Pedal area
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.
.&_ 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. 230 Safe load positio ning: place heavy objects as low
a n d as far forward as poss ible.
IJI,-
263
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 . 230 .
.,. Secure luggage us ing the tie-downs provided
¢ page 79 .
.,. 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
front end of the driver's door. Exceeding permissible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to s lide and handle diffe rently .
264
-Please observe info rmation on safe driving
¢page 258 .
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*,
- Close the power top*,
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan -
el,
- Switch off the air reci rculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the sunroof*, the power top * and the
rear lid are securely closed and locked to re
duce the risk of in jury when the veh icle is not
being used.
-After clos ing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your veh icle unattended espe
cially wi th the rear lid left ope n. A child
could crawl into th e vehicle th rough the lug
gage compa rtment and close the rea r lid be
comi ng trapped and u nable to ge t out. Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to ser ious
pe rsonal inj ury.
- Never let c hild ren p lay in o r around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passenge rs ride in the luggage
comp artment. Vehicle occu pants mus t
al
ways be proper ly restrained in one of the ve
hicle's seat ing pos itions.
(D Tips
- Air circu lation helps t o reduce w indow fog
ging . Stale air escapes to the o uts ide
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep these slots free and open .
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
l oad . The tire pressure labe l 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
q page 3 52.
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
q page 263, 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 . Veh icle speed is the most s ignificant 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 . Th is means that the weight
of the item wo uld suddenly be abo ut
200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing free ly through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col
lision l ike this .
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail d uring hard
brak ing or in a collision and cause serious per
sonal injury.
- Always use su itab le mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shift ing or fly ing fo rwa rd as dan
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down, always use su itab le mount ing straps and
prope rly secure items to t he tie-downs in
the luggage compartmen t to help p reve nt
-
Dr iving safety
items from flying forward as dangerous
miss iles into the passenger compartment .
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
Active rollover protection system
Function
Applies to: veh icles w ith power top
The rollover protection system protects vehicle
occupants in the event of a rollover .
Fig. 231 Rear seats : rollbar deployment range
Fig. 232 Rear seats : deployed rollbar
The active rollover protection system consists of:
- two rollbars
- t he safe ty belts with bel t tensione rs
- the wi ndshield frame
- the rollover senso rs
The active rollover protection system provides additional safety in the event of a rollover. With
i n milliseconds, sensors deploy two rollbars lo
cated behind the head restra ints in the rear seats
¢ fig . 232. 11iJJ,
265
<( a, .... N ,....
N .... 0 \0
3 a,
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety belts can also substantially re
duce the risk of injury in other k inds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure
others do, too . Accident statistics show that vehi
cle occupants properly wearing safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of su rviving a n accident. Prope rly using
safety be lts al so greatly increases the ability of
the supplemental ai rbags to do the ir job in a col
lision. For t his reason, wearing a safety belt is le
ga lly required in most countr ies including much
of the Un ited States and Canada.
A lthough your Audi is equipped with airbags, yo u
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for examp le, are activated on ly in some
frontal collis ions. The front airbags are not acti
vated in all frontal coll is ions, in side and rear col
lisions, in rollovers or in cases where there is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle . The same goes for the other airbag
systems in you r Audi . So, always wear your safety
be lt and make sure eve rybody in you r vehicle is
p roperly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wea r safety be lts as illust rated and de
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are a lways
ready for use and are not damaged .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death . Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly be
fore driving off and make sure all passen
gers are cor rectly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be posit ioned properly on the body .
Safet y be lts
- Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt.
- Never p lace a safety belt
over a child sitting
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwe ll in front of
the seat while the veh icle is being driven.
- Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument panel or stick ing out the
window or on the seat.
- Never
remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed.
- Never wear be lts twisted .
- Never wear be lts
over rigid or breakable ob -
jects in or on yo ur clothing, such as eye
g lasses, pens, keys, etc ., as these may cause
injury.
- Never a llow safety belts to become dam
aged by be ing ca ught in door or seat hard
ware.
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos ition.
- Several layers of heavy clothing may inter
fe re with co rrect positioning of be lts and re ·
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
- Always keep be lt buck les free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely.
