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Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety belts can also substantially re
duce the risk of injury in other kinds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure
others do, too. Accident statistics show that vehi
cle
occupants properly wearing safety belts have
a lower risk
of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident. Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supplemental airbags to do their job in a col
lision. For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is le
gally required
in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
a irb
ags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not acti
vated
in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col
lisions,
in roll overs or in cases where there is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle . The same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts
must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones
of your body.
"'Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de
scribed
in this chapter.
"'M ake su re that your safety belts are always
ready for use and
are not damaged.
A_ 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 .
Safety be lts
- Never strap more than one person, incl ud
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.
- N ever 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,
b indings , buckles,
or retractors are dam
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.
183
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-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may
not work properly and can impair the func
tion
of the i nertia reel ¢table Internal
cleaning on page 272.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 151 Belt buckle and tongue on t he driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er's body.
... Adjust the front seat properly c::> page 44, Seats
and storage.
... 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 pelv is c::> .&_.
... Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear i t latch securely
c::>fig. 151.
... Pull on the bel t to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic
belt retractor on the shoulder belt. T his feature
locks the belt when the belt is pul led out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv
ing
the belt lets you move freely.
184
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts on the front seats are equipped
with a belt pretensioner that helps to tighten the
safety belt and remove slack when the preten
sioner is activated. The function of the preten
sioner is monitored by a warning light c::> page 15.
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertib le locking retrac
tor that must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
c::>page223 .
.&. WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious injur y in an accident .:::>page 185,
Safety belt position.
-Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body .
- Always
make sure that the rear seat back
rest to which the center rear safety belt* is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used. If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen
ger will move forward with the backrest dur
ing
sudden braking, in a sudden maneuver
and especiall y in a crash .
- Always
make sure that the rear seat back
rest is securely latched whenever the rear
safety belt is being used. If the backrest is
not securely latched, the passenger will
move
forward with the backrest during sud
den braking, in a sudden maneuver and es
peciall y in a crash.
- Never
attach the safety belt to the buckle
for
another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effec
tiveness and can cause serio us personal in
jury.
- A
passenger who is not properly restra ined
can
be seriously injured by the safety belt it
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo
men.
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-Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child seat in the ve
hicle
¢ page 225.
@ Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
refer to ¢page 186.
Safety belt position
Correct
belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 152 Safety belt positio n
-"' .... 9 I
"' al
Use the height adjustment to change the position
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts.
_&WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- The
shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across
the chest so that it sits as low as pos
sible
on the pelvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should always fit
snugly¢ fig. 152. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- A loose-fitting
safety belt can cause serious
injuries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious injury.
- Always
read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information ¢page 183 .
Safety 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
correctly
-throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 153 Safety belt position duri ng pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er's body ¢page 185 .
... Adjust the front seat properly ¢ page 44, Seats
and storage .
... Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis ¢ fig. 153 ¢ ..&_.
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢page 184, fig. 151 .
... Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
_&WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- Expectant
mothers must always 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 c> .&. in Fasten
ing safety belts on page 184.
185
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Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 154 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
.. Push the red release button on the buckle
Q fig. 154. The belt tongue will spring out of
the buckle Q ,&..
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide
the belt tongue to its stowed position.
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Doing so will increase your risk of be
ing injured
or kil led.
Improperly worn safety belts
a
~ 0 ± .. QJ
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se
vere injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effective
ness of safety belts and wil l even increase the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to crit ica l areas of the body. Improper seating
positions also increase the risk of serious injury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating posi
tion. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all
vehicle
occupants and especially for children.
Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
seated position in the vehicle while traveling
QA .
186
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
- Always
make sure that all veh icle occupants
are corr ectly restrained and stay in a correct
seated position whenever the vehicle is be
ing
used.
- Always read and follow all WARNINGS and
other important information Q page 183.
Safety belt tensioner
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity
and in a rollover, safety belts
are tensioned automatically .
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts for the front seati ng pos it io ns
are equipped with safety belt pretensioners. The
system is acti va ted by sensors in front, side and
r
ear-end collisions of great seve rity and in a roll
over. This
tightens the belt and takes up belt
s lack ~ .& in Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner on page 187. Taking up the slack
helps
to reduce forward occupant movement dur
i ng a collis ion.
A WARNING
-It is possi ble for the pretensioners to deploy
incorrect ly .
- The pyrotechnic
system can only provide
protection for one collision. If th e py rotech
nic pretensioners deploy, the pretensioning
sys tem must be replaced.
(!) Tips
The pyrotechnic safety belt pretensioners can
o nl y
deploy once .
- The
safety belt pretensioners do not deploy
in minor frontal, side and rear-end colli
sions .
- A
fine dust is re leased when the pyrotechnic
safety belt pretensioners deploy . This is no r
mal and is not caused by a fire in the veh i
cle.
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-The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. A qualified
dealership is familiar with these regulations
and will be pleased to pass on the informa
tion
to you.
-
Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regulations if the vehicle or indi
vidual
parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have your authorized Audi
dealer perform this service for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt preten
sioner
The safety be lt pretensioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi. Installing, removing,
servicing
or repairing of belt pretensioners can
damage the safety belt system and prevent it
from working correctly 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 a safety belt preten
sioner from activating when needed or acti
vating it unexpectedly:
-
The belt pretensioner system can be activat
ed only once.
