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weather conditions .
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres
sure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of
ser ious personal inj ury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used .
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig . 2 24 Co rrec t seating position
F or your own safety and to reduce the risk of in
jury in the event of an accident,
we recommend
that you adjust the driver 's seat to the following
position:
.. Adjust the dr iver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the f loor wh ile
keeping your knee(s) s lightly bent~
_A.
.. Adjust the ang le of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact w ith it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steering wheel and you r breast bone~
fig. 224 .
If not possib le, see your autho rized Aud i dea le r
abo ut adapt ive eq uipment.
Dr iving safety
.. 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 .
.,. Adjust the head restra int so the upper edge is
as even as possible w ith the top of your head . If
that is not possible, t ry to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this posit ion as
possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
~page 268 .
.. Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the veh icle at a ll times.
For detailed information on how to adj ust the
driver's seat, see
~page 59.
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 d uce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always ad just the driver's seat and the
steer ing wheel so that there are at least
10 inc hes (25 cm) between you r breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out
side of the steering wheel r im 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 ho ld the stee ring wheel at the
12 o'clock position o r with yo ur hands at
o ther posi tions ins ide the s teer ing whee l
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serio us injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the dr iver's airbag dep loys .
- 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 aga inst or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
.,
257
Driving safety
-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 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 safety seats¢
page 295 . Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 2 73.
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 .
.,. 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 63.
.,. Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat .
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts correct
ly¢
page 268.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see¢
page 59 .
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:
258
- 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.
- 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.
- Each 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.
-Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in
crease the risk of injury in a crash.
- 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 safety
seats ¢
page 295. Special precautions ap
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat¢
page 2 73.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with 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 incorrect
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 are passengers on the outer rear seats,
adjust the head restraints so the upper edge is ..,.
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that is not possible, try to adjust the head re
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible. If there is a passenger in the center
rear seat, slide the head restraint upward
i=> page 63.
• Make sure that the seatback is secu rely latched
in the upright pos ition
c:> page 68 .
• Keep both feet flat i n the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
• Fasten and wear safety be lts properly
c:> page 268 .
• Make sure that children are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their si ze and age
c:> page 295 .
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 .
- Safety belts only offer max imum p rotection
when the seatback is securely latched in the
upr ight position and the safety be lts a re
prope rly pos itioned on the body. By not sit
t ing upright, a rea r seat passenger increases
the risk of personal in jury from improperly
posit ioned safety belts !
- Alw ays adjust the head rest raint prope rly so
that it can g ive maximum protection.
Dr iving safety
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints ore an impor
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
F ig . 22S Head restra int: v iewed from t he front
The head rest raints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
• Adj ust the head restraints so the upper edge is
as even as possib le 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 posit ion as
possible . Position* the head restraint as close
as possible to the back of your head .
• If there are passengers in rear seat, fold the
head restraints up on the occupied seats .
Ad justing head restraints
c:> page 63.
A WARNING
-A ll seats are equipped w ith head restraints .
Driving w ithout head restraints or w ith head
r est raints that are not prope rly adj usted in
creases the r is k of se rious or fata l neck injury
dr amat ic al ly. To help reduce the risk of injury:
- Always d rive with the head restra ints in
p lace and properly adjusted .
- Every person in the veh icle must have a
p roperly adjusted head restraint .
- Always make sure each person in the veh icle
p rope rly adjusts the ir head restraint. Ad just
the hea d restraints so the upper edge is as
even as possible wi th the top of your hea d.
If that is not poss ible, try to ad just the head
rest raint so that it is as close to this position
as poss ible.
~
259
Driving sa fe ty
-Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have dr iven
off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at
tempting to adjust the head restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
¢ page 295.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious in
jury or deat h. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body . Im
proper seating positions reduce the effect iveness
of safety belts and w ill even increase the r isk of
i njur y and dea th by moving the safety be lt to crit
ical areas of the body. Impro per sea ting posit ions
a lso increase the risk of ser ious injury and dea th
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seat ing position. A driver
is responsib le for the safety of all vehicle occu
pants and especially for children. Therefore :
~ Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating pos ition when the vehicle is being used
c> .&, .
The fo llowing bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that will increase the risk of serio us inj ury
and death. Our hope is that these examp les will
make you more aware of seating posit ions that
are dangerous.
The ref ore, when ever th e vehicle i s moving:
- never stand up in the ve hicle
- never s tand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- never r ide with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on t he seats
- never lean up against the instrument pane l
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit s ideways
- never le an out the w indow
- never put yo ur feet out the window
260
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- neve r rest your feet on the seat c ushion or back
o f the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the ca rgo area
A WARNING
I mp roper seating positions inc re ase the risk
of ser iou s personal inju ry and de ath whenever
a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
s tay in a proper sea ting posit ion and are
pro perly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used .
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can in
flate w ithout interference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can inc rease the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the ai rbag dep loys o r by being pushed in
to you as the airbag dep loys.
