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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 al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seating positions.
-Air circulation helps to reduce window fog
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap
ter
c:> page 221.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
c:> page 134, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h) , the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item. This means that the weight
Driving safety
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col
lision like this.
A WARNING
= -
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying forward as dangerous
missiles 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
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in
form the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com
plaints, it may open an investiga
tion, and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and ""'
135

Safety belts
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 143 Unbelted occupants in a veh icle headi ng fo r a wall
Fig. 144 The vehicle c rashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi
cle and the passengers possess energy which var ies w ith vehicle speed and body weight . Engi
neers call this energy "k inetic 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.
Vehicle 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. 143, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, unti l something stops them -
here, the wall~
fig. 144.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision . Even
at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
140
(2,000 lbs, or 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. 145 A drive r not wea ring a safety belt is vio len tly
t hrow n forward
Fig. 146 A rear passe nge r not wear ing a sa fety belt will f ly
forward an d str ike the driver
Unbelted occupants a re not able to res ist the tre
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves. Without the benefit of safe
ty restraint systems, the unrestra ined occupant
will slam violently into the steering wheel, in
strument pane l, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the way ~
fig. 145. T his impact with the vehi
cle interior has all the energy they had just be-
fore the crash.
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¢page 171.
Even though yo ur vehicle is equipped with an Ad
vanced Airbag System, make certain that all chil
dren, especially those 12 years and younger, al
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size. The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the
safest place for a child in a forward-facing child
seat .
It can be a very dangerous place for an in
fant or a child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been certified to comply with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Veh icle Safety Standa rd (CMVSS) 208 as applica
b le a t the time your veh icle was m an ufact ured.
Accord ing to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger side has been
certified for "suppression" for infants of about 12 month old and younger and for "low risk de
ployment" for children aged 3 to 6 years old (as
defined in the standard) .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light in the instru
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned
off
by the electronic control unit.
Each time yo u switch on the ignition, the
PAS ·
S ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance meas
ured by the capac itive passenger detection sys
tem for the front passenger seat equals the combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed
era l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 with which the Advanced Airbag System i n
yo ur vehicle was ce rtified. For a l isting of the
child rest raints t hat were used to ce rtify your
vehicle's compliance with the Safety Standa rd
¢ page 173 .
Airbag sys tem
-wi ll stay on if there is a small child or c hild re
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go
off if the front passenge r seat is occu
pied by an adult as registered by the capac itive
passenger detection system ¢
page 159, Mon
itoring the Advanced Airbag System.
T he PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes on
when e lectrica l capacitance registered on the
front passenger seat is equal to or less than the
combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-old in
fant and one of the rearward-facing or forward
facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor Ve
hicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle was
ce rtified.
If the to tal e lec tric al capacitance reg is tered on
t h e front passenger seat is more than that of a
typ ical 1 year-old ch ild but less than the weight
of a sma ll adult, the front airbag on the passen
ger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on).
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the electron ic con trol
u nit and can dep loy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the cond itions s tored in its
memory .
For example , th e airbag may deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whethe r the child is in one of the
child seats lis ted
¢ page 173), or
- a child who has outgrown c hild rest raints is on
the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
inst rument cluste r and stays on .
If the front passenger airbag 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 interact ion w ith the airbag . "Low
r isk " dep loymen t occurs in those crashes that
t ak e place at lowe r decelerations as defined in
the e lectronic control unit¢
page 159, PASSEN -
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
Ill>
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cle was manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supp lements
the safety belts to prov ide additional pro te ction
for the driver's and front passenger 's heads and
upper bodies in frontal crashes . The airbags in
flate only in fronta l impacts when the veh icle de
celerat 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 overa ll occupant re
stra int system in your vehicle. A lways remember
that the airbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitting upr ight, wear ing your safe
ty belt and wear ing it properly. This is why you
and your passengers must always be properly re
stra ined, not jus t because the law requ ires you to
be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your ve hicle has
been ce rtified to meet the "low risk" require
ments for 3 and 6 yea r-o ld children o n the pas
senger side and very sma ll adults on the drive r
side . The low r isk dep loymen t cr iteria are intend
ed to help reduce the risk of injury through inter
action with the front airbag that can occur, for
examp le, by being too close to the steering wheel
and instrument pane l when the airbag inflates.
I n addition, the system has been certified to
comp ly with the "supp ression" requirements of
the Safety Standard, to turn off the front airbag
for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child re
stra ints that are listed in the Standard
c::> page 173, Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system.
"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 restrained
on the front passenger seat in one of the rear
facing or forward-fac ing infant restra ints listed
in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208
with wh ic h the Advanced Ai rbag System in your
vehicle was ce rt ified. For a listi ng of the ch ild
restra ints tha t were used to certify your veh i
cl e's compl iance wi th the US Safety St andard
c::> page 173,
Airb ag sys tem
- When a person is detected on the front passen
ger seat that has an elect rical capacitance that
is more than the total e lectr ica l capacitance of
a child that is about
1 year o ld restrained in one
of the rear-fac ing or forward-facing infant re
straints (listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in you r vehicle was cert ified), the front
ai rbag on the passenger side may or may not
dep loy.
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
whe n the elect ronic control unit detects a tota l
elect rical capacitance on the front passe nger sea t
t h at req uires the front airbag to be turned off. If
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li gh t does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the contro l unit and
can deploy if the contro l unit senses an impact
that meets the cond itions stored in its memory.
If the total e lectr ica l capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is more than that of a
typ ica l 1 year -old, but less than the weight of a
small adult, the front a irbag on the passenger
s ide may deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F
light does not come on) .
For e xample , the airbag may deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ica l 1
yea r-old child is on the front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of the
child seats listed
c::, page 17 3),
- 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 will come on and stay on .
If the front passenge r a irb ag deploys, the Feder
al S tanda rd requi res t he ai rbag to meet the " low
risk" deployment criteria to he lp red uce the r isk
of i njury through interaction with the airbag .
" Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take p lace at lower decelerations as defined
in the electronic contro l unit ¢
page 159.
Alway s remember : Even though yo ur vehicle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back ..,.
153

