
M N
.. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor
rect ly to protect children ¢
page 167, Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same ¢
page 52, Gen
eral information.
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly . Al
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe
ty belts properly ¢
page 135.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis
tracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the ve
hicle and all of its occ upan ts. If your ability to
drive is impaired , safety r isks for everybody in the
vehicle increase a nd you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢,A .Therefore:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER drive when your driv ing ability is im
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense.
.,. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather cond itions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not dr ive
for more than two hours at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under pres
sure or when you a re stressed.
_& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
.
Driving safety
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 144 Correct se ating position
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver's seat to the following pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent¢,&. .
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
fu ll contact wi th it when you dr ive .
.. Adjust the steer ing wheel so that there is a dis
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steering whee l and your breast bone¢
fig. 144.
If not possible, see your authorized A udi deal
ership about adaptive equipment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steer ing wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. For adjustable head restra ints: Adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi
b le with the top of your head. If that is not pos
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible. Move the
head restraint so that it is as close to the back
of the head as possible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 138. IJJ,-
127

Driving safety
"'Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 53.
.&_ WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted , out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re
duce the risk of serious personal injury :
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in
jury if the driver's airbag inflates .
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli
sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
properly and make sure that all passengers
are properly restrained .
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle .
128
-
-Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted 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 seats
¢
page 167 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas senger seat¢
page 143.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
"' Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
"'For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c:> page 129 . Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as possible.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat .
"'Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
¢ page 138.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 52 .
.&_ WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious per
sonal injury :
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po
sition and never lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
Ill>

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"'
-Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi
tion or too dose to the airbag can be seri
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas
senger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen
ger's knees and the lower part of the instru
ment panel.
- 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 properly.
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
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
tilted 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 seats
c> page 167. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas senger seat
c> page 143.
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 be properly restrained whenever the ve
hicle is 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 seat must always observe the follow-
~ 1ng: rl
Driving safety
.,. For adjustable head restraints : adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c>page 129 .
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c> page 138.
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age
c> page 167.
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 safety belts are properly posi
tioned on the body and securely latched. By not sitting upright, a rear seat passenger in
creases the risk of personal injury from im
properly positioned safety belts!
- For adjustable head restraints: always ad
just the head restraint properly so that it
can give maximum protection .
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adjustable head restraints
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. 145 Head restra int: v iewed from the front
129

Driving safety
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
.,. Adjust the head restraint 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
c:::> fig. 145. Move the head restraint so
that it is as close to the back of the head as
possible.
.,. If there is a passenger on the rear center seat
ing position*, slide the center head restraint*
upward at least to the next notch.
Adjusting head restraints
c:::> page 55.
A WARNING
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 restraint 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. Move the head restraint so that
it is as close to the back of the head as pos
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint while 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 restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrained in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
c:::> page 167 .
130
-
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are 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 especially for children. Therefore:
.,. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
c:::> A .
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

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1
N \!) ,....,
-Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
cially w ith the rear lid left open. A chi ld
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
persona l inju ry.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle occupants m ust al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seat ing pos itions.
-Air c irculation helps to reduce window fog
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re to
k eep the se slots free and open.
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
l oad. The t ire pressure is shown o n the tire
pres sure label. T he tire pressure l abe l is lo
cated on the d river 's side B-pi llar . The t ire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its max imum capacity weight and the t ires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load cond it ions, please see chap
te r
c:> page 244.
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
c:> page 132, Loading the luggage compartment.
I n a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle wi ll
become heavy miss iles 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 s ignificant factor .
For example, in a frontal collis ion 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
weight of the item. This means that the we ight
Dr ivin g s afet y
of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment co uld cause in a col
li sion like this.
A WARNING
=
Weak, damaged or imprope r straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during ha rd
b raking o r in a coll is ion and cause serious per
sona l injury.
- Always use su itable mount ing straps and
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp prevent
items from sh ifting or flying forw ard as dan
ge ro us m issi les.
- W hen the rea r seat backrest is folded down,
always use s uitable mo unt ing straps and
properly secu re items to the tie -downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp prevent
items from f ly ing forward as dangerous mis
siles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
-
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
has a def ect which could cause a
c rash or could cau se injur y or
de ath, you should imm ediately in
form the National High way Traffic
S afet y Adm ini stration (NHTSA) in
a ddition to notif yin g Audi of
America, In c.
If NHT SA re ceive s similar com
pl aint s, it may open an inv estig a
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defe cts exists in a group of
ve hicles, it may ord er a recall and .,
133

