2017 AUDI A4 Seat belt warning

Driving safety
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 61.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the
lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out­
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in­
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­
sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
- 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.
238
-
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 2 77. Special precautions ap­
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 253.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position :
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head.
If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ page 62.
.,. Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts correct­
ly¢
page 248.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 61.
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
- 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 passen-
ger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
Ill>

-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.
- Eac h passenger must always sit on a seat of
t h eir own and properly fasten and w ear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas­
senger seat and head restraint 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
c rease the risk of injury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest recli ned or
t il ted fa r bac k! The farther the backrests are
t il ted back, the greater the risk of i njury due
to incorrect posi tioning of the safety bel t
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
sea ts¢
page 2 77. Spec ial precaut ions ap­
ply when installing a chi ld safety seat on the
front passenger seat
c::> page 253.
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 r isk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or a n accident, you r passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow­
in g:
.,. If there are passengers on the outer rear seats,
adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head. If
that is not poss ible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
poss ible.
If there is a passenger in the ce nte r
rea r seat, slide the head res traint upward
¢page 62.
.,. Make s ure that the seatback is sec urely latched
in t he upright position
c::> page 65.
Dr iving safety
.,. Keep both feet f lat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c::>poge248 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re­
strained in a child restra int that is appropr iate
for their size and age
c::> page 2 77.
_&. WARNING
Passengers w ho are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be serio usly inju red in a crash.
- Each passenge r must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fas ten and wear the
safety bel t belonging to tha t seat.
- Safety bel ts only offer maxim um protect ion
when the seatba ck is securely latched in t he
upright pos ition and the safe ty belts are
properly positioned on the body. By not sit­
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improper ly
positioned safety belts!
- Always ad just the head restraint proper ly so
that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints ore on impor ­
tant port of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys­
tem and con help to reduce the risk of injuries in
occident situations.
F ig. 20 6 Head restra int: v iewed from t he front
The head rest raints mus t be correct ly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
.,. Ad just t he head restra ints so the upper edge is
as even as possib le w ith the top of you r head . If
that is not possib le, t ry to adjust the head re-
stra int so that it is as close to this pos it ion as .,.
239

Driving sa fe ty
possible . Position* the head restraint as close
as possible to the back of your head.
~ If there is a passenger in the center rear seat,
slide the head restraint upward .
Adjusting head restraints
r=-, page 62.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints .
Dr iv ing without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not proper ly adjusted in­
creases the risk of ser ious or fatal neck injury
dramatically . To help reduce the r isk of injury:
- Always dr ive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restra ints so the upper edge is as
even as possib le w ith the top of your head.
If that is not possib le, t ry to adjust the head
restra int so that it is as close to t his position
as possib le.
- Never attempt to adjust head restrai nt
wh ile driving. If you have dr iven off a nd
mus t adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, fi rst stop the vehicle sa fely before at ­
tempting to ad just the head restra int .
- C hildren must always be p roper ly restrained
in a chi ld restraint that is appropriate fo r
their age and size
i=-, page 2 77.
Examples of improper seating positions
-
The oc cupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated .
Imp roper seating positions can cause se rious in­
jury or deat h. Safety belts can only work when
they are proper ly positioned on the body. Im ­
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and w ill even increase the r isk of
in ju ry and death by moving the safety be lt to crit­
ical areas of the body. Improper seating posit ions
also increase the risk of ser ious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the prope r seat ing pos ition . A driver
240
is responsible fo r the safety o f all veh icle occu ­
pants and especia lly for children. Therefore :
~ Never allow anyone to assume a n incorrect
seating posi tion when the vehicle is being used
q _& .
The following bulletins list on ly some samp le po ­
s itions that w ill increase the r is k of se rious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples wi ll
make yo u more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving :
-neve r sta nd up in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- never k neel on the seats
- never ride w it h the seatback recl ined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- neve r sit on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out the w indow
- never put your feet out the window
- neve r put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat c ushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imp roper seating positions inc rease the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
stay in a proper seating posit ion and a re
proper ly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
A lways make su re that the knee airbag can in­
flate w ithout inte rfe rence. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can in cr ease the risk

Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly. .. Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im­
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat­ ing position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt.
It is espe­
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
;;§ child sitting on your lap.
~ -Never let mo re people ride in the vehicle
:::l than there are safety belts available. 0 0
3 Safety belts
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling-up.
Fi g. 208 Safety belt warn ing light in the instrument clus ·
te r -en larged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
"' 0 N ... m
.,. Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts.
.,. Protect children with a child restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age.
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is switched on as a re­
minder to fasten the safety belts . In addition,
you w ill hear a warn ing tone for a certain period
of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
F or your protection and that of your passen­
gers, a lways correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that comes on could lead to personal injury.
245

