
Airbag syste m
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in
cr ease the risk of inju ry in a cras h by interfer
ing w ith the way the airbag unfol ds or by be
ing pushed into you as the a irbag inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or 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 du r
ing bra king or other sudden maneuve rs and
become dangerous projectiles that can
ca use serious pe rsonal injury if the a irbags
inflate.
- Never pl ace or attach accessor ies or o ther
objects (such as cup ho lders, te lephone
brackets, large, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects
could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objec ts. Items can also move into
t h e a rea of the side airbag o r the front a ir
bag during braking or in a s udden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause in ju ry, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
- Never pl ace or transport o bje cts on the
front passenge r seat . Objects on the front
passenge r seat co uld cause the capac itive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in elect ric capac itance because of
s u ch objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it shou ld be
off, or ca n cause the a irbag to wo rk i n a way
that is diffe rent from the way it would have
wor ked witho ut objects on the seat.
- Alway s m ake sure th at the re is nothing on
t h e fron t passenger seat that w ill cause the
capacit ive passenger detection system in
the seat to signa l to the Airbag System that
146
the seat is occup ied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitt ing on the seat . The presence of an ob
ject could ca use the passenger front airbag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is diffe rent from the w ay it would have
wo rked withou t the object on the seat.
A WARNING
-
The fine dus t created when airbags deploy c an
cause breathing prob lems for peo ple with a
h istory of asthma or othe r breath ing cond i
tions.
- To reduce the r is k of breathing p roblems,
those with asthma o r other respiratory con
ditions shou ld get fresh a ir right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win
dows or doors .
- If you are in a co llision in which airbags de
ploy, wash yo ur hands and face with m ild
soap and water before eating.
- Be ca refu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue sho uld get into your eyes,
flush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
t~ (USA models) !!I: (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced A irbag System as well as t he side
airbags and side curta in airbags w ith ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con
tro l unit, senso rs and system w iring) are all
monito red cont inuo usly to make sure that they
a re functioning properly whenever the ignition is
o n. Every time you tu rn o n the ign ition, the air
bag sys tem indi cato r li ght
II (USA models) a
(Canada mode ls) will come on for a few seconds
(function check). .,.

Airbag system
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
150
who has the training and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
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 in
flate.
- 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.
- The airbag system can deploy only once. Af
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de
signed and approved especially for your
Audi model version. Replacement of com plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be performed by qualified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service ac
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in
formation and special tools necessary to perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions must be followed.
~

@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo
rate . When the veh icle or parts of the re
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts with pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa
miliar with these requirements and we recom
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy
ing when it should.
_& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac
teristics as the components originally instal
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
Applies to: vehicles wit h knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 158 Driver 's knee air bag
The driver knee airbag is in the inst rument panel
u nderneath the steering wheel¢
fig. 158, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument pane l underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and lower thigh areas and supplements the protec
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 144, More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe
ty belts help keep the dr iver or front passenger in
pos ition in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
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 wea ring it properly. This is why you shou ld
always wea r your safety belt, not just because
t h e law requires you to do so ¢
page 12 7, Gener-
al information.
IJJ>-
151

Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States
F edera l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ( FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your veh icle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"s uppress ion " req uirements of the Safety Stand
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
E ven though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad ·
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride
in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat .
It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
la rger child in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced A irbag System has a ca
pac itive passenger detect io n system in the front
passenger seat cush ion that can detect the pres
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys
tem on this seat .
The capacit ive passenger detection system regis
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket
are on the front passenge r seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child restraint system resting on the seat. The meas
ured capacitance of a child restraint system var-
Child safety
ies depending on the type of system and specific
make and mode l.
T he elect rical capacitance of the various types,
makes, and models of child restra ints specified
by the U.S .National Highway Traff ic Safety Ad
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typ ical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger
seat w it h a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance measured by the capacitive passenge r detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con
t rol unit.
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe
ty Standards and has been cert ified by its manu
facturer for use w ith an airbag . Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in exception
al circumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARNINGS . Make cer
tain that the chi ld and child restraint are correct
ly recognized by the capac itive passenger detec
t ion system in the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger a irbag is turned off, and that the
airbag status is always correctly s ignaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restra ints have
been available over the years, new models are in
troduced regularly incorporating new and im
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restra ints are no t standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
different weights and sizes and different "foot
prints", the size and shape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossib le to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced a irbags w ith
each and every child restra int that has ever been ..,.
161