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Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts are neces
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them cor rectly.
~ Read a ll the information that fo llows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For yo ur protection and that of your passen
gers, always correct ly wear safety belts
when the veh icle is moving.
- Preg nant women, injured, or physically im
paired pe rsons must also use safety belts.
Lik e all ve hicle occupants, t hey are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wea r safety belts . The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -througho ut
the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. In some
ve hicles, there are five seat ing positions: two in
the front and th ree in the rear . Each seat ing pos i
tion has a safety belt.
A WARNING
N ot wea ring safety bel ts or wearing them im
prope rly i ncrea ses the r is k of se rious person al
injury and death.
- Never st rap more than o ne pe rson, in cl ud
ing small c hildren, in to any bel t. It is espe
c ially dangerous to place a sa fety belt over a
child sitting on your lap.
Sa fety bel ts
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger (on USA models only)
to remind you about the importance of buckling
up.
Fi g. 146 Safety belt warni ng light in the instr ument clus
te r -en larged
Befor e dr iv ing off , always :
~ Fasten yo ur safety belt and make su re you are
wearing it properly.
U) N
"' 0 ..:, .. m
~ Make sure that your passengers also buck le up
and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect childre n w ith a child restraint system
app rop riate for the s ize and age .
The warning lig ht . in the instrument cluster
li ghts up when the ignit ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts . In add ition, you will hear
a warn ing tone for a certa in pe riod of time .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers al so properly put on their safety
belts .
A WARNING
-
-Safety belts are the s ingle most effective
means ava ilable to reduce t he risk of se rious
inj ury and death in au tomobile acc iden ts.
F or your protec tion and that of your passen
ge rs, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
13 5

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-
138
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
- 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¢
table on page 207.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 152 Be lt buckl e and to ngue o n th e dri ver's se at
To provide maximum protection, s afety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wea r
er's body.
... Adjust the front seat and head restra int proper
ly ¢
page 52, General informa tion.
... Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt
q &_ .
.,. 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. 152.
... Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle .
II>

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Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safe ty belt is eq uipped w ith an automatic
be lt re tractor on the shou lder belt. This fea ture
l ocks the belt when the be lt is pulled o ut fast ,
d uring hard braking and in an accident . The belt
may a lso 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 free ly.
Safety belt preten sioner s
The safety belts are equipped w ith a be lt p reten
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove s lack when the pretensioner is activated
c::> page 141. The funct ion of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warni ng light
c::> page 18.
Convert ible locking ret ra ctor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertib le locking retrac
tor that
m ust be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
c::> page 177 .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can ca use
ser ious injury in an a cci dent
c::> page 139,
Safety belt position .
-Safety belts offe r optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Always make sure that t he rear seat back
re st to which the cente r rear safety belt* is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used . If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen
ger will move forward with the backrest dur
ing sudden braking, i n a sudden maneuver
and especially in a crash.
- Never attac h the sa fety belt to the buck le
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt effec
t iveness and can cause serious personal in
jury.
- A passenger who is not p roperly rest rained
can be seriously in ju red by the safety belt it
self when it moves from t he stronger parts
Safety belts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo
men .
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when yo u are secur ing a chi ld seat in the ve
hicle
c::> page 179.
@ Tips
For information on safety belt pretensione rs,
r efer to
c::> page 141.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting ma xi
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 1 53 Safety belt posit ion
Use the height adjustme nt to change the posit ion
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts .
A WARNING ~
Imp roperly posit ioned safety be lts can cause
se riou s pe rsonal injury in an accident.
- The s hou lder belt should lie as close to the
ce nter of the collar bone as possib le and
should fi t well on the body. Hold the bel t
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the ches t so t hat it sits as low as pos
sib le on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should always fit
snug ly
c::> fig. 153. Pu ll on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can ca use serio us
in juries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable, soft t issue and cause serious injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information<=:>
page 137.
139