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-
248
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 Interior
cleaning on page 339.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 214 Belt buckle and tongue on the driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear­
er's body .
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper­
ly¢
page 61, Front seats.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt
q ,&. .
.. 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. 214.
.. 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 pull ed 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.
Safet y 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 251. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light
c:> page 33.
Con vertible loc king retractor
Every safety belt except 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 safety seat. Be sure to read
the impo rtant information about this feature
c:> page 288 .
A WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c:> page 249,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upr ight and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the bo dy.
- Always ma ke sure tha t the rear sea t bac k­
rest to wh ic h t he cente r rea r safety be lt is
a ttached is secure ly 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 especially in a cras h.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle w ill red uce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious personal in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not p roperly restrained
can be seriously in ju red by the safety be lt it­
self when it moves from the stronger par ts
Safet y bel ts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo­
men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
c:> page 290.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 215 Safety belt posit ion
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to ma tch your body
s iz e.
- be lt height adjustment for the front seats,
- he ight-adjustable front seats.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can ca use
se rious personal injury in an acc ident.
- The shou lder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body. Ho ld the belt
above the latch to ngue and pull it evenly
across t he chest so th at it sits as low as pos­
sible on the pe lvis and there is no p ressure
on the abdomen . The belt should a lway s fit
snug ly
c:> fig. 215. Pu ll on the belt to tighten
if necessary .
- The lap be lt portion of the sa fety belt must
be positioned as low as possi ble across pel­
vis and never over the abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug
c:> fig. 215. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
in ju ries by shifting its position on your body
~
249

Safe ty belts
from the strong bones to more vulnerable ,
soft tissue a nd cause ser ious injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information¢
page 247.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
T he best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
t hat expectan t mo thers always wear safety bel ts
correctly -throughout the pregnan cy .
Fig. 216 Safe ty belt pos ition duri ng pregna ncy
To prov ide max imum protection , safety belts
m ust always be positioned correctly on the wear ­
er's body
¢ page 249.
.,. Ad just the fro nt seat a nd head restraint cor­
rec tly ¢
page 61, Front sea ts .
.,. Make s ure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
plac e before using the b elt .
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis
¢fig. 216, ¢ &.
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢ page 248, fig. 214 .
.,. Pu ll on t he be lt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buc kle.
A WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety be lt s ca n ca use
serious persona l injury in an accident.
- Expec tan t mot he rs mus t always we ar the
lap po rtion of the safety belt as low as pos ­
sible across the pelvis and below the round­
ing of the abdomen .
250
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion ¢
& in Fasten­
ing safety belts on page 249 .
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 21 7 Re leasing t he tongue from the buckle
.,. Push the red re lease button on the buck le
¢ fig. 217 . The belt tongue w ill spri ng out of
t he buck le ¢
& -
.,. Let the belt wind up o n the retractor as yo u
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety be lt wh ile the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your r isk of be­
ing injured or killed.
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust ­
ment, the three point safety belt strap routing
can be fi tted to the shoulder area , according to
body size .
Fig . 218 Safety be lt heigh t adj ust me nt - loop -arou nd fit­
tings

<( a, .... N ..... N .... 0 0
3 a,
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the bod y ¢
A in Safety belt position on
page 249.
.. Push
the loop- around fittings up ¢ fig . 21 8@ ,
or
.. squeeze to gether the@ button, and push the
loop-around fittings
do wn@ .
.. Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is p roperly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er important informat ion¢
page 247.
With the front seats, the height adjustment
of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safety belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
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 pos itioned on the body .
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
n ess of safety be lts and will even inc rease the
ris k of injury and death by mov ing the safety bel t
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Imp roper seating
positions also increase the risk of serious inj ury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occ upant who is not in the co rrect seat ing posi­
tion. A driver is respons ible for the safety of all
vehicle occupants and espec ia lly for children.
Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to ass ume an incorrect
s itting position in the veh icle wh ile traveling
¢ &, .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts i ncrease the risk
of serious personal injury and death wheneve r
a vehicle is be ing used.
S afet y be lts
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion¢
page 247.
Belt tensioner
How safety belt pretensioners work
Reversible safety belt pr etensioners
T he safety belts on the front seats are equ ipped
wi th reve rsible safe ty belt pretensioners. The fol­
l owing func tions a re available when the dr iver's/
front passenge r's safety belts are fastened:
- I n ce rtain driving situations, the safety bel ts
may tig hten w it h a reve rsib le tensioning func ­
t ion
¢ page 107 .
-The s afe ty be lts may also tighten with thi s re-
versible tens ion ing f unct ion in m inor collisions.
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretens ioners
All safety belts except for the safety belt in the
center seat position of the rea r seat are equipped
with safety belt pretensioners. The sys tem is acti­
va ted by sensors in front, side and rear-end co lli­
s ions of great severity and in a rollover. Th is
t ightens the belt and takes up belt slack¢&.
in
Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner
on page 252.
Taking up the slack helps to re­
duce forward occupant movement during a co lli­
s io n.
(!) Tips
The pyrotechn ic safety belt pretensioners can
on ly be act ivated once.
- The safety belt pretensione rs do not deploy
in minor frontal, side and rear-end colli­
sions.
- When the pyrotechn ic safety belt preten­
sioners are activated, a fine dust is released.
Th is is normal and is not caused by a fire in
the vehicle .
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the sys tem are scrapped. An authorized
Audi dealer or qua lified wor kshop is fami lia r .,.
251