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-When the vehicle is locked, no one - part icu
larly not children should remain in the vehi
cle. Locked doors make it more diff icu lt for
emergency workers to get into the vehicle -
putt ing lives at risk.
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking brake is released automatically upon
starting .
Stopping and applying parking brake
~ Pull the switch @9 page 76, fig. 91 to apply
the parking brake.
Starting and automatically releasing the
parking brake
~ When you start to drive as usual, the parking
brake is automatica lly released and your vehicle
begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping in
city traffic on vehicles w ith an automatic trans
miss ion, the park ing brake can be applied. The
vehicle does not have to be held with the foot brake . The park ing brake eliminates the tendency
to creep with a drive range engaged. As soo n as
you dr ive off as usual, the parking brake is re
leased automatically and the veh icle starts to
move.
Starting on slopes
When starting on inclines, the start ing assist pre
vents the vehicle from unintentionally rolling
back. The braking force of the parking brake is
not released until sufficient driving force has
been built up at the wheels.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Driving
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an in
cline, do the following:
~ Keep the switch @9 page 76, fig. 91 pulled
and depress the accelerator. The parking brake
stays applied and prevents the vehicle from
rolling backwa rd .
~ You ca n release the sw itch @once you a re sure
that you are develop ing enough dr iv in g force at
t he wheels by depressing the accelerator.
Depending on the weight of the rig (vehicle and
trailer) and the severity of the incline, you may
roll backwards as you start. You can prevent roll
i ng backwards by holding the pa rking brake
swi tch @ pulled out and accelerating -just as
you wou ld when starting on a hill with a conven
t iona l hand brake .
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional broke system
foils or locks.
~ I n an emergency, pull the switch@Q page 76,
fig. 91 and continue to pull it to slow your vehi
cle down with the parking brake.
~ As soon as you re lease the switch @or acceler-
ate, the braking process stops .
If you pull the switch @and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergency
braking f unction is init iated. The vehicle is braked
at all four whee ls by activating the hydraulic
brake system . The brake performance is s imilar
to making an emergency stop
Q .& .
In order not to activate the emergency braking by
mistake, an audible warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the switch @is pulled . As soon as
the switch @ is released, or the accelerator pedal
i s depressed, emergency braking stops .
A WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used in an
emergency, when the normal foot bra ke has
failed or the brake pedal is obstructed. Using
the parking brake to perform emergency
braking w ill slow your vehicle down as if you
77
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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:
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 136 Unbelted occupants in a vehicle heading for a wall
Fig . 137 The vehicle crashes into the wall
CD
~ ±
cle and the passengers possess energy which var
ies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engi
neers call this energy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Veh icle speed is the most significant factor.
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us
ing safety belts ¢
fig. 136, they will keep mov ing
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall
¢fig . 137.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
~ vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even ......
~ at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h), N
8 the forces acting on the body can reach one ton 0 LL co
Safety belts
(2,000 lbs. o r 1,000 kg) or more . At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collision
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash.
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in
jured or killed . Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 138 A driver not wea ring a safe ty belt is violen tly
throw n forwa rd
Fig . 139 A rear passe nge r not wea ring a safety belt will fly
forward and str ike t he driver
Unbelted occupants are not ab le to resist the tre
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves. W ithout the benefit of safe
ty restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant
will slam v iolently into the steering wheel, in
strument panel, windshield, or whatever else is i n the way ¢
fig. 138. This impact w ith the vehi
cle inter io r has all the energy they had just be-
fore the crash . .,.
123
Airbag syste m
safety seat. It can be a very dangerous p lace for
an infant or a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle has
been ce rt ified to comp ly with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor
Veh icle Safety Standard (CMVSS)
208 as applica
b le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
According to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger s ide has been
certified for "suppression " for infants of about
12 month old and younger and for "low risk de
p loyment " for children aged
3 to 6 years o ld (as
defined in the standard).
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been tu rned off
by the elect ronic cont rol unit.
Each t ime you tur n on the ignit ion , the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on fo r a few
seconds and :
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will s tay on if there is a small c hild or child re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu
pied by an adult as reg istered by the weight
sensing mat¢
page 140 , Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System .
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG O FF light comes on
when the control unit detects a total we ight on
the front passenger seat that requires the front
airbag to be turned off.
If the tota l weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year -old child but
less than the we ight of a small adult, the front
a irbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come
on) .
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front a irbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the electronic
control unit and can deploy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the condit ions stor
ed in its memory.
For e xample, the airbag may deploy if:
132
- a small chi ld that is heavier than a typica l 1
year-o ld child is on th e front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats listed¢
page 152), or
- a child who has outgrown c hild restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger a irbag is t urned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
instrument cluster and stays on.
The fro nt airbag on the passenge r side may
not
deploy (the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not ill uminate and stay lit) even if a small adu lt
or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting up
right with thei r back against a non-recl ined back
rest with the ir fee t on the vehicle floor in front of
the sea t is on the fron t passenger sea t
<=> page 112, Proper seating position for the driv
er .
If the front passenger a irbag deploys, the Feder
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment cr iteria 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 lowe r de cele rations as defined in
the e lec tronic co ntro l unit ¢
page 140, PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OF F light.
Always remembe r, a chi ld safety seat or infant
c ar rie r ins talled on the front seat may be s truck
and knocked ou t of posit ion by t he rap idly i nflat
i ng passenge r's airbag in a frontal coll is ion . The
airbag could greatly red uce the effectiveness of
the child restraint and even seriously injure the child during inflation.
Fo r th is reason, and beca use the back seat is the
safest place for children -when properly restrain
ed according to their age and size -we strongly
recommend that children always sit in the back
seat
c> page 150, Child safety .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
a ir bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
Sys tem.
