2017 AUDI A6 steering wheel

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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' th ese com ponents by braking carefu lly. Ap­
plying the brakes carefully several times
dries the brakes and removes ice bui ld-up.
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long stretches on roads
covered w ith salt without using the brakes.
You can remove salt deposits from the brake rotors and pads by ca ref ull y applyi ng
the brakes severa l t imes.
- If the front spo iler is damaged or you install
another spoiler, ma ke sure the front w heel
bra kes are vent ilated p roperly. O therwise,
t h e brake syste m could ove rheat, wh ic h re­
duces the ir effec tiveness.
- Failure of a bra ke circuit impai rs b raking
performan ce, which incre ases bra king dis­
tance . Avoid driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest authorized A udi
dealer or author ized Audi Service Facility .
- If the brake booste r is not working, you wi ll
have to press m uch ha rder on the bra ke
peda l to compensate for the lac k of the
booster.
(D Note
- Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
p edal light ly when bra king is not actually
necessa ry. This causes the brakes to over­
heat and increases bra king d istance and
causes wear.
- Befo re driving downh ill a long distance on a
steep h ill, decrease your speed and select a
l ower gear. This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes. If
you need to b rake additionally, brake in in­
te rvals and not cont inuous ly .
(0 Tips
- If the brake booster is not working, you
must p ress the brake pedal with much mor e
fo rc e th an norma l.
-If you re trofit your vehicle wi th a front spoil­
er, whee l covers o r similar items, ma ke sure
t h at t he ai r flow to the front whee ls is not
i nte rru pted. Ot he rw ise the brake sys tem
c a n become too hot.
Intellig ent Technology
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The ele ctromechanical s teering supports the
driver's steering movements.
P ower s teer ing adapts electroni cally based on
the ve hicle spee d.
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not dr iv e vehicle: steering defective
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as pos­
s ible. Do
not cont inue driving. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility for
ass istance.
,~n Stee ring: System fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appea rs, the steering whee l may be more diffi ­
cul t to move o r more sensitive than us ual. The
steering wheel may also be at an ang le when
driv ing straight.
Drive slowly to an a uth orized Audi dea ler or a u­
t h orized Audi Service Facility to have the mal­
f unct ion corrected.
,Ion Dynamic steering: Initiali zing
If the indicator light is blinking and this message
appea rs, dynam ic steering* is be ing ini tialized.
T he s teer ing whee l will be easy to move a fter
sta rt ing the engine. Re -ini tialization mig ht be
necessary if the steering w heel was moved hard
to the left and right while the ve hicle was not
moving. The d isp lay turns off if the init ialization
was s uccessful.
(D Tips
- If the . or
,Ion indicato r light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
- The dynamic steering stability systems
¢ page 120 are not ava ilable in the event of
a system mal function.
IJJ,
123