Intelligent Technology
shared, please see your contract with the
wireless te lecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Audi connect > About
Audi connect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
E SC helps to imp rove ro ad hold ing and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probab ility of skid
d ing and loss of veh icle control. It works only
when the engine is runn ing . ESC detects certain
d iffic ult dr iving situat io ns, including when the
ve hicl e is begin ning to spin (yaw) o ut of contro l
and h elps you to ge t the veh icle b ack u nde r con
trol by se lectively bra king the wheels, and/or re
ducing engine powe r and providing steering as
sistance to help hold the vehicle on the driver's
intended course. The indicator light
GI in the in
strument cluster blinks when ESC is tak ing action
t o he lp you contro l the vehicle.
ESC has lim itations. It is important to remembe r
that ESC cannot overcome the laws o f physics. It
will not a lways be able to help out under all con
d itions you may come up aga inst . For example,
ESC may not always be ab le to help you master
situations where there is a sudde n change in the
coeff ic ie nt of fr iction of the road surface. W hen
there is a se ction of dry roa d that is sudde nly cov
e red with w ater, slush o r sn ow , ESC c annot pe r
form the same way i t wou ld on the dry s urface. If
the vehicle hydrop lanes (rides on a cushion of wa
ter instead of t he road su rface), ESC w ill not be
ab le to he lp you stee r the veh icle because contact
with the pavement has been inte rru pted and the
ve hicle cannot be b raked or steered . Dur ing fast
cor nering, part icu la rly on w inding roads, ESC
can not always deal as effect ive ly w it h difficult
d riving situat ions than a t lowe r speeds .
Always ad just yo ur speed and driving sty le to
road, traffic and weath er cond itions . ESC canno t
over ride the vehicle's phys ical lim its, increase the
ava ilab le traction, o r keep a ve hicle on t he road if
roa d depa rture is a re su lt of driver in attention .
I nstead, ESC imp roves the possibili ty of keep ing
180
t h e veh icle unde r contro l and on t he road d uring
extreme mane uvers by using the driver's steer ing
i nputs to help keep the veh icle go ing in the in
tended direction. If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
can p rovide any assistance, you may not exper i
ence the be nefits of ESC.
ESC is switc hed on all the time. In certa in s itua
tions when you need less tract ion, you can sw itch
off ASR by press ing the button
[g] c:> page 181,
fig . 175 . Be sure to switc h ASR on aga in whe n
you no longer nee d less tract ion.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
A BS prevents the w heels from locking w hen bra k
i ng . The veh icle can still be steered even dur ing
hard braking. App ly steady p ressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in the
brake peda l ind icates that the system is act ing to
stab ilize the veh icle.
Brake a ssist system
The brake assist system can decrease b raking dis
tance. It increases b raking powe r whe n the dr iver
presses the b rake peda l quickly in emergency sit
uat ions. You must press a nd hold the brake peda l
u nt il the dange rous situation is over . In vehicles
with adaptive cruise co ntrol*, the brake ass ist
syste m is more se nsitive if the distance detected
t o t he veh icle ah ead is too sm all. On vehicle s wi th
a ctiv ate d a nd fun ctioni ng nigh t vis ion assi st*, the
brake assis t sys tem can respond more sensit ively
i f there is a warning .
Anti-slip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces e ngine powe r whe n the d rive whee ls
begin s pin nin g and ad apts the force to the ro ad
con ditions. This m akes i t easier to s tar t, a cce ler
ate and drive up incl ines .
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
E DL applies t he b rakes to a whee l th at s tarts
sp inning a nd transfers the dr ive power to the
othe r drivi ng whee ls . This fu nction is n ot a vail a-
b le at hig he r sp eeds . .,..

