
Airbag syste m
-and the head restraints have been properly ad -
justed .
Because airbags i nflate i n the blink of an eye w ith
g reat for ce, th ings you have on your lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in
flates .
When an a irbag deploys, fine dus t is re leased.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle . This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irr itate sk in.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup
p lemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injur ies, other in juries,
for example swelling, bruising and m inor abra
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate. Air bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body . Front airbags only supplement the
three po int safety belts in some fronta l co llisions
i n which the veh icle decelerat ion is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
Fr ont airbags w ill not deploy:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc -
curs ,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash decelerat ion measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control unit.
The front pass eng er airbag will also not
depl oy :
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as
sensed by the Advanced A irbag System indi
cates that the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has to be turned off by the electronic con
trol unit (the
PAS SENGER AIR B AG OFF light
comes on and stays on) .
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong pos ition can increase the
r is k of se rious i njury in c rashes.
160
- To reduce the risk o f injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al
ways sit in an upright position, must not
lean aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be serious ly
in ju red by an airbag as it unfolds wit h great
force in the blink of an eye r=;,
page 152.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-fa cing child safety seat
installed on the front p assenger sea t will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the chi ld safety
seat o r infant ca rrier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center a rmrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your au thori zed Au di d ealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will i n
crease the r is k of injury in a crash by interfer
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be
ing p ushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never hold things in yo ur hands o r on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat . Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur
ing braking or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious persona l injury if the airbags
inflate.

Airbag system
-Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
¢page 171, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing a ir pressure ins ide the
doors when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels
removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper
ly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker ho les have been properly closed.
-Always make certa in that openings are
covered or f illed if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop .
168
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup
plemental protection to properly restrained oc cupants .
n nc
Fig. 171 Side cur ta in system , drive r's s ide: side c urta in a ir
bag loca tion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win
dows
¢ fig. 171. Th ey a re identified by the word
"A IRBAG" on the windshie ld frame and the cen
te r roof pillar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safe ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
side of the vehicle that is str uck in a side coll i
s ion . The side curta in a irbag inflates in side im
pacts and only when the vehicle accelerat ion reg
istered by the control unit is high enough .
If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in
to the control unit, the side curtain airbag will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision . It is
not possible to define an airbag triggering range
that w ill cover every possible angle of impact,
s ince the circumstances w ill vary considerably be
tween one collision and another. Important fac
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im
pact, vehicle speed, etc.
¢ page 169, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas
senger in position in the event of
a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec
tion.
...

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that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
They must always be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu
vers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in
jure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat .
Child safety
-Forward- facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install for
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be
fore installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 143, Safety belts,
¢ page 151, Airbag system and
¢ page 171, Child safety.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
~
175

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seats support the baby 's back, neck and he ad in a
crash
c!;> fig . 174.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dange ro us p lace for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child seat . It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat .
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat , using the wrong
child safety seat or imp roperly installing a
child restra int increases the risk of se rious
perso nal in jury and death in a crash .
- Never install rear -facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the front passenger
seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A ch ild will be ser iously injured and can be
ki lled when the infla ting airbag hi ts the
child safety seat o r infant carr ier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
c:> page 152, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear -facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direct ion. Such restraints
are designed for the spec ial needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forwa rd- facing .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
c a use of except io na l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come o n and stay o n, immed iate ly i nstall
the re ar-facing c hild safety seat ih a rear
seating posit ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used
c:, page 143, Safety belts,
<=:> page
151, Airbag system and
c:> page 171, Important information.
Ch ild sa fety
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs . (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
F ig . 17 5 Schem atic overv ie w: installat ion o f the attac h
me nts applicable to a LA TCH sea t
Fig. 17 6 Sc hemat ic overv iew : in sta llat ion of t he seat using
t he ve hicle 's sa fety be lt syst em
.. W hen using the vehicle safe ty belt to install a
child sa fety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking feat ure on the safety belt to
prevent the child safety seat from moving
c:::> page 180 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with yo ur full
we igh t to ge t the safety belt really tight so tha t
t he seat can not move forwa rd or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm)
<=:> page 180.
.. If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a tether
strap, attac h it to the tether anchors
c:::> page 186.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:::> page 176 .
A toddler or child is usua lly too large fo r an in
fant restraint if it is more th an one year old and
weighs more t han 20 lbs. (9 kg). ..,
177