Intelligent Technology
- For addi tional in format ion on dynamic
steering, refer to
c:> page 104.
ALL wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel drive
In oil wheel drive, all four wheels ore powered.
General information
In a ll wheel d rive, the d rivi ng power is divided be­
t ween a ll four wheels. Th is happens au tomatical­
ly depending on your driving behavior as well as
the current road cond itions. Also see
c::> page 120, Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) .
A center differentia l distrib utes the driv ing power
variably to the front and rear axle. It works to­
gethe r with selective wheel torq ue control, which
activates when driving through curves
c::> page 120. With the sport differentia l", power
d istr ibut ion to the rear wheels is variable and can
be ad justed w ith drive select
c::> page 104.
The a ll wheel drive concept is designed for h igh
engine power. Your ve hicle is exceptionally pow­
erful and has excellent driving characterist ics
both under normal dr iv ing condit ions and on
snow a nd ice . Always read and fo llow safety pre­
cautions
c::> ,& .
Winter tires
By us ing a ll wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward mot io n with standard t ires in winter con ­
d itions . However, in winter we recommend using
w inter or all season t ires on all fo ur wheels, be­
cause th is w ill improve the b raking effe ct.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains must
also be used on vehicles with all wheel drive
c::> page 226, Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles w ith all wheel dr ive, only whee ls with
the same rolling circumference should be used .
Avoid using t ires with different tread depths
c::> page 217, New tires or wheels .
124 Offroad vehicle?
You
r A udi is no t an off road vehicle -there is not
eno ugh ground clearan ce . F or this reason, avoid
difficult terra in .
_&. WARNING
- Also, in veh icles with all wheel drive, adapt
your driving sty le to the current road and
traffic conditions. Do not let the increased
safety provided tempt you into taking r isks,
because this inc reases the risk of an acc i­
dent .
- The b raking ab ility of your vehicle is limited
to the t raction of the whee ls . In this way, i t
is not different from a two wheel d rive vehi­
cle. Do not be tempte d to accelerate to a
hig h speed when the ro ad i s slip pery, be­
cause th is increases the r is k of an accident .
- Note that on wet s treets, the front wheels
c a n " hyd ropla ne" if driv ing a t spee ds tha t
are too h igh. Unlike front wheel drive
veh icles, t he engine does not rev higher sud ­
de nly when t he vehicle begins hydroplan ing.
For this reason, adapt yo ur speed to the
road conditions to reduce the risk of an acci­
de nt.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages the
elec trical energy distribution and optimi zes the
availability of electri cal energy for starting the
engine .
When a vehicle wi th a conventiona l energy sys­
tem is no t driven for a l ong time , the veh icle ba t­
te ry is d raine d by equ ipment ( fo r example, the
immo biliz er). In certa in circ umstances, there
could may not be enough energy to start the en­
gine.
Yo ur vehicle is equipped with an inte lligen t ener ­
gy management system fo r dist ributing elec trici ­
ty. This significantly improves the starting ability
and increases the vehicle battery life . .,.

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.. Make sure to use the right chi ld restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
~ page 171 , Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page SO, Seats
and storage .
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly . Al­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty be lts properly ¢
page 139 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili­
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve­
h icle and all of its occupants. If you r ability to
d rive is impaired, safety risks for eve rybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢A -Therefore :
.. Do not let you rself be dist racted by passengers
or by us ing a cellular te lephone .
.. NEVER dr ive when your dr iv ing ability is im ­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traff ic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense.
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather cond itions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two ho urs at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
s ur e o r when you are st ressed.
_& WARNING
Impaired dr iv ing safe ty inc reases the risk of
ser ious personal inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
.
Dr iving safety
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
F ig. 140 Correct seat ing pos it io n
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the dr iver 's seat to the fo llowing
pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keep ing your knee(s) slightly bent¢&. -
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contac t wi th it when you dr ive .
.. Adj ust the steer ing wheel so that there is a d is­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering whee l and your breast bone¢
fig. 140.
If not poss ible, see your author ized A udi deal­
ership about adapt ive equipment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. For adjustab le head rest raints: Adjust the head
rest raint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
b le with the top of your head. If that is not pos ­
sible, t ry to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this posit ion as possible. Move the
head restraint so that it is as close to the back
of t he head as possible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
Qpage 142. ..,.
129

Driving safety
"' Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c;, page SO.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it unfolds . To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the
lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out ­
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in­
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the su pplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­
sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
properly and make sure that all passengers
are properly restrained .
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
130
-
-Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position .
- Children must always ride in child seats
c;,page 171. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c:;, page 147.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident , we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
"'Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
"'For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c:;, page 131 . Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as possible.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat .
"' Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c;,page 142.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:;, page SO .
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
Ill-

