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For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 61.
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 hold the steer ing 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 r isk of persona l in
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steer ing whee l at the
12 o'clock position or w ith your hands at
other pos it ions 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 deploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen
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
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
t il ted 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 safety
seats¢
page 168. Spec ial precaut ions ap
ply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the
front passenger seat
c:::;, page 148.
Driving safety
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 acc ident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the follow ing 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.
"' Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head. If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ page 134.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
"' Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:::;, page 143.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:::;, page 60.
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 s it 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.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas
senger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
- E ach passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas
senger seat and head restraint properly.
133

Driving sa fe ty
-Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in
strument pane l, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in
c rease the risk of injury in a crash .
- Never dr ive with the backrest reclined or
t il ted far bac k! The farther the backrests are
t il ted back, the greater the risk of in ju ry due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and imp roper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats r=;,
page 168 . Special pre caut ions ap
ply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the
front passenger seat r=;,
page 148.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright wi th both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve
hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an inco rrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow
ing :
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat
ing pos it ion, slide the center head restra int up
ward at least to the next notch r=;,
page 64.
~ Make sure that the seatback is securely latched
in the upright pos ition r=;,
page 66.
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell i n front of
the rear seat.
~ Fasten and wea r safety be lts p roperly
r:=;, page 143.
~ Make s ure that children are always properly re
strained in a c hild rest raint t hat is appropriate
f or their size and age r=;,
page 168.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
134
- Safety belts only offer maximum protect ion
when the seatback is securely latched in the upright pos ition and the safety belts are
properly posit ioned on the body . By not sit
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from imprope rly
posi tioned safety belts!
- Always ad just the head restra int properly so
that it can give maximum p rotection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fi g. 1 51 Head restra int: v iewed from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
~ Adjust the head rest raints so the upper edge is
as even as possib le w ith the top of you r head. If
that is not possible, t ry to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this pos it ion as
possible r=;,
fig. 151.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat
ing position, slide the center head restraint up
wa rd at least to the nex t notch .
Adjust ing head restraints r=;,
page 64.
A WARNING -
All seats are equipped w ith head restraints.
Driving w ithout head restraints or w ith head
rest raints tha t are not prope rly adjusted in
creases the r isk of se rious or fata l neck injury
d ra mat ic al ly. To help reduce t he risk of injury:
Ill-

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-Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints so the upper edge is as
even as possible with the top of your head.
If that is not possible, try to adjust the head
restraint so that it is as close to th is position
as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea·
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at·
tempting to adjust the head restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a ch ild restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
q page 168.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in·
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body . Im·
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit·
ical areas of the body. Improper seating posit ions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu·
pants and especially for children . Therefore:
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition when the vehicle is being used
¢ ,&. .
The following bulletins list only some sample po·
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating posit ions that
are dangerous.
Driving safety
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving :
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never s it sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
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
be ing used .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mot or
any other object.
Make 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 .
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. ""
135

Safety belt s
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safe ty belts correctly saves lives!
This chapte r explains why safety be lts a re neces
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correct ly.
.. Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
&_ WARNING
Not wea ring safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of ser ious personal
injury and dea th .
- Safety belts are the s ingle most effective
mea ns ava ilab le to reduce the risk of serious
injury and dea th in automob ile accidents .
For yo ur protect ion and that of your passe n
gers, alw ays co rre ctly wea r sa fety be lt s
when the veh icle is moving .
- Pregnant wom en, in ju re d, o r physically i m
paired persons mus t also use s afety be lts.
L ik e all vehi cle o ccu pants, they are mo re
li kely to be serio usly injure d if th ey do no t
wea r safety be lts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mothe r -th roughout
the ent ire pregnancy .
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat
i n g position has a safety belt.
&_ WARNING
N ot wea ring safety bel ts or weari ng them im
properly increases th e r isk of ser ious personal
inju ry and dea th.
- N ever st rap more tha n one perso n, includ
ing small ch ildren, into a ny be lt .
It is espe
ci ally dan gerous to pla ce a sa fety bel t over a
c hild s itting on you r lap.
- N ever le t mo re people ride in t he vehicle
t h an t he re are saf ety bel ts availab le.
140
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
be lt or ch ild restraint.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and (on USA models only) front seat passenger
to remind you about the importance of buckling
up .
Fig. 153 Safety belt wa rning lig ht in th e in st rument clu s
ter -enl arged
Before driv ing off , alway s:
.. Fasten your sa fety belt and make sure you are
wearing it prope rly .
(0
"'
"' 0 N
and proper ly wea r th eir safety belts .
.. Protec t your ch ildren with a ch ild rest raint sys
tem app ropr iate for the size and age of the chil
dren .
The wa rning lig ht . in the instrument cluste r
l ights up when the ig nition is swi tched on as a re
minde r to fas ten t he safety be lts. In addition,
yo u w ill hea r a wa rn ing tone for a ce rt ain per io d
of time.
Fasten your safety belt now and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their safe
ty belts.
&_ WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the sing le mos t eff ec tive
means available to re duce the risk of serio us
in jur y and death in a utomo bile accidents.
For your protection and t hat of yo ur passen
ge rs , a lways cor rect ly wear safety belts
when t he veh icle is moving .

