
co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l '
Improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to: veh icles 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 injuries .
- 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
the airbag deploys and injure you or your
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.
Mak e sure that all pedals move freely without in
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners.
Driving safety
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop.
A WARNING
-Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri
ous injury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's foot
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would
not be able to brake or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at
tach ed to the floor mat fasteners and do not in
terfere with the free movement of the pedals.
.. Make sure that the floor mats are properly se
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
pedals¢ .&,.
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area un
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position. You can obtain
suitable floor mats from your authorized Audi Dealer.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor mats will prevent them from sliding into posi
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im
pair safe operation of your vehicle in other ways.
A WARNING ~
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
serious personal injury.
-Always make sure that floor mats are prop
erly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering with the ped-
als or the ability to control the vehicle.
Ill>
133

Driving safety
-Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
coverings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for cleaning.
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving. Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus ing a loss of 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.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac
teristics. Loose items can also increase t he 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 far forward as
possible.
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
¢ page 57 .
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
_& 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 hooks and
suitable straps.
134
_& WARNING ~ -
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control 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 handling:
- 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.
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 128.
_& 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 roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
_& WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are se
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
injury when the vehicle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
-
that it is properly closed and locked . ..,.

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l '
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
_& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death . Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly be fore driving off and make sure all passen
gers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven.
- Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.
- Never
remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts
over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing, such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam
aged by being caught in door or seat hard
ware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position.
- Several layers of heavy clothing may inter
fere with correct positioning of belts and re
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that cre
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci
dent . Inspect belts regularly.
If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
142
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen . Anchorages that were loaded must al
so be inspected.
- Never
remove, modify , disassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself .
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly and can impair the func
tion of the inertia reel¢
table on page 233.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 148 Be lt buckle and tongu e on t he drive r's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must alw ays be positioned correctly on the wear
er 's body.
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper
ly¢
page SO, 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 and
pelvis ¢
fig. 148, ¢ ,&. .
.. 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 securely
latched in the buckle. ..,.

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l 'SI'
Automatic safety belt r etractors
Every safety be lt is equ ipped wi th an automatic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. Th is feature
l ocks the belt when the belt is p ulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety be lt pret en sioner s
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
c:;, page 145. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light
c:;, page 17.
Con vertible loc king retractor
Every safety belt exc ept the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac
tor that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this featu re
c;, page 182.
A WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accide nt
c:;, page 143,
Safe ty belt position .
-Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upr ight and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the bo dy.
- Always ma ke sure tha t the rear sea t bac k
rest to wh ic h t he cente r rea r safety be lt* is
a ttached is secure ly latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used. If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen
ger will move forward with the backrest dur
ing sudden braking, in a sudden maneuver
and especially in a cras h.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle w ill red uce safety belt effec
t iveness and can cause serious personal in
jury.
- A passenger who is not p roperly restrained
can be seriously in ju red by the safety be lt it
self when it moves from the stronger par ts
Safet y bel ts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo
men .
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when yo u are securing a child seat in the ve
hicle
c;,page 184.
(I} Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
refer to
c:;, page 145 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting ma xi
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 14 9 Safety belt pos it io n
Use the height adjustme nt to change the posit ion
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts .
A WARNING ~
Imp roperly positioned safety belts can ca use
se rio us pe rsonal injury in an a cciden t.
- The s hou lde r belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fi t well on the body . Ho ld the bel t
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so tha t it sits as low as pos
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should a lways fit
snug ly
c:;, fig. 149. Pu ll on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
inju ries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable, soft tissue and cause serious i nju ry .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat io n
c:;, page 141 .
143

Safe ty 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
corre ctly -throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 150 Safety be lt pos itio n during preg nan cy
To prov ide maximum protection , safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the wear
er's body
¢ page 143.
... Adjust the front seat and ad justable head re
straint* correctly ¢
page SO, Seats and stor
age .
... Pull the safety belt even ly across the chest so
that it s its as low as possible on the pelv is and
there is no pressure on the abdomen
9 fig. 150, 9 .&,.
... Inser t the tong ue into the cor rec t buckle of
you r seat until you hea r it latch secure ly .
... Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le .
A WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious persona l injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must a lways wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos
sible across the pelvis and below the ro und
ing of the abdomen .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information¢.&.
in Fasten
ing safety belts on page 143 .
144
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
.,,
Fig . 151 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
... Push the red re lease button on the buck le
9 fig. 151. The belt tongue wi ll spring out of
the buck le
9 A .
... Let the belt wind up on the retractor as yo u
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your r isk of be
ing inj ured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt he ight
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust
ment, the three point safety belt strap routing
can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size .
Fig . 15 2 Safety belt height adj ustme nt fo r the front seats
- loop -a rou nd f ittings
0 ,-. N 0 :i: .. m
The shoulder be lt shou ld lie as close to the center
of the co llar bo ne as poss ible and s hou ld fit well
o n the body
9 .&. in Safe ty belt posi tion on
page 143.
~

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l '
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P ASS ENGER A IR
BA G O FF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
~ Always use the right child safety seat for each child and a lways use it properly~
page 177.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe
ty seat .
~ When using the vehicle safety be lt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢page 182.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 177.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re
stra ined fo r their age and size.
_& WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
Ch ild safety
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestra ined or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuve r or impact.
An unrest rained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater r is k of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating a irbag.
- Commerc ially availab le child safe ty seats
are requi red to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restra int, select one
that fits your ch ild and the vehicle .
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush
ion. The ch ild restraint must not t ip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all lega l requirements per
ta ining to the insta llation and use of child
safety seats and carefu lly follow the in
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using .
- Never a llow children under 57 inches
(1.45 mete rs) to wear a normal safety be lt.
They must a lways be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu
vers or accidents .
- Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub
stitute for a chi ld restrain t system .
- The strongest person cou ld not ho ld the
ch ild with the forces that exist in an acci
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
175

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <.,;) 'SI"
-Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly 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
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fig . 163 Schemat ic overv iew: keep unused s-afety belts
away from children in chil d safety seats. @· oute r rear
sa fety belt,
@ -center rear safety belt*
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especia lly with LA TCH universal lower anchorag
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,& .
-Gui de the safety belt webbings @ and ®* be
hind the head restra int of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
c::>fig. 163. When do
ing so, do not engage the convertible lock ing
retractor! You should not hear a "click ing"
sound when w inding up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booste r seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
cou ld cause the chi ld serious personal injury
and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by proper ly routing them aro und the
Child safety
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 164 Sc hem atic overv iew: rearward -fac ing infa nt seat ,
properly installed o n the rear seat
., When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
c::> poge 182 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
., Sec ure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::>page 177.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
expe rts be lieve that infants and small children
shou ld ride only in special res tra ints in wh ich the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant ..,
177