Driving safety
-Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other coverings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for cleaning .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving . Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus ing a loss of veh icle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart
ment.
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 far forward as
possible.
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
¢ page 63, Luggage compartment.
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
_& 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 hooks and
suitable straps.
132
_& WARNING ~ -
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the r isk 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
¢page 126.
_& WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed wh ile 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 power roof*,
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
_& WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows,
the power roof* and the rear lid are securely
closed and locked to reduce the risk of injury
when the vehicle is not be ing used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
-
that it is properly closed and locked. ~
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-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
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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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.
Fig. 164 Inflated side a irbags on left side of veh icle, rea r
side airbag
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 additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with
great force. The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap
plies especially to children
r:::.>page 167, 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
coll ision
r:::.> fig. 164.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"c ushion " 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 system
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 your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
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 sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacemen t
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where the side airbags deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
-
- Objects between you and the airbag can in
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
~
163
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below the refe rence value p rogrammed into the
control unit, the side curtain airbag will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision. It is not pos
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every poss ible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between 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 165, How side curtain air
bags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function , safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas
senger in posit ion in the event of a co llision so
that the side curtain a irbags can provide protec
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety be lt
and wearing it properly. Th is is another reason
why you should always wear your sa fety bel ts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 135, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curta in airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injur ies,
for example , swelling , b ruising, fr iction burns
and minor abras ions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain k inds of accidents -your safety belts are
always there to offer protectio n.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consis ts of :
- The elec tronic contro l mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side c urtain a irbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea
tures
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ically to
make certa in it is function ing properly a t all
Ai rb ag sy stem
times . Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
Th e s ide curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions when the accele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end col lisions .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
p rovide p rotection when oc cupan ts are in
the proper seating position ¢
page 52, Gen
eral information.
- If the airbag ind ic a tor light~ page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re
strained .
Fig. 166 Illust rat ion of pr incip le : I n flated si de curtai n air
bags o n th e le ft side
The side curtain airbags inflate betwee n the oc
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i-
cle that is struck in a side collision ¢
fig. 166 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled wi th propellant gas and breaks
t h rough a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the A IRBAG label. In order
ll>-
165
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Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
App lies to veh icles: with Audi p re se nse
Pre sense can initiate steps to protect veh icle oc
cupa nts in certain dangerous situations. The
functions descr ibed a re ava ilable depending on
ve hicle equ ipme nt:
Pre sense ba sic*
The fo llow ing funct ions can be triggered in cer
tain driving situations:
- Tensioning of the safety be lts (for example,
during heavy b raking) : The front safety belts
have revers ib le be lt pretensioners. If a collision
does not occur, the safety belts loosen sli ght ly
and are ready to trigger aga in.
- Clos ing the windows and the sunroof* (for ex
amp le, when over- or understeering): The door
windows and the sunroof* are closed almost
completely until o nly a sma ll gap is open .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be triggered at
speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Drive se lect: The deployment time is adapted in
Dynamic mode .
Pre sense front (vehicles with adaptive cruise
control* }
Pre sense front contains the functions of pre
sense basic . In add ition, the likelihood of a rear
end collis ion with the vehicle ahead is also calcu
lated, within the limits of the system. If the risk
of a collision is detected, the following functions
can trigger:
- Brak ing guard
¢ page 91
-Tensioning of the safety be lts
- Closing the w indows and the sun roof*
Pre sense rear (v ehicles with side assist* }
Pre sense rea r contains the funct ions of pre sense
bas ic. I n addit io n, the li kelihood of a rea r-end
coll is ion from the veh icle behi nd is also calc ulat
ed, w it hi n the lim its of the system. If the risk of a
collision is de tected, the following functions can
trigger :
Audi pre sense
-Tens ion ing of the sa fe ty belts
- Clos ing the windows an d the s unroo f*
Pre sense plus*
P re sense p lus conta ins the functions of pre
sense front and p re se nse rea r.
Error mes sage
Aud i pre sense: Unavailable
Preventative passenge r protection is not availa
ble. Drive to yo ur autho rized Audi deale r immedi
ately to have the ma lfunction corrected.
A WARNING
-
Pre sense cannot overcome natural physical
l aws. It is a system designed to assist and it
ca nnot prevent a collision. Do not let the in
creased safety prov ided temp t you into taking
risks . This could incr eas e yo ur risk of a co lli
s ion.
- The system can deploy incorrectly .
- Please note that t he sensors do not always
detect a ll objects . This inc reases the r isk of a
coll is io n.
- Pre sense does not react to people or a ni
mals or objec ts that are crossi ng the vehi
cle 's path o r are difficult to det ect
¢ page 85.
-Reflec tive ob jects s uch as guard rai ls o r the
entrance to a tunne l, heavy rai n and ice can
a ffec t the fu nction of the rada r senso rs and
t he system's ability to de te ct a co llision risk.