Safe ty belts
instrument panel, windshield, or whatever else is
in the way
r:!> fig. 156. This impact with the vehi
cle interior has all the energy they had just be
fore the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection. A irbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there
to offer protect ion in those accidents in wh ic h
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready deployed . Unbel ted occupants can
also be thrown o ut of the veh icle where eve n
mo re severe or fatal injuries can occur .
It is also important for the rear pass engers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passengers
i n t he re ar seats endanger no t on ly themse lves
but also the drive r and other passengers
~ fig . 157. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
in jure the driver and/or front seat passenger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true!
F ig . 1 58 Driver is co rrectly restrai ned in a sudde n brak ing
m aneu ver
Safety belts used properly can make a b ig d iffer
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
142
plied to the body in an accident , and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri
ous injuries. In add ition, sa fety belts red uce the
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and g ive
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "soft ly" thro ugh the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety feat ures engi
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
k inet ic energy over a longer per iod of t ime, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerab le" and less likely to cause inju ry .
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety be lts ca n also substantially re
duce the r isk o f injury in ot her kinds of crashes .
So, whethe r yo u're on a long trip or just goi ng to
the cor ne r store, a lways b uckle up and make s ure
othe rs do, too. Ac ciden t st at ist ics show that veh i
cle o ccupants prope rly wearing safety bel ts have
a lowe r risk of being injured and a m uch better
chance of surviving an acc ident . Properly using
safety be lts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col
li sion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for examp le, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear co l
li sions, in roll overs or in cases where the re is not
eno ugh deceler ation throug h impa ct to the front
of the vehicle . The same goes for the other a irbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly rest rained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safe ty belts must always be correctly positioned
acros s the strongest bones of your body .
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety be lts are always
ready fo r use a nd are not damaged .

Safe ty belts
Autom ati c s afet y belt retr actors
Every safety belt is equ ipped with an automa tic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard braking and in a n accident. The belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. Dur ing normal driv
ing the belt lets you
move freely.
Safety belt p ret en sion ers
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten
sioner that helps to t ighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated.
The function of the pretensioner is mon itored by
a warning light
r:::') page 13.
Swi tc hable l ocking f eature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a switchable locking fea
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the impo rtant information about this feature
r=;,page 178.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c:> page 144,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat bac k
rest to which the center rea r safety belt is
attached 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 crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle wi ll reduce safety belt effec
t iveness and can cause serious persona l in
jury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously in ju red by the safety be lt it
self when it moves from the stronger parts
144
of the body into critical areas like the abdo men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
c:> page 180.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 160 Safety belt posit ion
-"' .... 9 I ... a,
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
s ize.
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- height-adjustab le front seats.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious pe rsonal injury in an acc ident .
- The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it s its as low as pos
sib le on the pe lvis and there is no p ressure
on the a bdomen . The belt sho uld a lways f it
snug ly
r:::;, fig. 160. Pull on the belt to tig hten
if necessary .
- The lap be lt portion of the safety belt must
be positioned as low as possible across pel
vis and never over the abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug
c:> fig. 160. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by sh ifting its position on your body ..,_

a,
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..... N r-N ..... 0 0
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co
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
9 page 142.
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
correctly -throughout the pregnancy .
Fig. 161 Safety belt position during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
e r's body
c::> page 144.
• Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor
rectly
c::> page 60, General information .
• 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 so
that it sits as low as possible on the pelvis and
there is no pressure on the abdomen
c::>fig . 161, c::> .&_ .
• Inse rt the tong ue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
c::>page 143, fig . 159.
• Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in th e buckle.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
ser ious personal injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos
sible across the pelvis and below the round
ing of the abdomen .
Safety belts
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> A in Fasten
ing safety belts on page 144.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only o~er the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 162 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
.,. Push the red release button on the buckle
c::> fig. 162 . The belt tongue will spring out of
the buckle
c::> ,&..
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving. Doing so will increase your risk of be
ing injured or killed.
Adjusting safety belt height
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. 163 Safety belt height adjustment for the front seats
... 0 0
0
6 ... a,
-loop-around fittings Ill>
145

Safety belts
The shou lder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the body
c::> A in Safety belt position on
page 144.
"' Push
the loop -around fittings up c::> fig. 163 @,
or
"'squeeze together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings down@.
"'Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at
tachment is properly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth er important informat ion
c::> page 142.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also be used to adjust the po
sition of the safety belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive
ness of safety belts and will even inc rease the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Improper seating
positions a lso increase the risk of serious injury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating pos i
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all
veh icle occupants and especially for children.
Therefore:
"' Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c>_& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
146
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be
ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
c::> page 142.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts ore tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped w ith safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sensors
i n front, side and rear-end collisions of great se
verity and in a rollover. This tightens the belt and
takes up belt slack
c::> & in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 147.
Taking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seatback
that has been folded forward .
@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be acti
vated once.
- Th e safety belt pretensioners do not deploy
in minor frontal, side and rear-end colli
sions.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are acti
vated, a fine dust is released. This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
- Th e relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. An authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop is familiar
with these regulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regulations if the vehicle or indi
vidual parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have your authorized Aud i
dealer perform this service for you.