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-The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dea le r.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and
cause serious personal injury to the child.
~ WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must in
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger 's seat:
- Always ma ke sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan
el.
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possib le befo re installing the for
wa rd- facing child restra int. The bac krest
must be adjusted to an up right posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
To red uce the risk of serious in jury, make s ure
t hat the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light w ill
be displayed wheneve r a child restraint is in
stalled on t he front passenger seat and t he
ign ition is switched on .
Airb ag sys tem
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not stay on, perform the checks described
¢ page 140, Monitoring the Advanced Air
bag System .
-Take the child restra int off the front passen
ger seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer immed iately .
- Always carefully follow instructions from
child restraint manufacture rs when instal
ling child restra ints .
A WARNING
-If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must in-
stall a forward or rearward-facing child re
stra int on t he fron t passenger 's seat:
- Imp roper installat ion of child res traints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from provi ding any pro tect ion.
- An imprope rly installed child restra int can
interfere wi th the airbag as it deploys and
serio usly injure or even kil l the c hild -eve n
with an Advanced A irb ag Sys tem.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided wi th the child sa fe ty
seat or ca rr ie r.
- Never p lace add ition al it ems on the se at
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight -sensing mat and can cause in
jury in a crash .
133
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Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with Un ited States
F edera l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehi
cle was manufactured .
The front Advanced Airbag System supp lements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the driver 's and front passenger's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes . The airbags in
f late only in frontal impacts when the veh icle de
cele rat ion is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety be lts . Rather, it is part of the overall occupant re
s tra int system in your vehicle. Always remember
that the airbag system can on ly help to protect
you, if you are sitting upr ight, wear ing your safe
ty belt and wear ing it prope rly . This is why you
and your passengers must always be prope rly re
stra ined, not just beca use the law req uires yo u to
be .
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been ce rtified to meet the "low r is k" requi re
ments fo r 3 and 6 ye ar-old children o n the pas
senger side and very sma ll adults on the drive r
side . The low risk dep loyment cr iteria are intend
ed to help reduce the risk of injury through inter
action with the front a irbag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering wheel
and instrument panel when the airbag inflates .
In addition , the system has been certified to
comp ly with the "suppression" requi rements of
the Safety Standard, to turn off the front a irbag
for i nfants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child re
stra ints that are listed in the Standa rd
¢ page 152, Child restraints and Advanced Air
bags.
"Suppress ion" requ ires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a ch ild up to about one year of age is restra ined
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear
facing or forward -fac ing infant restra ints listed
Airb ag sys tem
in Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Standard 208
with which the Advanced Airbag System in your
veh icle was certif ied. For a List ing of the child
restraints that were used to certify your vehi
cle's compliance with the US Safety Standard
¢ page 152,
-weight less than a threshold level stored in the
con trol un it is detected on the front passenger
seat .
When a person is detected on the front passen ger seat, weighing more than the total weight of
a chi ld that is about
1 year old restra ined in one
of the rear-facing or forward -fac ing infant re
straints (listed in Federal Motor Veh icle Safety
Standard 208 with w hich the Advanced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified), the front
airbag on the passenge r side may o r may not de
ploy .
T he
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
whe n the elect ronic con trol uni t detects a tota l
weight on the fron t passenger sea t th at req uires
the front a irbag to be turned off . If the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not been
turned off by the control unit and can dep loy if
the control unit senses an impact that meets the
condit io ns stored in its memory .
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typica l 1 year-old, but less
than the weight of a small adult, the front airbag
o n the passenger s ide may deploy (the
PAS SEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on) .
For example , the ai rb ag may deploy if :
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ica l 1
yea r-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats listed
¢ page 152),
- a child who has outgrown c hild restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenge r a irbag is t urned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
the instr ument pane l wi ll come on and stay on .
T he front airbag on the passenger s ide m ay
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) if: ..,.
135
Airbag syste m
-a small adu lt or teenager is on the front pas
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitting upright with
their back against a non -reclined backrest with
their feet on the vehicle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Feder
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as def ined
in the electronic control unit.¢
page 140
Alway s remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat . Please be sure to read the important infor
mat ion in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARN INGS.
A WARNING
To red uce the risk of inj ury when an ai rbag in
fla tes, a lways wear safety bel ts p roperly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning fo rwa rd, s it
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is much h igher .
- Yo u will also re ceive serious injur ies and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag¢
page 130.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates - even w ith an Advanced Airbag
System.
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re
straint has been installed on the front pas
senger seat, nobody can absolutely g uaran
tee that deployment is impossible in all con
ceivable s ituations that may happen during
the usef ul life of your vehicle .
- The inflating a irbag w il l hit the child safety
seat or infant c arrier wi th great force and
136
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the back rest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child re
straints in the back seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating posi tion and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your au thori zed Au di dealer.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional ci rcums tances, you must in
stall a forw ard-facing child res traint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-fa cing sea t
has been des igned and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the fo rward -facing child restraint
up against or very nea r the instrument pan ·
el.
-Always move the passenge r seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fo re and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for
ward-facing chi ld restraint. The backrest
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all t he time
wheneve r the ign it ion is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The fro nt passenge r seat i n your veh icle has a lot
of ve ry important parts of the Advanced A irbag
System i n it. These parts incl ude t he weight
sens ing mat, senso rs, wir ing, bracke ts, and
more . The f unction o f the system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electro nic con
tro l unit when the ignition is on . The control unit
monitors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the airbag ind icator light on when a malfunction
i n the system components is detected. The func-
tion of the a irbag ind icator light is described in .,_