The all wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power. Your vehicle is exceptionally pow
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice. Always read and follow safety pre
cautions
¢ ,&. .
Winter tires
By using all wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in winter con ditions . However, in winter we recommend using
winter or all season tires on all four wheels, be
cause this will improve the braking effect.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
also be used on vehicles with all wheel drive
¢ page 233, Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles with all wheel drive, only wheels with
the same rolling circumference should be used .
Avoid wheels with different tread depths
¢ page 225, New tires or wheels.
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad vehicle -there is not
enough ground clearance. For this reason, avoid
difficult terrain.
A WARNING
-Also, in vehicles with all wheel drive, adapt
your driving style to the current road and
traffic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into taking risks,
because th is increases the r isk of an acci
dent.
- The braking ability of your veh icle is limited
to the tract ion of the wheels . In this way, it
is not diffe rent from a two wheel drive vehi
cle. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slippery this in
creases the risk of an accident.
- Note that on wet streets, the front wheels
can "hydroplane" if driving at speeds that
are too high . Unlike front wheel drive
vehicles, the engine does not rev higher sud
denly when the vehicle begins hydroplaning.
Intelligent Technology
For this reason, pay attention to the road
conditions reg a rd less of your speed to re
duce the risk of an accident .
Rear spoiler
The extendable rear spoiler increases driving sta
bility .
Fig. 176 Center console: button for t he rear spoiler
The rear spoiler retracts and extends. Var ious op
erating modes (automatic or manua l mode) can
be activated .
Automatic mode (normal operation)
-Automatic deployment : At a speed of about 80
mph (130 km/h), the rear spoiler deploys auto
mat ically .
- Automatic retraction: When speed drops be low
about SO mph (80 km/h), the rear spoiler re
tracts automatically.
Manual mode
-Manual deployment: Tapping briefly on the
switch<=:>
fig. 176 deploys the rear spoiler.
- Manual retraction: At speeds up to about
10 mph (20 km/h), retract the rear spoiler by
pressing and holding the switch. At speeds be
tween 10 mph (20 km/h) and 80 mph (130
km/h), retract the rear spoiler by tapping on
the switch.
Indicator lights
l'J /. Rear spoiler: malfunction!
The rear spoiler may not have extended due to a
malfunction . This could change the vehicle's driv
ing character istics at high speeds . Do not exceed
85 mph (140 km/h). Drive to your authorized ..,.
185

...
"XL" "xl" "EXTRA LOAD" or "RF" ' ' '
on the sidewall.
Rim
means a metal support for a tire
or a tire and tube assembly upon
which the tire beads are seated .
Rim diameter
means nominal diameter of the
bead seat. If you change your
wheel size, you will have to pur
chase new tires to match the new
rim d iameter.
Rim size designation
means rim diameter and width.
Rim width
means nominal distance between
r im flanges.
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire be
tween the tread and bead .
Speed rating (letter code )
means the speed at wh ich a tire is
designed to be driven for exten d
ed periods of t ime . The ratings
range from 93 mph (150 km/h)
to 186 mph (298 km/h)
¢ table
on page 219.
Yo u may not find
;;/ this information on all tires be-
,.,
; cause it is not required by law. V, N
"' ...
Wheels
T he speed rating letter code,
where applicable, is molded on
the tire sidewall and indicates the
maximum pe rmissible road
speeds
¢ & in Winter tires on
page 233 .
Tire pressure monitoring
system*
means a system that detects
when one or more of a vehicle's
tires are underin flated and illum i
na tes a low tire pressure wa rning
telltale.
Tread
means that port ion of a tire that
comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass .
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the
principal grooves designed to give
a visua l indication of t he degrees
of wear of the tread . See
¢ page 226, Treadwear indicator
for mo re info rma tion on measu r-
ing tire wear. .,.
223

too much. This increases the risk of an accident because it
can cause the tire to burst and result in loss of vehicle con
trol.
-Incorrect tire pressure in
creases tire wear and has a
negative effect on driving and
braking behavior, which in
creases the risk of an accident .
(D Note
Replace lost valve caps to re
duce the risk of damage to the
tire valves.
Tire pressure table
Please note that the information
contained in the following table
was correct at the time of print ing, and the information is sub
ject to change. If there are differ
ences between this information
and the tire pressures specified
on the label on the driver's side B pillar, always follow the specifica
tion on the B-pillar label
¢ page 228, fig. 192.
Wheels
'® For the sake of the environment
Tire pressure that is too low in
creases fuel consumption .
Audi recommends using the
tire pressure specified for a normal load
¢ table on
page 230
or for a full load
when the vehicle is partially
loaded.
Make sure that the tire designa
tion on your tire matches the des ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom
mended tire pressures in cold
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed . .,.
229