
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly.
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 173.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or
18 kg) are best protect ed in child safety s eats de
signed for their age and weight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restra int .
It is usually best to put these children in appro priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places. The rout ing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos
ter seat is used. Chi ld ren age 12 and unde r must
a lways ride in the rear seat .
Ch ildren who are at least 4 ft . 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 mete rs) tall ca n genera lly use the veh icle's
three po int lap and shoulder be lts. Neve r use the
l ap belt po rtion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how big the
chi ld is. A lways remember that children do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt port ion of the ve
h icle 's three point lap and shoulder be lt s. The
chi ld 's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
port ion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and wit h considerable force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to p rotect the occupant as the occu
pant moves forward into the a irbag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
~ close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating ....
~ ai rbag. When an occ upant is too close, he o r she
N 8 will be struck v iolently and will receive ser ious or
~ possibly even fatal injury. 00
Ch ild safety
In order for the a irbag to offer protection, it is
important that a ll vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who m ust be in the front seat be
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restra ined and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child 's
body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and pro
vide s upplementa l protec tion in certain frontal
collisions.
A WARNING
-
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrect ly installing a boos
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
i njury and death in a collision or other emer
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se rious personal injury and/or death:
- The shou lder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie ac ross the pelvis
and never across the stomach o r abdomen.
Make sure the bel t lies flat and sn ug. Pu ll on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Fail ure to properly route safety bel ts over a
child's body w ill cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢ page 140.
- The rear side of the chi ld safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif
f icult to insta ll the ch ild seat with the head
restraint in place¢
page 64 . Install the
head restraint again immed iately once the
child seat is removed . Driving without head
rest raints or with head restra ints that a re
not properly adj usted increases the r is k of
serio us or fatal ne ck in jury dramatically .
- Never let a chi ld put the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the ba ck, because i t could
cause severe inj uries in a crash .
- Ch ild ren on the fron t seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in-
jured or even ki lled when an airbag inflates .
Ill>
177

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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

Child safet y
-Make sure that the PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG O FF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in
stall the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a
rear seat ing position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dea le r.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing a child restraint in
your veh icle. To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferab ly
on the rear seat.
.,. Slow ly pull the belt
all the wa y out .
.,. Route it around o r th rough the ch ild restraint
belt path
¢ _& .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety be lt really tight.
.,. Inse rt the bel t tongue into the buckle fo r that
seating position.
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un
ti l the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" no ise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con
vertible locking retractor by pulli ng on the belt .
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The conve rtible locking re
tractor is now act ivated .
.,. Make s ure that the red release b utton is fac ing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
u nbuck led quick ly.
.. Pu ll on the be lt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm).
A WARNING
Us ing the wrong child restra int or an improp
erly installed ch ild rest raint can cause ser ious
personal in ju ry o r dea th in a cr ash.
180
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re
tractor is locked when installing a ch ild
safety seat. An unlocked safety be lt retrac
tor cannot hold the chi ld safety sea t in place
during normal driving or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round dur ing
a sudden stop or in a c rash.
- Always make sure the seat back rest to which
the child res traint is installed is in an up
right position and securely latched into
place and canno t fold forw ard . Othe rw ise,
the sea tba ck wit h the child safe ty seat at
tached to it could fly forwa rd in the event o f
an accident o r othe r emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢page 168. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢ page 149, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know .
· Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the bel t is wound all the way back into the re
tra ctor .
.,. Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buc kle.
.,. Guide the safety be lt all the way back into i ts
s towed pos it io n .
A lways let the safe ty be lt retract completely into
i ts stowed pos it io n. T he safety be lt ca n now be
u sed as an ord inary safety bel t w ithout t he con
ver tib le locking ret ractor fo r chil d rest raints .
If the conve rtible locking retractor should be ac
tivated inadverte ntly, the safety belt must be un
fastened and guided comp lete ly back i nto its
stowe d position to deac tiva te th is fe ature. If the
convertible locking retractor is no t deactivated,
the safety be lt will gradually become tighter and
u ncomfortab le to wear.