If belt pretensioners have
been activated, the system must be re
placed.
- Never repair, adjust,
or change any parts of
the safety belt system.
-Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired. Special
procedures are required for removal, instal
lation and disposal of this system.
-For any work on the safety belt system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified technician
who has an Audi approved repair manual,
training and special equipment necessary .
Safety belts
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed air bag modules and pretension
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re
straint system including airbag modules safe
ty belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all
applicable laws and
regulations must be ob
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with
these requirements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
187
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Airbag system
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<::;> page 172,
,. Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 44,
,. Wear safety belts properly ¢page 183,
,. Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children ¢page 212.
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 r=.> page 172, Correct
passenger seating positions . For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
¢page45.
It's especially important that children are proper
ly restrained¢ page 212.
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 wi th the safety belt properly fastened and
188
reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with
regard to the function or operation of the Ad
vanced Airbag
System, please contact your au
thorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop, or
call Audi Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834
for possible modifications to your vehicle.
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 th e 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 a irbags 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 co llision. 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.
Since the circumstances will vary considerably
between one collision and another, it is not possi
ble to define a range of vehicle speeds that will
cover every possible kind
and angle of impact
that will always trigger the airbags. Important
factors 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 Iii>
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also not inflate in side or rear collisions, or in
roll-overs.
Always rememb er: Airbags will deploy only once,
and only
in certain kinds of collisions . Your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
example, when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another vehicle after the first collision.
This
is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supplementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most
effectively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
r:::;.page 180.
A WARNING
-
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or in-
strument panel will decrease the effective
ness of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
- Never
sit closer than 10 in (25 cm) to the
steering wheel or instrument panel.
-
If you cannot sit more than 10 in (25 cm)
from the steering wheel, investigate wheth
er adaptive equipment may be available to
held you reach the pedals and increase your
seating distance from the steering wheel.
-If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit
t ing sideways
or out of position in any way,
your risk
of injury is much higher.
-
You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inf lates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
- To reduce
the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always
wear safety belts properly
Q page 184, Safety belts.
-Always make certain that children age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil
dren are not properly restrained, they may
be severely injured or killed when an airbag
inflates.
- Never
let children ride unrestrained or im
properly
restrained in the vehicle. Adjust the
front seats properly .
- Never ride with
the backrest reclined .
Airbag system
-Always sit as far as possible from the steer
ing wheel or the instrument panel
r:=:>page 172.
-Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
- Never place your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre
vent serious injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recline
the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air
bag during braking
or in a sudden maneu
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING ___,j
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be
replaced.
-
Use only original equipment airbags ap
proved by Audi and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace
any
airbag in your vehicle and assure system
effectiveness in a crash.
- Never
permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know
"' Be sure to read the important information and
head the WARNINGS for important details
about children and Advanced Airbags
r:::;.page 212.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad
vanced Airbag
System, make certain that all chil
dren, especially those 12 years and younger, al
ways 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 ride . The front seat is not the
safest place for a child in a forward-facing child
seat. It can be a very dangerous place for an in-
fant or a child in a rearward -facing seat. ..,.
189
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The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has
been certified to comply with the Requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehi
cle
was manufactured.
The
Standard requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off ("suppressed") if
a child up
to about one year of age 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 has been in
stalled on the front passenger seat. For a listing
of the child restraints that were used to certify
compliance with the US Safety Standard
<=!>page 214.
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the over
head console tells you when the front Advan ced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit.
E ach ti
me you turn on the igni tion, the PASSEN
GER
AIR BAG OFF l ight will come on fo r a few
seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will
stay on if the electrical capacitance meas
u red by the capacitive passenger detection sys
tem fo r th e fron t passenger seat equals the
combined capaci tance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi
cle
was certifi ed. For a listing of the child re
straints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the U .S . Safety Standard
<=!>page 214.
- will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu
pied by
an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system<=!> page 199, Mon
itoring the Advanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when electrical capacitance registered on the
front passenger seat is equal to or less than the
190
combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-old in
fant and one of the rearward-facing or forward
facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor Ve
hicle
Safety Standard 208 w ith which the Ad
vanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was certi
fied .
If the total electrica l capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is more than that of a
typi ca l 1 year-old child but less than the weight
of a small adult, the front airbag on the passen
ger side can deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not come on).
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the electronic con trol
u
nit and can depl oy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
- a small child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-old child is
on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats l isted<=:> page 214), or
- a child who has outgrown child restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t comes on in the
overhead console and stays on.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Feder
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk"
deployment criteria to reduce the r isk of in
jury through interaction w ith the airbag. "Low
risk "
deployment occurs in those crashes that
take place at lower decelerations as defined in
the electronic co ntrol unit<=!> page 200, PASSEN
G ER AIR BAG OFF light.
Always remember, a child seat or infant carrier
installed on the front seat may be struck and
k nocked out of positio n by the rapidly inflating
passenger's airbag i n a frontal collision. The a ir
bag cou ld greatly reduce the effectiveness of the
child restraint and even seriously injure the child
d uring inflation .