Child safety
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always
be properly restrained in a child safety seat certi
fied for their size and weight¢
fig. 175 and
¢fig. 176 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest pl ace for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat . It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat.
.8, WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
A child 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 airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
-If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- 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
178
restraint in place ¢ page 67. 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 .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢page 143, Safety belts,
¢ page 151, Airbag system
and
¢ page 171, Important information.
.8, WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
well-being require that the following special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost position of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before
installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad
justment range.
-Always make sure the backrest is in an up
right position .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks ¢
page 161, Monitoring the Ad
vanced 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.

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Improperly installed child safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retrac
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during no rma l driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around d uring
a sudden stop or in a collision .
- Always ma ke sure that the rear seat bac k
rest to wh ich the center rea r safety be lt is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se
cure a ch ild rest raint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The ch ild
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be serious ly injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and ch ild
against the backrest, center armrest, door
o r roof.
- Always install rear-faci ng child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats or infant
c a rriers ins talled on the front passenge r's
seat may inte rfe re with t he deployment of
the a irbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is s afe r to ins tall a forward-fac ing ch ild
sa fety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when
ever using a child res trained in a veh icle is
being used
r:o page 171. Spec ia l precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢ page 152, Child
Ch ild safety
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
A WARNING
-A lways take special precautions if you must
i nstall a forward or rearward-facing child re
stra int on the front passenger's seat in excep
tional s ituations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-fac ing
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks desc ribed
r:o page 161, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the child restra int off t he front passen
ge r seat an d install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions i f the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installat ion of child res traints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them f rom providing any protect ion .
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serio usly injure or even kill the chi ld.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided with the child sa fety
seat o r carr ie r.
- Never p lace additiona l items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in
jury in a crash.
A WARNING
-Forward-facing child restra ints:
- Always make sure the forward- facing seat
has been des igned and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan-
-
el. ~
181

Child safety
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible before installing the for
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER 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 child 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 airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi er weight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier weight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure 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
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer .
182
· Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer 's
instructions when installing a child restrain t 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 the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path
~ .& .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re
tractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child 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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wheels can spin even with these ass istance
systems that cannot always he lp to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle control.
@ Tips
-ABS and AS R on ly work correctly when a ll
fo ur whee ls are e quipped w ith ide ntical
Switching on /off
Intelligent Technology
tires. Diff eren t tire s izes can lead to a red uc
tion i n engine po wer .
- You may hear noises when t he sy stems de
scribe d are workin g.
- Whe n in sta lling a facto ry-s up plied roo f ra ck
system o n the roof r ailing , the ESC wi ll
adapt itself to a different center of gravity .
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig . 18 5 Versio n A: Lowe r cente r conso le,~ OFF b utto n
The follow ing s ituations are except ions where it
may be usef ul to sw itch on offroad mode to allow
the wheels to spi n:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driv ing in deep snow or on loose ground
Offroad mode on
~ Q:)01_1 _ --.!'3.- -ft.
- Driving with snow chains
- Dr iving down hill wh ile braking on loose ground
- Dr iving on ro ugh te rra in when m uch of the car's
weight is lifted off the wheels (axle articula
tion)
Offroad mode off
Behavio r
The ESC and AS R stabilization f unctions Th
e fu ll sta bilization f unction of the ESC
a re limited
c:> &. .
Operation Press the 1.$ OFF I button.
Indicator II turns on.
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization
control (ESC): Offroad.
sages Wa rning! Restricted stability
A WARNING
- You should only sw itch o ffroad mode o n if
yo ur dr iv ing abilit ies a nd road cond it io ns
permit.
- The stabilization function is limited when offroa d mode is switched on. The dr iv ing
wheels co uld spi n and th e vehicle cou ld
swerve, es pec ially on s lick o r sli ppery roa d
s ur fac es. and ASR
is avai lab le again.
P ress t he
1.$ OFFI button aga in.
II turns off.
Stabilization control (ESC ): On
(D Tips
Offro ad mode ca nno t be switche d on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntro l* is switched on.
191