- No persons (ch ild ren) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat . If the airbag deploys, this can res ult in
serio us or fat al injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried i n
the footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's seat. Bu lky objects (shopping
bags, for examp le) can hamper or prevent
proper dep loyment of the airbag . Sma ll ob
jects can be thrown thro ugh the vehicle if
the airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers.
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Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without in
terference and that noth ing 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
e l is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri
ous injury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's foot
well. An object could get into the pedal area and interfere w ith pedal function. In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would not be ab le to brake or accelerate!
-Always make sure that nothing can fall or move into the dr iver's footwe ll.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at
tached to the floor mat fasteners and do not interfere with the free movement of the pedals .
... Make sure that the floor mats are properly se
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
pedals
Q .&_ .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area un
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of pos it ion . You can obtain
suitable floor mats from your authorized Audi
dealer.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi .
Fl oor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor mats will prevent them from sliding into posi-
Driving safety
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im
pair safe operation of your vehicle in other ways.
A WARNING
-
Pedals that cannot move freely can res ult in a
l oss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
serious personal injury.
-Always make sure that floor mats are prop
erly secured.
- Never p lace or install floor mats or other
f loor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
proper ly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfer ing with the ped
als o r the ab ility to control the vehicle.
- Never p lace or install floor mats or other
f loor cove rings on top of already installed
floor mats . Additional floor mats and other
cover ings will reduce t he si ze of the pedal
a rea and in terfere with the pedals.
- Always p roperly re insta ll and secure floor
mats that have been take n out fo r clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the d river footwell whi le the vehicle is
mov ing. Objec ts can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus
ing a loss of vehicle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly stowed and secured in the luggage compart
ment.
F ig. 226 Safe load positio ning: place heavy objects as low
a n d as far forward as poss ible.
IJI,-
261
Driving sa fe ty
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift s udden ly, changing vehicle handling charac
ter istics . Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal in jury in a sudden vehicle ma
neuver or in a coll is ion.
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com
partment .
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as low and as far for
ward as possible
c> fig . 226 .
.,. Secure luggage us ing the tie-downs provided
¢ page 69 .
.,. Make su re that the rea r seatbac k is securely
latched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or othe r items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury :
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart
ment.
- Always sec ure objects in the luggage com
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
s u itable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles . To he lp reduce the r isk of a loss
of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal i njury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a change i n the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distr ibute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as poss ible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
o r the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the driv
er's side B-pillar. Exceeding permiss ible
weight standards can cause the vehicle to
s lide and handle differently .
262
-Please observe info rmation on safe driving
¢page 256 .
A WARNING
To he lp prevent po isonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must dr ive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning :
- C lose all windows,
- Close the s unroof*,
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switc h off the air reci rculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doo rs, all win
dows, the sunroof * an d the rear lid are se
curely closed and locked to red uce the risk of
i n jury when the veh icle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your ve hicle unattended espe
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
co uld crawl into the vehicle th rough the lug
g age com partment an d close the rea r lid be
comi ng tr apped and unab le to ge t out . Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to ser ious
pe rsonal i nju ry.
- Never let c hild ren p lay in or around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment. Vehicle occupants mus t al
ways be p roperly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seat ing pos itions.
(D Tips
- Air circul ation helps to reduce w indow fog
ging . Stale ai r escapes to the o uts ide
t h roug h vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
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load. The tire pressure label lists the recom
mended cold tire inflation pressures for the
vehicle at its maximum capacity weight and
the tires that were on your vehicle at the
time it was manufactured. For recommend
ed tire pressures for normal load condi
tions, please see chapter
c:> page 344 .
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
c:> page 261, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in
jury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item . Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10 -lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item . This means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying free ly through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col
lision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan
gerous missiles .
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from flying forward as dangerous
missiles into the passenger compartment .
-
Driving safety
-Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in
form the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com
plaints, it may open an investiga
tion, and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you,
your dealer, or Audi of America,
Inc.
To contact the N HTSA, you may
either call:
Tel.:
1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1-800-424-9153) or
1 -800- 424-9393
or you may write to:
263
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General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be serio usly injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Applies to: Vehicles with five seats: Your vehicle
has two front seats and three rear seats. Each
seating position has a safety belt.
Applies to: Vehicles with seven seats: Your
vehicles has two front seats, three seats in the second row and two seats in the third row. Each
seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt.
It is espe-
Safety belts
cially dangerous to place a safety be lt over a
child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more peop le ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available .
- Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
proper ly restrained with a separate safety
belt or ch ild restraint .
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle hos a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling-up.
Fig. 227 Safety belt warn ing ligh t in the instrument clus
ter -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
~
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect children with a child restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is switched on as a re
minder to fasten the safety belts. In addition,
you w ill hear a warn ing tone for a certain period
of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts .
A WARNING ,.____ -
-Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
inj ury and death in automobile accidents.
F or your protection and that of your
265