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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" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop­ er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
.,. Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
9 page 129,
.,. Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
9page 50,
.,. Wear safety belts properly 9 page 141,
.,. Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children
9 page 171.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force. The
supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated
properly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to
do its job, it is important, both as a driver and as
a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal collisions
o page 129, Correct
passenger seating positions.
For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
opageSO.
It's especially important that children are proper­
ly restrained
9page 171.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the individual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system.
Proper seating position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver
seat with the safety belt properly fastened and
Airbag system
reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with
regard to the function or operation of the Ad­
vanced Airbag System, please contact your au­
thori zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop, or
call Audi Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834
for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov­ ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger. The airbags will deflate im­
mediately after deployment so that the front oc­
cupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be
in their way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and limit the occupant's forward move­
ment. Together they help to prevent the driver
and front seat passenger from hitting parts of
the inside of the vehicle while reducing the forces
acting on the occupant during the crash. In this
way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system de­
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collision and registered by the electronic con­
trol unit . If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehi­
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi­
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an airbag should inflate or not.
Since the circumstances will vary considerably between one collision and another, it is not possi­
ble to define a range of vehicle speeds that will
cover every possible kind and angle of impact
that will always trigger the airbags. Important
factors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags will
II>
147

Airbag syste m
also not inflate in s ide or rear collisions, or in
ro llovers.
Alwa ys rememb er: Airbags will deploy only once,
and on ly in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions. Yo ur safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
dep loy, or when they have already deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another vehicle after the first coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The a irbag system works most
effect ively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
c::>page 139.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel o r in­
st rument panel will decrease the effective­
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
of personal injury in a co llision.
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot si t mo re than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, invest i­
gate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restra ined child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or imp roperly restrained
child is also at greate r risk of inju ry or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning fo rwa rd, s it­
t ing s ideways or o ut o f pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of in ju ry is much h igher.
- Yo u will also receive serious injuries 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.
148
-
- To reduce the risk o f injury when an a irbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
c::> page 142, Safety belts.
- Always make certa in that children age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil­
dren are not properly restrained, they may be severely injured or killed when an airbag
inflates.
- Never let ch ildren ride unrestra ined or im­
properly restrained in the vehicle. Ad just the
front seats properly.
- Never ride with the backrest recl ined .
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
c::>page 129.
-Always sit upright w ith your back against
the backrest of your seat .
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent serious injur ies to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recl ine the front passenger's seat to
transpo rt objects . Items can also move in to
the area of the s ide a irbag or the front air­
bag du ring brak ing o r in a sudden maneu­
ver. Obje cts nea r the airbags can become
pro jecti les and cause injury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
A irbags that have deployed in a crash must be
replaced.
- Use on ly original equipment airbags ap­
proved by Audi and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assure system
effectiveness in a crash.
- Never perm it salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be s ure to read the impo rtan t in format ion and
heed the WARN INGS for impor tant deta ils .,..

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-An improper ly installed ch ild restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer 's
instructions provided w ith the child seat or
carrier .
- Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that w ill cause the
capacit ive passenger detection system in
the seat to signa l to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signa l tha t it is occ upied by some ­
one who is heavier than the person actua lly
sitting on the seat . The presence of addi ­
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it shou ld
be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a
way that is different from the way it would have worked without the object on the seat .
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants.
Fig. 153 Location of driver airbag: in ste.e ring whee l
Airb ag sys tem
Fig. 154 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the in­
st rument pane l
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Veh icle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at
the time your veh icle was manufactured. The
safe ty belts fo r the seats have "pretensioners"
that help to take slack out of the bel t system.
T he pretensioners are also activated by the e lec ­
tronic control unit for the airbag system .
The front safety belts also have load limiters to
help reduce the fo rces applied to the body in a
c rash .
The airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel
hub
¢ fig. 153 a nd the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel~
fig. 154. The
general lo cation of the airbags is marked "A IR­
BAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags i n your vehicle. We urge you to read the deta iled
information about airbags, safety be lts and c hild
safety in this and the other chapters that make
u p the owner's literatu re . Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers, especially infants and small children.
A WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protect ion.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety be lts .
151