Child safety
-Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use chil d restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restraint to the front passenger seat,
make sure that it is not so tight, that it
causes the we ight-sens ing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat.
- The heav ier we ight registered can make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an
adul t were on the seat and deploy the Ad
vanced Airbag when it must be suppressed ca using se rious or even fatal inju ry to the
child.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
ca use of exceptiona l circumsta nces and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rear-fac ing chi ld safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig. 18 2 Tether strap : proper routing and mount ing
184
Fig. 1 83 Tether strap: proper routing and mount ing
Installing the tether st rap
~ Release or deploy the tether strap on the ch ild
restraint accord ing to the ch ild restraint manu
facture r's instructions.
~ Guide the upper tether s trap under the rea r
head rest raint and in to the rear cargo area
~ fig. 183 (raise the head restraint if necessa
ry). For child restraints with V -tet her straps, al
ways make sure that the head restra int guide
rods do not interfere with any pa rt of the top
tether strap.
~ Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor
bracket .
~ Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
ca tch of the hook engages.
~ Tighten the tether stra p firm ly following the
child restra int manufacturer's instruc tions .
Attaching to the cente r seating position
~ Slide the rear seat forward ~ page 63 .
~ Pull the anchor bracket forward and con nect
the tethe r strap hook.
~ Tigh ten the te ther strap a nd move the seat
backward.
Releasing the tether strap
~ Loosen the tension following the child restra int
manufac turer's instr uctions .
~ Depress the spr ing catch on the hook and re
lease it from t he a nch o rage.
(D Note
If yo u leave the child restraint w ith the tethe r
strap firmly installed for severa l d ays, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
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would also be permanently stretched around
the tether strap. This applies especially to
leather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems
come with a tether . Please read and heed the
child restraint system manufacturer's instruc
tions carefully to determine how to properly in
stall the tether.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced 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 against the backrest, center armrest, or
door .
-A tight tether or other strap on a rearward
facing child restraint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and register a
heavier weight in the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem. The heavier weight registered 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 fatal injury to the child.
- 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 install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
Child safety
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional in
formation about child restraint selection, instal
lation and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat is
the one that fits your child and fits in your vehi
cle, and that you will use correctly and consis
tently.
Try before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra
tion
Tel. : 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
http://www.nhtsa.gov
http:/ /www.safercar.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel. : (202) 662-0600
http://www.safekids .org
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel. : (800) 745-SAFE (English)
Tel. : (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
http://www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel. : 1-800-333-0371 or call 1-613-998-8616 if
you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/ eng/roadsafety/men u. htm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
185

a,
a,
..... (',J r-(',J ..... 0 0
0:
co
@ 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

Trailer towing
Trailer towing
Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation.
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, economy and performance.
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on the
ve hicle, it also ca lls for more concentration from
the dr iver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross tra iler weight. The hitch must be suitab le
for your veh icle and tra iler and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
locat ion . Use on ly a trailer hitch with a re
movable ba ll mount . Always che ck with the t rail
er hitch man ufac tur er to make s ure t hat you are
using the co rrect hi tc h.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and b rake systems .
Fr om t ime to t ime, che ck that all hitch mo unti ng
bol ts rem ain securely f aste ned.
W hen you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra ile r hitc h ba ll mount . This prevents the hit ch
from caus ing damage s hou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If you r trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be su re that it conforms to all regula
tions .
200
The t rai ler hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
bra ke system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use s afety chains be tween you r vehi cle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regula tions . B e s ure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor
r ec t wir ing, swi tches, an d relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see t he traffic behind you us
i ng t he regular outs ide mirrors, then yo u
must in
stall ex tended mirro rs . It is impo rtant that you
al ways have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
- If a tra ile r has e lectr ical brake s ple ase no te
t h at these b ra kes are not activated by the
factory -fit ted contro l unit -risk of accident!
- After removing the traile r h itch, d o no t
s t o re it in your vehicle. In case of sud den
braking, the hitch co uld fly forwar d and in
jure you or yo ur passenge rs.
- Never install a "we igh t distribu tin g" or
"loa d eq ualizing" trailer hitch on your veh i
cle . The vehicle was not designed fo r these
kinds o f trailer hitches. The hitch attach
ment can fail, ca us ing the tra ile r to tear
loose from the vehicle .
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
veh icle, found on the safety compliance la
be l on the driver's s ide B-pillar, must never
be exceeded under any circ umstances . Ex
ceed ing the Gross Vehicle We ight Rat ing of
your veh icle is likely to damage yo ur vehicle,
a nd such d amage will no t be covered by
your Limi ted New Vehicle W arra nty . Exceed
ing the Gross Ve hicl e We ight Rating will al
so change the pe rformance and han dling
characte ristics o f yo ur vehicle, which could
cause a crash result ing in se rious injury or
death.

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Operating instructions
6" r-2
~·~
1/2"
1·1/2"
ill
Fig. 188 Permi tted ba ll pos it io n of the trailer h itch
Trailer towing weights
With a
factory-installed or an aftermarket trailer
hitch, the maximum permissible trailer weight is
4,400 lbs (2,000 kg) . The maximum permissible
unbraked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg).
These specifications apply when driving on roads having an incline of less than 12%.
Permissible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these changed
conditions, adjust the trailer load so that the
tongue load is at the maximum allowable or
slightly lower. You can get an approximation of
the tongue load with a bathroom scale or you can
measure the load at a trucking company or
weighing station.
With a
factory-installed or an aftermarket trailer
hitch, the maximum permissible load on the ball
hitch may not exceed 440 lbs (200 kg) .
It is rec
ommended to use the maximum permissible
load.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ¢.&.
in Driving instructions on page 202.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used with suitable ball mount and ball¢
fig. 188 . Installation of
the hitch ball must be carried out in accordance
with the manufacturer's instructions .
Trailer towing
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label¢
page 240. Inflate trailer
tires to trailer and tire manufacturers' specifica
tions.
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check to
make sure both vehicle and trailer lights are
working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly connect
ed from the trailer to the hitch on the vehicle .
Leave enough slack in the chains to permit turn
ing corners. When you install safety chains, make
sure they will not drag on the road when you are
driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropping in case of separation
from the hitch.
· Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra care
and consideration.
Weight distribution
Towing a loaded trailer with an empty car results
in a highly unstable distribution of weight. If this
cannot be avoided, drive at very low speeds only
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
A "balanced " rig is easier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible, while
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
circumstances. Whenever possible, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow vehicle while observing tongue load require-
ments and vehicle loading considerations. .,.
201