto r un
til the belt lies flat and sn ug on the ch ild safety
seat.
.. You should hear a "cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con
vert ible lock ing retractor by pull ing on the belt.
You shou ld no lo nge r be able to pull the belt
out of the retracto r. T he convertib le locking re
tractor is now activa ted.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the chi ld restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly t ight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or s ideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong ch ild restraint or an improp
e rly installed child restra int can ca use serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re
tr actor is locked when installing a ch ild
safety seat . An unlocked safety be lt retrac
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a chi ld is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a crash.
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-Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LA TCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restraint to the front passenger seat,
make sure that it is not so tight, that it
causes the weight-sens ing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat .
- The heavier weight registered can make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an
adult were on the seat and dep loy the Ad
vanced Airbag when it must be supp ressed
ca using se rious o r even fatal injur y to the
c hild.
- If you must install a re arward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of except io na l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rear-fac ing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dea ler.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig. 151 Tethe r str ap : pro pe r ro uting an d mountin g
Installing th e teth er strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restra int according to the child restraint manu
fac turer's in struc tions.
Ch ild sa fety
.,. Guide the upper tether strap unde r the rear
head restraint ~
fig. 151 (rais e the head r e
straint if necessary) .
.,. Tilt the recess f lap up to expose the ancho r
bracket .
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages.
.,. Tighten the te ther s trap fi rm ly following the
child restraint manufacturer 's ins truc tions.
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension follow ing the child restra int
manufact urer 's instr uctions .
.,. Dep ress the spr ing catch on the hook and re
lease it from t he ancho rage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restrai nt w ith the tethe r
stra p firmly i nstalled for several days, this
could leave a mark on the uphols tery on the
seat cushion and back rest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would a lso be permanently stretched around
the tether strap. This app lies espec ia lly to
l eather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
C urren tly, few rearwa rd-facing child restra int
systems come w ith a tether. Please read and
heed the child restra int system manufacturer's
instructions carefully to dete rm ine how to prop
erly install the tether .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
i nstalled on the front passenger seat will be
seriously inju red and can be k illed if the front
a irbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the c hild safety
seat o r infant ca rr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child against the back rest , cente r a rm rest, or
door.
167
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In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating. EDL w ill switch on aga in automati
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque .
In vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the steering in critical situa
tions.
Electronic interaxle differential lock*/
selective wheel torque control*
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
wheel drive) or the selective wheel torque control
(all wheel drive) operates when driving through
curves . The front wheel on the inside of the curve
or both wheels on the inside of the curve are
braked selectively as needed. This allows more
precise driving in curves. The applicable system
may not activate when driving in wet or snowy
conditions .
_&, WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the laws of phys ics. Th is is espe
cially important on slippery or wet roads.
If
the systems begin acting to stabilize your
Switching on /off
Intelligent Technology
veh icle, you should immediately change
your speed to match the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt you to
take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of
a loss of vehicle control, collision and seri
ous personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of losing con
trol of the vehicle increases when driving
too fast, especially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when driving too
close to vehicles up ahead . The ESC and its
integrated systems cannot always prevent
collisions -there is still a risk of accidents!
- Always accelerate with special care on even,
smooth surfaces such as those that are wet
or covered with ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even with these assistance systems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle control.
{!) Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correctly when all
four wheels are equipped with identical
tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a reduc
tion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de
scribed are working .
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 152 Version A: lower center console,~ OFF button
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend
ing on the level that is selected, the stabilization
function of the ESC is limited or switched off. The
Fig. 153 Version B: upper center console,~ OFF button
amount of stabilization control will differ de
pending on the level.
a, N N N ,.: CX) m
171
Intelligent Technology
The fo llowing s ituations are exceptions where it
may be useful to switch on sport mod e to a llow
the wheels to sp in : -
Rock ing the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iv ing in deep snow or o n loose g ro und
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASRon
Beha vior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization funct ion is The f ull stabilization fun c-
t ion f un ct ions are lim ited not availab
le ¢ ,&. . ESC and
tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ .&. .
ASR are switched off. ava ilab le aga in.
Op era tion Press the I 1> OFF I button Press and hold the !1> O FFI Press the I,, OFF I button
briefly . button longer than 3 sec- again.
onds .
In dicato r II turns on.
• and lf'lii•li~ turn on . II turns off or II and
light s lf'lii•l~~ turn off.
Driv er m es- Stabilization contr ol (E S C): Stabilization control (ESC ): Stabilization control
s age s Sport. Warning! Restri cted off . Warning ! Re stri cted (ESC
): On
s t a bilit y stabilit y
It is only possible to t urn off the ASR up to 30
mph (SO km/h) fo r vehicles w ith front wheel
d rive. At about 45 mph (70 km/h) it automatical
ly tu rns on again. It is possible to turn off the
ASR at any speed for vehicles w ith all whee l
drive .
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode on or
switch ESC/ASR off if your driving abilities
and road conditions permit .
-
-The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is sw itched on . The driving
wheels co uld spi n and the vehicle could
swerve , espec ia lly on s lick o r slippery road
s ur faces.
- The re is no vehicle stab ilizat ion when ESC/
ASR a re switched off.
(D Tips
ESC/ASR cannot be sw itched off or sport
mode cannot be switched on when cruise co n
t rol or adaptive cruise control* is switched on .
172
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
D ur ing the first 250 miles (400 km) , new brake
pads do not possess their full b raking effe ct, they
have to be "b roken in" first ¢,&. . You can com
pensa te for th is slightly reduced b raking power
by p ushing harder on the brake pedal. Avo id
heavy braking loads dur ing the break-in period .
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobi les are s till sub
je ct to wear, depending large ly on operating con
dit ions and driving habits ¢.&. . On vehi cles that
a re either driven mostly i n stop-and-go city traf
fic or are drive n hard, the b rake pads sho uld be
checked by your authorized A udi dealer more of
ten than specified in the
Wa rrant y & Mainte
nance book let .
Failure to have your brake pads
i nspected can result in reduced brake perform
ance .
On steep slopes, you should use the brak ing ef
fect of the engine . Th is way, you prevent unnec
essary wear on the brake system . If you must use
your brakes, do not ho ld the bra kes down contin
u ously. P ump the bra kes at inte rvals.
.... N
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Noises may occur when braking depend ing on the
speed, braking force and outside conditions such
as temperature and humidity.
Eff ect of wat er and road salt
In ce rtain situations, for example after dr iving
through water, in heavy ra in, afte r ove rnig ht con
densat io n or after washing your car, the braking
effect can be reduced by moisture or ice on the
brake rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
dried first with a few careful brake applications .
At highe r speeds and with the windsh ie ld wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brake rotors for a short amount of time . This occurs at
regular intervals without the driver noticing and
provides for better brake response time under
wet conditions.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road and the brakes are not used . Likewise, you clean
off accumu lated salt coating from brake discs
and pads with a few cautious applications of the
brake ~,&. .
Cor ro sion
There may be a tendency for dirt to b uild up on
the brake pads and corros ion to form on the discs
if the car is not driven regularly or only for short
tr ips with little use of the brakes .
If the brakes are not used frequently, or if corro
sion has formed on the discs, it is adv isable to
clean off the pads and discs by braking firmly a
few t imes from a moderately high speed
c:> ,&. .
Fa ults in the brake sy stem
If you should notice a sudden increase in brake
pedal travel, then one of the two brake circuits
may have failed
c:> ,&. .
Low brak e fluid level
M alfunct ions can occur in the brake system if the
b rake fluid leve l is too low . The brake fluid level
is monitored e lectronically .
Intelligent Technology
Brake booster
The brake boos ter increases the press ure that
you generate with the brake peda l.
It works only
when the eng ine is running
. c:> .&.
Brake lining wear status
B rake lining wea r may be chec ked by visua l in
spe ct ion of the condi tion of the brake pads
t hr ough the openings in the wheel. If necessary,
the wheel may be removed for this inspection
c:> page 2 26, Replacing wheels .
_8 WARNING "'---
-New brake pads don't have the best stop
ping power and m ust be "broken-in" during
the initial 250 miles (400 kilometers). You can compensate for this by p ressing the
brake pedal more firmly . This also app lies
later when new pads are installed.
-
- You shou ld pe rform braking maneuvers for
the purpose of cleaning the brake system
only i f road condit ions pe rmit . Other road
users m ust not be put at r is k -you may
cause an ac ciden t!
- Before descending a s teep g rade , reduce
speed and sh ift tr ansmi ssion into a lower
gear or lower dr iving range. Do not r ide the
brakes or hold the pedal down too long or
too often. This co uld cause the brakes to get
hot and dimin ish braking eff ic iency.
- Do not "ride the bra kes" by resting your foot
on the pedal when you do not intend to brake. This may cause the brakes to over
heat, premature wear and increased stop
ping distance.
- Unde r ce rtain climatic and operating condi
tions such as passing through water, driving in heavy rain or after wash ing the veh icle,
the effectiveness o f the brakes ca n be re
duced. In winter, ice can accumu late on the
brake pads, lin ings , d is c s and dr ums . Care
fu lly apply br akes for a test. Brakes will dry
and ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few careful bra ke applications .
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt -covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking eff iciency .
173
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.