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:
Driving safety
-the safety belts with belt tensioners
- the windshield frame
- the rollover sensors
The active rollover protection system provides
additional safety in the event of a rollover. With
in milliseconds, sensors deploy two rollbars lo
cated behind the headrests in the rear seats
¢fig. 132 .
The rollbars, reinforced windshield frame and
belt tensioners help protect front and rear pas
sengers in the event of a rollover.
The rollover protection system functions when
the power top is both open and closed.
A WARNING
Do not use the area behind the rear seat
headrests
¢fig. 131 as a storage area. This is
the area where the rollbars deploy.
If the roll
over protection system is triggered, objects
placed there can be propelled through the ve
hicle and make it more difficult for the roll
bars to deploy. This increases the risk for seri
ous or life-threatening injuries.
When is rollover protection deployed?
Rollover protection deploys in o collision or roll
over.
Depending on the collision, sensors throughout
the vehicle and the control module trigger the
ro llov er system to deploy.
Fo r safety reasons, rollover protection also de
ploys during front, side and rear collisions above
a certain level of severity.
120
Retracting rollover protection
Fig. 133 Deployed rollbar wit h release loop.
Fig. 134 Deployed rollbar wit h power top frame facing up
ward .
If the rollover protection has triggered but the
vehicle was not involved in an accident, you can
retract the rollover protection yourself in an
emergency. Drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified repair facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
With the power top open
... Pull the loop upward in the direction of the ar
row and hold it in place~
fig. 133.
... Slide the rollbar down.
... Release the loop just before the rollbar reaches
its end position by approximately 1-2 in. (3-5
cm) .
.,. Press the rollbar down until it stops .
.,. Make sure the rollbar is secure before releasing
it .
.,. Close the cover @¢
fig. 134 .
.,. Repeat the procedure on the other rollbar.
With the power top closed
... Switch the ignition on .
.,. Press the convertible switch to adjust the con-
vertible frame until it is vertical¢
fig. 134. .,._
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~ Pull the loop upward in the direction of the ar
row and hold it in place¢
fig. 133.
~ Slide the rollbar down.
~ Release the loop just before the rollbar reaches
its end position (3-5 cm).
~ Press the rollbar down until it stops.
~ Make sure the rollbar is secure before releasing
it.
~ Close the cover@¢ fig. 134 .
~ Repeat the procedure on the other rollbar .
~ You can now close the power top again.
& WARNING
-Make sure your head or other parts of your
body are not located in the area above the
rollbar when pressing the rollbar down. If
the rollbar is not secured correctly, it could
deploy again as soon as you release it and
cause injuries.
- Have the rollover protection system checked
by your authorized Audi dealer if it is faulty.
Otherwise, the system may not deploy cor
rectly in a collision.
-Modifying the rollover protection system or
indiv idual components is not permitted.
- Work on the rollover protection system
should only be performed by your author
ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop. Oth
erwise the system may not funct ion correct
ly in a collision or it could deploy unexpect
edly.
- Have the system inspected at service inter
vals. This ensures the system w ill always be
ready for use . Have your authorized Audi
dealer check the rollover protection system
every two years at the latest .
Driving safety
121
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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 correct ly.
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly be fore driving off and make sure all passen
gers are cor rect ly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be posit ioned properly on the body .
- Never strap more than one person, includ ing small ch ildren, into any belt .
- Never place a safety belt over a child sitt ing
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat wh ile the vehicle is being driven.
- Never let any person ride w ith 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 . Do ing so will increase your risk of
being injured or k illed.
- 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 be lt . However, spe
cial clips may be requ ired for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt ha rdware can break in an acc i
dent. Inspect belts regularly.
If webbing,
bind ings, buckles, or re tractors are dam-
Safet y bel ts
aged, have belts rep laced by an authorized
Aud i dea ler .
- 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, mod ify, d isassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourse lf.
-Always keep the belts clean . Dirty belts may
not work properly and can impair the func
tion of the inert ia reel~
page 182.
Safety belts
Belt positioner
The driver and front passenger seats are equip
ped with belt positioners.
F ig. 141 Driv er's seat: Belt pos it ioner
The front seats are equipped with belt position
ers so it is easier to fasten the safety belts . The
belt positioners automatically extend when the
door closes and the ignit ion sw itches on
~ fig . 141.
The belt positioner returns to its start ing posi
tion aga in when
- the tongue in the belt latch engages or the belt
was not fastened within 60 seconds.
-you switch the ignition off.
- you open the door .
125
Safe ty belts
_& WARNING
-Only your authorized Audi dealer shou ld
work on the system or remove and installing
system components when perform ing other
work.
- The belt pos itioners could cause injury or
damage if they pinch peop le or objects
when extending or ret ract ing.
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
F ig. 1 42 Belt buckle a nd tong ue o n the dr iver's seat
To prov ide max imum protection, safe ty belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the wear
er's body .
.,. Adjust the fro nt sea t an d head restra int proper
ly ¢
page 57, Seats and storage .
.,. Make s ure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and sec ure ly latched in
place before using the belt¢.&_ .
.,. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis
¢ fig. 142, ¢ .&_ .
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely .
.,. Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le.
Autom atic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic
belt retractor on the shoulder belt . This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
du ring hard b raking and in an accident . The belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or th rough a s harp c urve. Dur ing no rmal driv
ing the belt lets you move freely.
126
Safety belt pr etensioners
The safety belts are eq uipped w ith a bel t preten
s ioner that he lps to tighten the safety be lt and
remove slack when the pretensione r is activated.
The function of the pretens ioner is monitored by
a warn ing light ¢
page 17.
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the o ne on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertib le locking retrac
tor that
mu st be used when the safety be lt is
used to attach a child safety seat . Be sure to read
the important information about this feature
¢ page 159.
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious i nju ry in an accident
¢page 127,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when t he seatback is up right and belts a re
properly positioned on the body .
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat . Attach ing the be lt to the
w rong buckle will reduce safety be lt effec
tiveness and can cau se serio us pe rsonal in
jury .
- A passenge r who is not prope rly rest rained
can be ser iously injured by the safety belt i t
self when it moves from the st ronger parts
of the body into c ritical areas like the abdo
men.
- Always lock the co nver tible locking retractor
when yo u are securing a c hild safety seat in
the vehicle
¢ page 161.
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Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts.
~
"' l'-9 r .. a,
Fig. 143 Safety belt position
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
size.
- height-adjustable front seats.
A 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. 143. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as low as possible across pel
vis and never over the abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug ¢
fig. 143. 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 124.
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. 144 Safety belt position during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er's body
¢page 127.
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor
rectly
Q page 5 7, 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 .
.,. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest so
that it sits as low as possible on the pelvis and
the re is no pressure on the abdomen
Q fig. 144, c::> ,&..
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is secure ly
latched in the buckle.
A 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 126.
127