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Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need to read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others . We have summar
ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Al
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the fea
tures described in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in
structions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the in
terest of your passengers .
-
-Always keep the complete Owner's Litera
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the driver and passengers.
-Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques
tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re
straint system and work together to help reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident sit
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in tech
nology have made a variety of features available
to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
Driving safety
The following is a list of just a few of the safety
features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all pas-
senger seating positions,
- belt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide range of accidents. These
features cannot work as a system if they are not
always correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care
f1,1/ driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals are operat
ing correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outside.
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
qpage 62.
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
.,. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re
straints according to their height.
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor
rectly to protect children
¢ page 150, Child
safety.
.,. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
q page 57, Seats
and storage.
Ill>
111
Driving safety
• Fasten your safety be lt and wear it properly . Al
so instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety be lts properly ¢
page 122.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver 's abili
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis
tracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve
h icle and all of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢.&, .Therefore :
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular telephone .
• NEVER drive when your driving ability is im
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
• Observe all traff ic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense .
• AL WAYS ad just you r speed to road, traffic and
weathe r cond itions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not d rive
for more than two ho urs at a stretch .
• Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres
s u re or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driv ing safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal injury and death whe never a
vehicle is being used .
112
.
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 128 Co rrect seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an acc ident, we recommend
that you adjust the drive r's seat to the following
pos ition:
• Ad just the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent¢.&, .
• Ad just the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contac t with it when you dr ive.
• Ad just the steer ing wheel so that t here is a d is
t ance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steer ing whee l and your breast bone ¢
fig. 128.
If not possible, see your authorized A udi dealer
about adaptive equipment.
• Ad just the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at yo ur face .
• Grasp the top of the steer ing wheel with your
elbow(s) sligh tly bent.
• App lies to veh icles with adjustable hea d re
s trai nts: Adjus t 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 ad just the
head restraint so that it is as close to this pos i
tion as possible .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢ page 125.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in contro l of the veh icle at a ll times .
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For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 58.
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 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 r isk 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.
- Children must a lways ride in child safety
seats¢
page 150. Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat ¢
page 130.
Driving safety
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 acc ident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
" Move the front passenger seat back as far as
possible . There must be a minimum of 10 in
ches (25 cm) between the breastbone and the
instrument panel¢.&, .
"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.
" Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re
straints : 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 restraint so that it is as close to this posi
tion as possible .
" Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
" Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 125.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenge r's seat, see ¢
page 57.
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.
113
Driving safety
-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 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 crease the risk of injury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
t il ted 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 safety
seats¢
page 150. Special precaut ions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 130.
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
i ng:
... Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright position ¢
page 64.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
... Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢ page 125 .
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age¢
page 150.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
114
-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 seatback is securely latched in the upright position and the safety belts are
properly positioned on the body . By not sit
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to: vehicles with adjustable 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. 129 Head restraint: viewe d from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
... Adjust the head restraints so the upper edg e 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
¢ fig . 129 .
Adjusting head restraints¢ page 60 .
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints.
Driving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury
dramatically . To help reduce the risk of injury:
-Always drive with the head restra ints in
place and properly adjusted.
-
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-Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints 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
restraint so that it is as close to this position
as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at
tempting to adjust the head restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
q page 150.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body. Im
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit
ical 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 proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
q& -
The following bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
Driving safety
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used.
-Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating posit ion and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
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 injur ies.
- 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
115
Driving sa fe ty
the a irbag dep loys and injure you or yo ur
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 noth ing prevents them from
retu rni ng to the ir origi nal 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 br ing the veh icle to a full stop.
_&. WARNING
Peda ls that cannot move free ly can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri
ous inj ury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's foot
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere w ith pedal function . In case of
s u dden brak ing o r an accident, you would
not be ab le to bra ke or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fa ll or
move into the dr ive r'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 fre e movement of the pedals .
... Make sure that the floor mats are properly se
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
peda ls ~ .&_ .
