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Th e fr ont a irbags are designed to provide addi
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- sa fety belts are worn prope rly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
c u pan t is prope rly sea ted as far as possible
from the airbag,
- and the head restra ints have been p roperly ad-
j u ste d.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of a n eye w ith
g reat fo rce, th ings you have on your lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro
jectiles , a nd be p ushed in to you if the ai rbag in
flates.
When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
ve hicl e. Thi s dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
It is important to remember that whi le the s up
p lemental airbag system is des igned to reduce
the likel ihood of ser ious injuries, o ther i njur ies,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra
sions, can a lso happen when airbags in flate . Ai r
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags only supplement the
three po int safety belts in some frontal co llisions
in which the ve hicle decelerat io n is high enough
to deploy the airbags .
F ront airbag s will not deploy:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollove rs,
- when the crash decelerat io n meas ured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the e lectronic contro l unit.
The front passenger airbag will also not d eploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not o ccu pied,
- when the we igh t on the fron t passenge r seat as
sensed by t he Advanced A irbag Sys tem indi-
Airb ag sys tem
cates that the front a irbag on the passenger
side has to be t urned off by the e lectronic con
trol unit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the r isk of ser ious injury in crashes .
- To reduce the r isk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the drive r and passenge rs must al
ways sit in an up right posit ion, m ust not
lean aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
lo cated.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be serio usly
in jur ed by an air bag as it unfolds with g reat
for ce in the blink ofan eye
r=>page 149.
A WARNING
-A child in a rearward-fa cing child safety se at
i nsta lled on the front passenger seat will be
se riously inju red and can be k illed if the front
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or in fant ca rr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of excep tional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immedia tely insta ll
the rea r-facing child safe ty se at in a rear
seating posi tion and have the airbag system
inspecte d by your au thorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
= -
Objects between you and the air bag will in -
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer
i ng with the way the airbag unfolds or by be
i ng p ushed into you as the airbag inflates.
157

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by being pushed into you as the airbag in
flates.
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cupholders, 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 side airbag de ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen
gers to travel in this position.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers orto the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
c;, page 168, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper
ly closed.
Airbag system
-Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified 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.
£!!$Sir
Fig. 170 S ide cur ta in system, drive r's side : side cu rtain a ir
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win
dows
c;, fig. 170. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the cen
ter roof pillar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in a side colli
sion. The side curtain airbag inflates in side impacts and only when the vehicle acceleration reg
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in
to the control unit, the side curtain airbag will
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. It is
not possible to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover every possible angle of impact, ..,.
165

Child safety
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must always be restrained properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child can be injured or killed by being
thrown against the inside of the vehicle or
by being ejected from it during a sudden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air
bag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush ion. The child restraint must not tip 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 legal requirements per
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
They must always 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 older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger .
172
-Holding a child in your arms is never a sub
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the
child 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.
- The child and the passenger can also in
jure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat . A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Make sure there is enough space in front of
the child in the child seat.
If necessary, ad
just the angle and position of the seat in
front of the child seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install for
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
~

Child safety
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. 173 Schema tic overv iew: rearwa rd -facing infan t sea t,
properly installe d on the rea r seat
• When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c::> page 178 or install the seat using the LA TCH
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) .
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::>page 173.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats des igned for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in spec ial restraints in which the
chi ld faces the back of the veh icle. These infant
seats support the baby 's back, neck and head in a
crash
c::> fig . 173 .
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 is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
174
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death in a crash .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat -even w ith an Advanced Airbag System .
A ch ild will be serio usly inju red and can be
killed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
c::> page 149, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot p rotect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing.
- 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 i nstall
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::> page 140, Safety belts,
c::> page 148, Airbag system and
c::> page 168, Important information.

Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between
20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 174 Schemat ic overv iew: installatio n of the attac h
ments app lica ble to a LA TCH seat
Fig. 175 Schematic overv iew : installat io n of the seat using
the vehicle 's safe ty be lt syste m
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking feature on the safety belt to
prevent the child safety seat from moving
Q page 178 or install the seat us ing the LATC H
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward o r sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm)
Q page 178.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
Q page 183.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Q page 173.
~ A toddler or child is usually too large for an in-
~ fant restraint if it is more than one year old and r--
8 weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg) .
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Child safety
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always
be properly restrained in a child safety seat certi
fied for their size and weight
Q fig . 174 and
q fig . 175.
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 safety seat. It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat .
_&. WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong
chi ld safety seat or improperly instal ling a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
-Al ways install rear-fa cing child safety seats
on the rear seat .
- If you must insta ll 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 position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat shou ld
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat. Adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif-
ficult to install the child seat with the head
91>
175

Child safety
-Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described
Q page 158, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- 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 whenever
the ignition is switched on.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
Q page 140, Safety belts,
Q page 148, Airbag system and
Q page 168, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas
senger's seat safety belt have a convertible lock
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat will stay in place .
178
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
strained for their age and size.
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
-
- Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back
rest to which the center rear safety belt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se
cure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat . A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.

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-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::;, page 168 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
c::;, page 149, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
A WARNING
Always take special precaut ions if you must
install a forward or rearward-fac ing ch ild re
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat, the
PA SSENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described
c::;, page 158, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
-
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P ASS ENGER AIR
BA G O FF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effect iveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
-An improperly installed ch ild restraint can
interfere w ith the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided w ith the child safety
seat or car rier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in
jury in a crash .
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints :
- Always ma ke sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufact urer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag .
Child safety
-Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad
justment range and move it back to the rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air bag as possible, before installing the for
ward-facing ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild rest raint and
not next to o r in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be properly posi
tioned.
- Make sure that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING ~
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serious ly injured and can be ki lled if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in except ional cir
cumstances .
- A t ight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much p ressure on the
weight -mat in the seat and reg ister a heav i
er weight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier weight reg istered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to the child .
179

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@ Tips
-ABS and AS R on ly work correctly when a ll
fo ur whee ls are e quipped w ith identical
tires. Different tire sizes can lead to a reduc
tion in eng ine power.
Switching on/off
Intelligent Technology
- You may hear noises when the sy stems de
scribed a re worki ng .
- Whe n in st alling a factory -s up plied roo f ra ck
system o n the roof ra iling, the ESC wi ll
adapt itself to a different center of grav ity .
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig . 184 Versio n A: Lower cente r console,~ OFF button
The follow ing s ituations ar e except ions where i t
may be usef ul to sw itch on offroad mode to allow
the w heels to sp in:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driv ing i n deep snow or on loose ground
Offroad mode on
Fig. 185 Version B : Upper center console,~ OFF butto n
-Dr iv ing with snow chains
- Dr iv ing down hill while braking on loose g round
- Dr iving on rough terra in when much of t he car's
weight is lifted off the wheels (axle artic ula
t ion)
Offroad mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The fu ll stabilization function of the ESC
are limited
¢ ,&. .
Operation Press the 1.$ OFF I button.
Indicator Ii) tu rns on.
lights
Driver mes- St abilization control (ESC ): Offroad.
sages Warning! Restricted stability
A WARNING
- Yo u should only sw itch offroad mode o n if
yo ur dr iv ing abilit ies a nd road cond it io ns
permit.
- The stabilization function is limited when
offroad mo de is switched on. The dr iving
w he els co uld s pin and the v eh icle cou ld
swe rve, es peci ally on s lick or slipp ery roa d
s ur fac es. and ASR
is ava ilable again.
P ress the
I!.! OFFI but ton again.
II turns off.
Stabilization control (ESC ): On
(D Tips
Offroad mode cannot be switched on whe n
adaptive c ruise contro l* is switched on.
187