
-Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas
senger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen ger's knees and the lower part of the instru
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas
senger seat properly.
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly.
-Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in
crease the risk of injury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child seats
c> page 159. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c> page 135.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve
hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow
ing:
Driving safety
.,. For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c>page 121 .
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c> page 130.
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and ager:!;>
page 159.
A WARNING
-
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the safety belts are properly posi
tioned on the body and securely latched. By not sitting upright, a rear seat passenger in
creases the risk of personal injury from im
properly positioned safety belts!
- For adjustable head restraints: always ad
just the head restraint properly so that it
can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
App lies to: vehicles with adjusta ble head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fig. 142 Head restraint: viewed from the front
121

Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to: vehicles with knee airb ags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can in
flate without interference . Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in
to you as the airbag deploys.
- No persons (children) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat . If the airbag deploys, this can result in
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag. Small ob
jects can be thrown through the vehicle if
the airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without in
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri
ous inJury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's foot
we ll. An object could get into the pedal area
Driving safety
and interfere with pedal function . In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at tached to the floor mat fasteners and do not in
terfere with the free movement of the pedals.
• Make sure that the floor mats are properly se
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
pedals <=>,&. .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area un
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position. You can obtain
suitable floor mats from your authorized Audi Dealer.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor
mats will prevent them from sliding into posi
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im
pair safe operation of your vehicle in other ways.
A WARNING ..__
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
serious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop
erly secured.
- Never p lace or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering with the ped als or the ability to control the vehicle .
- Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
cover ings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always properly re instal l and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell whi le the vehicle is ..,
123

Driving safety
moving. Objects can becom e trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus ing a loss of vehicle 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
c::;, page 62, Luggag e compartm ent.
... Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
la tched in place .
A 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.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the risk 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:
124 -
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
c::;,page 118.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while 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 air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are se
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
injury when the vehicle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
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
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi
cle.

-Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants m ust al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seating positions .
(D Tips
-Air c irculation helps to reduce window fog
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the t rim panel. Be su re to
keep these slots free and open.
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
l oad. T he tire p ressure is shown on the tire
pressure labe l. The tire p ressure lab el is lo
cate d on t he d river 's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure labe l lists the recommend ed cold
t ire infla tio n pr essures for the vehicle at its
m aximum c ap aci ty weig ht and t he tires that
were on your vehicle at the t ime it was man
ufactu red. For recommended tire p ressures
fo r normal load con ditions, please see chap
ter
c:> page 229.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use t he tie -downs to secure your c argo p roperly
c':> page 124, Loading the luggage compartment .
In a coll is io n, the laws of physi cs mean th at even
s ma ller i tems th at are loose i n the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can c ause ser ious in
jury. Items in the ve hicl e possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the item. Veh icle speed is the most s ignif icant facto r.
F or examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces act ing o n a 10-lb
(4.5 kg) object are a bout 20 times the no rma l
weight of the item. Th is means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagi ne the injuries
that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing free ly throug h
the passenger compartmen t could cause in a co l
l ision like this .
Driv ing safety
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or imprope r straps used to
secure items to tie-dow ns can fai l dur ing hard
br aking or in a collision and cause ser io us per
sona l injury.
- Always us e suitable moun ting straps and
p rop erly secure i tems to the tie- downs in
the l uggage comp artme nt to help preven t
item s fr om sh ift ing o r flying forw ard a s dan
ge rous missiles .
- Wh en the rear sea t back res t is folde d down,
a lways u se su itable moun ting str aps a nd
p roper ly se cure i tems to the tie- down s in
the l uggage compa rtment to help preven t
items from flying forwar d as dange rous
miss iles 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 believe that your vehicle
has a defect whi ch could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immedia tely in
form the National Highway Traffic Safety Admini stration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investiga
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a rec all and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in
in dividual problems between you, ..,
125

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-
130
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 195.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 149 Be lt buckle and tongu e on t he drive r's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must alw ays be positioned correctly on the wear
er 's body.
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper
ly¢
page 52, General information.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt¢,&. .
.,. 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. 149.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle. .,,_

Automatic safety belt r etractors
Every safety be lt is equ ipped wi th an automatic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. Th is feature
l ocks the belt when the belt is p ulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety be lt pret en sioner s
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
c:;, page 133 . The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light
c:;, page 17.
Con vertible loc king retractor
Every safety belt exc ept the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac
tor that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this featu re
c;, page 169.
& WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c:;, page 131,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upr ight and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the body.
- If the rear seat ba ckrest is not securely
latched, the passenger wi ll move fo rward
with the ba ckrest during sudden b raking, in
a sudden mane uver and especially in a
c rash.
- Never a ttach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will red uce safety belt effec
t iveness and can cause serious personal in
jury.
- A passenger who is not proper ly restrained
can be seriously in jured by the safety be lt it
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into cr itical areas like-the abdo
men .
Safet y bel ts
-Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when yo u are securing a child seat in the ve
hicle
c;, page 171.
(0 Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
r efer to
c:;, page 133 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts.
Fi g. 1 50 Safety belt pos it ion
U se the height adjustme nt to change the posit ion
of the shoulder belt of the fro nt safety belts .
& WARNING
Imp roperly positioned safety belts can ca use
se rio us pe rson al injury in an a cciden t.
- The s hou lde r belt should lie as close to the
center of t he collar bone as possib le and
should fi t well on the bo d y. Ho ld the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should a lways fit
snug ly
¢fig. 150. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary .
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
i nj uries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious inj ury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
c:;, page 129 .
131

Safe ty belts
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
corre ctly -throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 151 Safety belt pos ition during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the wear
er's body
¢ page 131.
... Adjust the front seat and ad justable head re
straint* correctly ¢
page 52, General informa
tion .
... Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelv is
r::;, fig. 151 , ¢ _&..
... Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch secure ly
¢page 130, fig. 149.
... Pull on t he be lt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le .
A WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious persona l injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must a lways wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos
sible across the pelvis and below the round ing of the abdomen .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information¢ &.
in Fasten
ing safety belts on page 131.
132
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only ofter the vehicle hos stopped.
.,,
Fig . 15 2 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
... Push the red re lease button on the buck le
r:::;, fig. 152. The belt tongue wi ll spring out of
the buck le
r::;, A .
... Let the belt wind up on the retractor as yo u
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your r isk of be
ing inj ured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt he ight
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust
ment, the three point safety belt strop routing
con be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size.
F ig . 153 Safety belt height adj ustment for the front seats
- loop -around fittings
0 ,-. N 0 :i: .. m
The shoulder be lt shou ld lie as close to the center
of the co llar bo ne as poss ible and s hou ld fit well
o n the body
r::;, .&. in Safe ty belt posi tion on
page 131. ..,,.

to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢page 169.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 164.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re
strained for their age and size.
_& 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.
-All vehicle occupants and especially children must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select one
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.
Child safety
- 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 child 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.
- 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: ..,.
163