Use on ly floor mats that leave the pedal area un
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip o ut of pos ition . Yo u ca n obtain
suitable floo r mats from you r authorized Aud i
dea le r.
F loor mat fasteners are insta lled in your Audi.
116
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor
mats will prevent them from slid ing into posi
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im
pair safe operat ion of your vehicle in other ways.
_&. WARNING
Pedals that ca nnot move freely can res ult in a
loss of vehicle co ntro l and increase the r isk of
serious pe rsonal injury.
-Always make sure that floo r mats a re prop
erly secured.
- Never p lace or install floor mats o r other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
proper ly sec ured in place to prevent them
from s lipping and interfer ing wi th t he ped
al s or the ab ili ty to cont ro l t he vehicle.
- Never p lace or ins tall floor mats o r other
floor coverings on top of a lready installed
floor m ats. Addi tional floor ma ts and o ther
cover ings will reduce the size o f th e pedal
area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always proper ly re insta ll and se cure floo r
mats tha t have been taken ou t for cleaning.
- Alway s make sure th at o bje cts canno t fall
into the driver foo twell whi le the vehicle is
mov ing. Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal a nd accelerator pedal caus
ing a loss o f 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 .
Fig. 13 0 Safe load pos it ion ing: p lace heavy objects as low
-M N 0 oL CD m
an d as far forwa rd as possible. .,.
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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 low and as far for
ward as possible
c> fig . 130 .
~ Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
i=>page 64 .
~ Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched 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 eyelets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles . To help reduce the risk of a loss
of contro l 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
hand ling:
- 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 .
Driving safety
-Please observe information on safe driving
i=> page 111.
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 top,
- Open all a ir 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 top and the rear lid are se
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
in jury 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 ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must a l
ways be properly restrained in one of the
ve
hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce w indow fog
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
117
Driving sa fe ty
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
l oad . The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure labe l. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's s ide B-pillar. The tire
pressure labe l lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
max imum capacity weight and the t ires t hat
were on your vehicle at the t ime it was man
ufa ctu red. Fo r recommended tire p ressures
fo r no rmal load cond itions, please see chap
te r
~ page 217 .
Tie-downs
Appl ies to: ve hicles w ith tie-dow ns
The Luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure Luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo proper ly
~ page 116, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collis io n, the laws of phys ics mean that even
smalle r items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause ser ious in
jury. Items in the ve hicle possess energy whi ch
vary wi th vehicle speed and t he weight of the
item . Veh icle speed is the most s ignifica nt facto r.
For examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces ac ting o n a 10-lb
( 4 . 5 kg) object are abo ut 20 times the no rma l
weight of the item. This means that t he weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying free ly through
the passenge r compartment could cause in a col
lision l ike this .
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper s traps used to
secure i tems to tie-downs can fail d uring ha rd
brak ing o r in a col lision and cause se rious per
sonal i nju ry.
- Always use suitab le mou nti ng straps and
prope rly secure items to the tie-downs in
t h e luggage compartmen t to help p revent
items from sh ifting or flying fo rwa rd as dan
gerous missiles.
- When the rea r seat b ackrest is folde d down,
always use suitab le mounting str aps and
118
-
proper ly sec ure items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compartment to help prevent
items from flying forward as dangerous
m iss iles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
ha s a d efect which could cause a
crash or could cau se injur y or
death, you should immedi ate ly in
form the Nat ional High way Traffic
Safet y Administration (NHT SA) in
addition t o notifyin g Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA re ce ives s imilar com
pl aint s, it m ay ope n an in ve sti ga
tion , and if it find s that a safety
defe cts ex is ts in a group of
v ehi cle s, i t m ay order a re call and
remed y campaign . H ow ev er ,
NHT SA cann ot become in vol ve d in
indi vidu al probl ems b etween you ,
y o ur deal er, o r Audi of Am erica ,
In c.
To contact the NHTSA, you may
either call:
T el. : 1-888- 327-4236 (TTY :
1-800-424 -9153) or
1 -800-424-9 393
or you may write to: