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Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers, before driving off, always:
""Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
9 page 135,
""Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
9page 64,
.,. Wear safety belts properly 9 page 145,
.,. Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children
9 page 171.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the blink
of an eye and with considerable force. The sup
plemental airbags can cause injuries if the driver
or the front seat passenger is not seated proper
ly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to do its
job, it is important, both as a driver and as a pas
senger to sit properly at all times .
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal collisions
o page 135, Correct
passenger seating positions .
For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
opage 64.
It's especially important that children are proper
ly restrained
9page 171.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the individual safety fea
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system.
Proper seating position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver
seat with the safety belt properly fastened and
Airbag system
reaching the pedals, special modifications to
your vehicle may be necessary.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer, or call Audi
Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov
ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger. The airbags will deflate im
mediately after deployment so that the front oc
cupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and limit the occupant's forward move
ment . Together they help to prevent the driver
and front seat passenger from hitting parts of
the inside the vehicle while reducing the forces
acting on the occupant during the crash. In this
way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions. The triggering of the airbag system de
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collision and registered by the electronic con
trol unit . If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision . Vehi
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle
speeds that will cover every possible kind and an
gle of impact that will always trigger the airbags ,
since the circumstances will vary considerably be
tween one collision and another. Important fac
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc . The front airbags will
IIJJ,
151

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Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu
pants .
Fig. 165 Loca tion of driver airbag: in steering wheel
Fig. 166 Loca tion of fron t passenger's airbag: i n the in
st rument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at
the time your vehicle was manufactured . The
safety belts for the seats have "pretensioners"
that help to take slack out of the belt system.
The pretensioners are also activated by the elec
tronic control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters to help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
The airbag fo r the driver is in the steering whee l
hub ¢
fig. 165 and the airbag for the front pas
senger is in the instrument panel¢
fig. 166. The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR
BAG".
Airb ag sys tem
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detai led
information about airbags, safety belts and ch ild
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children .
_&. WARNING
Never rely on a irbags alone fo r protect ion.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used with proper ly worn safety be lts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
-A pe rson on the front passenger seat, espe
cially infants and small ch ild ren, w ill receive
se rious inj ur ies and can even be k illed by be
i ng too close to the airbag when it inf lates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un
der these special conditions is impossib le in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the "low risk" opt ion under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a ch ild that is
heavier than the typ ical one-year old ch ild is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear sea t area than
in the front sea ting pos ition.
- For their own safety, all c hildren, especially
12 yea rs and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age and size .
-
155

Airbag system
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
r::;,fig. 168.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit. Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
-will stay on if there is a small child or child re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is occu
pied by an adult as registered by the weight
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front seat,
or
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been instal
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant re
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po
sitions on the rear seat
r::;, page 152, Child re
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and <=> page 171, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
162
not appear and not stay on all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again ;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly instal
led and that the safety belt for the front pas
senger seat has been correctly routed around
the child restraint as described in the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions;
- make sure that the convertible locking feature
on the safety belt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or
have loops of slack so that the sensor below the
safety belt latch on the seat can do its job
c:::;,page 180.
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and child safety seat are not
being transported on the front passenger seat;
- make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is
not blocked. Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passenger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect
ed by your authorized Audi dealer immediately .
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan-
ces, make sure that:
1111>

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Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c:> page 144, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
greater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fu lly devel
oped, they requ ire restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight, and body struc
ture. Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20-3 5 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child . This means the weight of the
child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adult safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an accident .
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
your child's size
c:> page 174, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in chi ld restraints are
on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
Ch ild safety
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe
ty of your passengers, especially infants and small chi ldren.
_& WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than in the front seating position . Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly restrained child cou ld be injured by striking
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve
h icle during a sudden maneuver or impact .
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating a irbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the h ighest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acci
dent situat ions .
_& WARNING
f"-"----
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates . A child in
a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously i njured and can be killed if the front airbag in
flates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
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recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
E ve nt Dat a Record er
This vehicle is equipped wi th an Event Data Re
corder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa
tions, such as an a irbag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand
ing how a vehicle's systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle dy
namics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
ve hicle is designed to reco rd such data as:
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper
at ing;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the dr iver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can he lp provide a better understand
ing of the c ircumstances in which crashes and in
juries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your
veh icle only if a non-trivia l crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e .g .,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re
corded . H owever, other parties, such as law en
forcement, cou ld combine the EDR data w ith the
type of personally identifying data routine ly ac
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, specia l equip
ment is req uired, a nd access to the ve hicle or the
E DR is needed. In add it ion to the vehicle manu
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the specia l equipment, can read the in
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the EDR .
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down
l oading of data stored by ED Rs insta lled in a vehi
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af-
Intellig ent Technology
ter an accident or crash event without the own
er 's consent.
Audi will not ac cess the EDR and/or sim ilar data
o r give it to others -
- unless the vehicle owne r (or lessee if the vehi
cle has been leased) agrees; o r
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the jud ic ial
discovery process.
- Aud i may a lso use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
prov ide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identify ing the specific veh i
cle or info rmat io n about the ident ity of its own
er or lessee and only afte r the reco rded veh icle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equ ipped w ith a number of
electronic control modules for va rious vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emiss io n
contro l, airbags , and s afety be lts .
These electronic control modules record data dur ing norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained tech nicians for diagnost ic and
r epa ir purposes. The re cording capab il ity of these
modules is lim ited to data (no sound is record
ed). Only a sma ll amount of data is actua lly re
corded over a very limited period of time, or stor
ed when a system fault is detected by a control
module . Some of the data stored may relate to
vehicle speed, direction, or braking, as well as re
straint system use and performance in the event
of a crash . Stored data can also on ly be read a nd
down loaded w ith specia l equipment that is d i
rectly connected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped w ith Aud i con
nect. Your use of certain Aud i connect fea
tures requi res wire less serv ices that are pro
v ided by a third party wireless telecomm uni
cations provi der. For de tails regarding how in
formation obtained through Aud i connect is
collected, processed, transmitted, used, and ..,.
189