(D Note
The sensors can be d isplaced by impacts or
d amage to the bumper, w heel housing a nd
u nder body. Pre se nse can be impa ired by th is .
H ave an a utho riz e d Aud i de aler o r au th orized
A udi Service Facility check the ir func tion .
(D Tips
-Certa in p re sense fro nt functions swi tch off
w he n sp o rt mode is sw itche d off or w hen
dr iving in reverse .
- T he p re sense fun ctions m ay not be av aila
b le i f th ere is a m alfu nction in t he ES C sys
tem or t he a irbag con tro l mod ule.
185
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back or switched off. This reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be able to start after long
periods of time . Some convenience functions,
such as interior lighting or power seat adjust ment, may not be available under certa in circum
stances . These convenience functions will be
available aga in once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine.
With the engine switched off
The battery will drain if you use functions such as
listening to the rad io while the engine is switched
off.
The vehicle's ability to start may be impaired by
the energy use, a message w ill appear in the In
fotainment system d isp lay.
The message indicates that the system will
switch off automatically soon. If you would like
to continue using the funct ions, you must start
the eng ine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated whi le
driving, the battery can drain. This can happen
when little energy is generated, and much is used
and the charge level of the battery is not optimal.
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tempo
rarily sca led back or switched off . Heating sys
tems in particu lar require a great deal of energy .
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or rear window defroster is not working, then it
has been tempo rar ily reduced or sw itched off .
These systems are available again as soon as the
ene rgy balance has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
h as slightly increased . That is normal and no
cause for concern. Due to the increased idling
speed , the additional required energy w ill be gen
e rat ed and the battery will be charged.
Intelligent Technology
195
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Care and cleaning
General information
Regular, proper care helps to maintain your vehi
cle's value.
It can a lso be a req uirement when
submitting warranty claims for corrosion damage
and paint defects on the body.
The necessary care products can be obtained
from your a uthorized Audi dea ler . Read and fol
l ow the instructions for use on the packaging .
A WARNING
- Using clean ing and care products incorrectly
can be dangerous to your health.
- Always store cleaning and care products out of reach of children to reduce the r isk of po i
soning .
@) For the sake of the environment
- Preferably use environmentally-friendly
products when b uying cleaning agents.
- Do not dispose of leftover cleaning and care
products with h ousehold tras h.
Car washes
The longer that deposits remain on the vehicle ,
the more the s urface may be damaged . H igh
temperatures s uch as those caused by s unlight
increase the damaging effect.
Before washing, rinse off heavy deposits with
p lenty of water.
S tu bbor n depos its s uch a s bird dropp ings o r tree
sap are best removed w ith plenty of wa ter and a
microfiber cloth .
A lso, was h the unde rs ide of your vehi cle once
ro ad salt s tops be ing use d fo r t he season .
Pressure washers
When washing your ve hicles w ith a pressure
washer, always follow the operating instructions
p rov ided with t he p ress ure washer. This is espe
ci ally importan t in reg ard to the p ress ure and
sp ray ing dist ance. Do not aim the spray direc tly
at seals on side windows, doors, the hood, the
rear lid or the sunroof * or at tires, rubber hoses,
Care and cleaning
insulat ing mater ia l, sensors * or camera lenses *.
Keep a distance of at least 16 inches (40 cm) .
D o no t remove snow and ice with a pressu re
washe r.
Never use rotary nozzles or high pressure noz
z les.
The water temperature must not be above 140 °F
(60 °() .
Automat ic car washes
Sp ray off the ve hicle before washing .
Make sure tha t the w indows and roo f* are close d
and the windshield wipers are off . Follow inst ruc
tions from the car wash operator, especially if
there are accessor ies attached to your vehicle.
If possible, use car washes th at do not h ave
brushes.
Washing
by hand
Clean the ve hicle starting from the top and work
i ng down using a soft sponge or cleani ng b rush .
U se solven t-free cle ani ng p rod ucts.
Washing vehicles with matte finish paint
by
hand
T o avoid damaging the pain t whe n washing, first
remove dus t and large particles from yo ur vehi
cle . Inse cts , grease s pots and fingerprin ts a re
best removed with a specia l cleaner for matte
finish pai nt.
Apply t he p rod uct using a mi crofiber cloth. To
avo id damaging the paint surfa ce, do not use too
much pressure.
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly with water. Then
cl ea n usi ng a neutr al sham poo and a so ft mi cro
fiber clo th .
Rinse the ve hicle thoroughly again and let it air
dry. Remove a ny wate r residue using a s ham my.
A WARNING
- Onl y wa sh the vehicle w hen the ign ition is
off and fo llow the ins truc tions from the car
wash ope rator to reduce the risk of a cci
dents.
-
205