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not c om e on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR B AG OFF light still does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restra ined in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light should NOT
come on whe n the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front passenger seat .
If the PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while d riving, under these c ir c umstan
ces, make s ure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his o r her back up aga inst the bac kres t and the
backrest is not recl ined,
- the adult is not taking weight off t he seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is be ing properly wo rn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal
cu late electrical capac itance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
_& WARNING t= -
- If the status of the Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PA SSENGER AIR BA G OFF light blinks for
Airb ag sys tem
about S seconds to catch the driver's atten
tion.
If this happens, always stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri
bed above.
- If the
PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small is s itting on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adu lt is properly seated and
rest rained at one of the rear seating posi
tions. Have the a irbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer before trans
porting anyone on the front passenge r seat .
A WARNING
-
An airbag system that is not functioning prop
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
i n a fronta l crash.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢page 17
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should .
A WARNING
If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild witho ut a
chi ld restraint , or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be serious ly injured and can be killed.
- Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, especially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop erly restrained for their age and size.
-Always install forward or rear -facing child
seats on the rear seat -even w ith an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
except ional circumstances and the
PA SSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
stay on, immed iately install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
~
16 1

Airbag syste m
-Damage to the origina l seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Objects between you and the airbag can in
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by being pushed into you as the a irbag in
flates.
- Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental s ide airbag de
ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de
ployment space between them and the
a irbags or allow chi ldren o r othe r passen
gers to travel in th is posit ion.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight cloth ing . Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere w ith side airbag dep loyment
and can cause personal in jury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knoc king agains t
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- T he airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the a irbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag modu le must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improper ly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an acc ident
¢ page 171, Child safety.
- Never attempt to modify any components of the a irbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags w ill not func
t ion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing a ir pressure ins ide the
168
doors when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never dr ive with inte rior door trim panels
r emoved.
- Never dr ive when parts have been re
moved from the inside door pa nel and the
openings they leave have not been proper
l y closed.
- Never dr ive when loudspeakers in the
doo rs have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed .
- Always make ce rtain that open ings are
cove red or filled if additional speakers or
othe r equipment is installed in the inside
door panels .
- Always have wor k on the doors done by an
authorized Aud i dea ler or q ualified work
shop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup
plemental protection to properly restrained oc
cupants .
Fig. 16 1 Sid e curta in airbags , driver 's side: side curtain air
bag location
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win
dows ¢ fig . 161. They are identified by the word
"A IRBAG" on the windshield frame.
The side curtain airbags contain features that provide ejection mitigation to help prevent ve hi
cle occupants or parts of the ir bodies from be ing
completely or part ially ejected from the veh icle
i nterior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll
overs .

Airbag syste m
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc
cupant and the windows on the side of the vehi
cle that is struck in a side coll is ion
¢ fig . 162.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identif ied by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The s ide curta in a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supp le
mental side curtain a irbag inflates. This applies
especia lly to children
¢ page 171.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to red uce the risk of inj ury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite no rmal and does not mean there is a
fi re in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that yo u and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supp lemental protection .
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used .
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of the ir
bodies in the area from which the side cur
ta in a irbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air
bags can inflate without interference.
- Use the built- in coat hooks on ly for light
weight cloth ing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
170
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause persona l injury in a co llision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hooks.
- On ly use factory-insta lled sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use on ly genu ine A udi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the side
w indows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at
tached to the sun visors. They could come loose and cause serious injury if the side cur
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fract ion of a
second and with great force .
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a s ide curtain airbag .
- The a irbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at all times. Make sure there are no
objects, pets, o r other persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air
bag at any time.
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors.
A WARNING
-The a irbag system can deploy on ly once. If
the airbag has been triggered, t he system
m ust be rep laced by an authorized A udi
dea le r o r qualified works hop.
- Always have wo rk invo lv ing the side curtain
airbag system, remova l and installat ion of
the airbag componen ts, or o ther repairs
pe rformed by a q ualified dealership. Other
wise the airbag system may not work cor rectly.
- Never attempt to mod ify any components of
the airbag system in any way .

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Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
c:> page 140, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
greater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fu lly devel
oped, they requ ire restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight , and body struc
ture. Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20- 3 5 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child . This means the weight of the
child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adult safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an accident .
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young
er must always ride in the back seat proper ly re
stra ined for their age and size. If you must install
a child restra int on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
c:> page 148. Infants and other children who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re
straint that is for their si ze and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental side air
bags provide in some kinds of crashes.
For more information please see information
provided by the:
Ch ild safety
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http :/ /www.safe
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www.tc .gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the chi ld safety seat manufacturer's in
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
yo ur child's size
c:> page 175 , Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restra ints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion, we cannot re
peat it all he re . We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner 's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans
porting children on the front passenger seat.
P lease be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small children .
A WARNING
-- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seat ing pos ition. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children must be restrained prope rly whenever r iding
in a vehicle. An unrestra ined or improperly
rest rained child cou ld be inju red by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating a irbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the h ighest degree of protection
for infants and small children in most acci
dent situat ions .
17 1