Intelligent Technology
brake. This may cause the brakes to over
heat, premature wear and increased stop
ping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating condi
tions such as passing through water, driving
in heavy rain or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re duced . In winter, ice can accumulate on the
brake pads, linings, discs and drums. Care
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry
and ice coatings will be cleaned off after a
few careful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few carefu l
brake app lications .
-If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in
stall a different spoiler, be sure the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed. Other
wise the brake system could overheat reduc ing the effectiveness of the entire brake sys
tem .
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair the
braking capability resulting in an increased
stopping distance. Avoid driving the vehicle and have it towed to the nearest author ized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the
engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed considerably
harder to make up for the lack of booster
assista nee.
Electromechanical power
assist, Dynamic steering
The electromechanical power assist helps the
driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
194 If
this indicator light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as pos
sible. Do
not continue driving . See your author
ized Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for ass istance .
'-r, ij Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator l ight turns on and the message
appears, the steering may be more difficult to
move or more sensitive than usual. The steering
may also be at an angle when driving straight.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunct ion cor
rected.
1 :r- ij Dynamic steering: Initializing
Audi drive select* : if the indicator light blinks and
the driver message appears, the dynamic steer i ng* is reinitial ized. After start ing the engine, the
steering wheel will move slightly . Re-initial iza
tion might be necessary if the steering wheel was
moved hard to the left and right while the vehicle
was not moving. The display turns off if the initi
alization was successful.
(D Tips
- If the . or 1:r- ij in dicato r light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
- T he dynamic steering* stab ility systems
¢ page 190 are not available in the event of
a system malfunction.
- For additional information on dynamic
steering*
¢page 119.
Driving with your
quattro
With all-wheel drive, all four wheels are driven .
General information
With all-wheel drive, power is distributed to all
four wheels. This happens automatically depend
ing on your driving style and the road conditions
at the time. See also
c> page 190. ..,.

Driving and th e en vironm ent
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or heat sh ields . During dr iv ing, the substance
used for undercoating could overheat and
cause a fire .
{U) Note
-Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic co nverter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
c:>page224 .
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converte r to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the vehicle
. . 1s moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un
der these cond itions, as otherwise fuel can
r each the catalytic converte r. This could re
su lt in overheating of the converter, requir
i ng its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis
s ion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and in accordance with the service recommen
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet .
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as im
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the em ission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op
erat ing properly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op
erat ing states . This depends on the su lfur
content of the fuel be ing used. Using a differ
ent brand of fue l may he lp, or filling the tank
with lead-free super grade gasoline.
198
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
The diese l particulate filter filters near ly all of
the soot particles out of th e exhaust. The filter
cleans itself automat ically under normal d riving
conditions. If the filter cannot clean itself (for ex
ample, because you are only driving shor t distan
ces), the filter becomes clogged with soot and
the
II symbol for the diesel part iculate filter il
luminates
c:> page 34 .
&_ WARNING
-Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel particu
late filter could start a fire.
-
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make certain that low
lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust system
parts do no t bottom out and ge t damaged.
This is espec ially true for vehicles with low-s lung
chassis (sports chassis)* and fully loaded
vehicles.
Economical and environ
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and wear
on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend
on three factors:
- your personal driving style
- operating conditions
- technical limitations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cu t your fuel

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Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight. If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observ ing tongue load require
ments and vehicle loading considerat ions.
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed . Reduce
your speed even more if load, weather or wind
conditions are unfavorable - part icularly when
going downhill.
Reduce veh icle speed
immediately if the tra iler
shows the slightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Observe speed lim its . In some areas, speeds for
veh icles towing trai lers are lower than for regular
veh icles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down
h ill , shift into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the veh icle. Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overheat and fa il.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperature gauge r=;, page 10 must
be observed carefully . If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im mediately and/or turn off the air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warning light in the
instrument cluster starts flashing., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat build-up.
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci-
-
Trailer mode
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer mode notes
Important to know
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
t railer because o f the additional weight and dif
ferent weight distribution. Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how carefu l
ly you load your trai ler and operate your rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
tu rning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic. Keep practicing until you have be
come comp lete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficu lt and requires practice.
Backing up with a t railer generally requires steer
ing action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel
erate as fast as you normally would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before c hanging lanes again.
Avoid jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri
od of your veh icle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may requ ire
more frequent maintenance due to the ex
tra load
r=;, page 280.
205