- Never use comfort clips or devices that cre
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems .
- Torn or frayed safety be lts can tear, and
damaged be lt hardware can break in an acci
dent. Inspect belts regularly. If webb ing,
b indings, buckles, or retractors are dam
aged, have belts rep laced by an authorized
Aud i deale r o r qualified workshop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
corre ct replacement safety belt by an au
thori zed Audi dealer. Rep lacemen t may be
necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen . Anchorages that were loaded must al
so be inspected .
- Never
remove, mod ify, disassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourse lf .
271
Safety belts
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly and can impa ir the func
t ion of the inertia reel
¢ table Interior
cleaning on page 364 .
Safety belts
Belt positioner
Applies to: vehicles with belt positioners
Fig. 239 Driver 's seat: Belt pos it ione r (exa mple)
The front seats are equ ipped w ith belt pos ition
ers so it is easier to fasten the safety belts . The
belt positioners automatically extend when the
door closes or the igni tion switches on.
The belt positioner returns to its starting posi
tion again when
-the tongue in the belt la tch engages or the belt
was not fastened within 60 seconds .
- you switch the ignition off.
-you open the door .
A WARNING
The belt positioners could cause injury or
damage if they p inch people or objects when
extend ing or retracting.
272
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 240 Belt buckle and tongue on the driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear
er 's body .
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper
ly¢ page 71, Front seats.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the
belt ¢ _A.
.. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis ¢ fig. 240, ¢ _A .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is sec urely
latched in the buckle .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic
belt retractor on the shoulder belt . This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard brak ing and in an accident. The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv
ing the belt lets you move free ly.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped w ith a belt preten
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
¢ page 2 75. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning
light ¢ page 32 . Iii>
Convertibl e lo ck ing r etr actor
Every safety be lt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac
tor that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the important information about this feature
c::;,page 313.
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c::;, page 2 73,
Safety belt position.
-Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly pos itioned on the body.
-Always make sure that the rear seat back rest to wh ich the center rear safety belt is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rea r 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 buck le wi ll reduce safety belt effec
t iveness and can cause serious personal in
jury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrained
can be seriously injured by the safety belt it
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo
men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are secur ing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
c::;, page 315 .
Safety bel ts
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 24 1 Safety belt position
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
size.
-be lt height adjustment for the front seats,
-he ight-adjustable fron t seats.
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
-The shou lder belt should l ie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body . Ho ld the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos
sible on the pelvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should always fit
snugly
c::;, fig. 241. Pu ll on the belt to tighten
if necessary .
- The lap belt portion of the safety belt must
be positioned as low as possible across pel
vis and neve r over the abdomen. Make s ure
the belt lies flat and
snug~ fig. 241. Pull on
the bel t to tig hte n if necessary.
-A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
inj uries by shifting its position on your body
from the stro ng bones to mo re vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause se rious inj ury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
o ther important informat ion
c::;, page 271.
273
Safe ty belts
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
corre ctly-throughout the pregnancy.
F ig. 242 Safety be lt pos itio n during preg nan cy
To prov ide maximum protection , safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the wear
er's body
¢ page 273 .
... Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor
rectly¢ page 71, Front seats .
... 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 ac ross the chest so
that it sits as low as possib le on the pelv is and
there is no press ure on the abdomen
¢ fig. 242, c:::> ,&. .
... Inse rt the tongue into the correct b uckle of
your seat until you hear it latch secure ly .
... Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
A WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety belts can cause
ser ious persona l inju ry in an accident.
- Expectant mothe rs must a lways wear the
lap port ion of the safe ty belt as low as pos
sible across the pelvis and below the round
ing of the abdomen.
- Always read a nd heed all WARNINGS and
othe r important information
c:::> .&. in Fasten
ing safety belts on page 273.
274
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only ofter the vehicle hos stopped.
Fig . 2 43 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
... Push the red re lease button on the buck le
c:::> fig. 243. The belt tongue wi ll spring out of
the buck le
c:::> ,&. .
... Let the belt wind up on the retractor as yo u
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your r isk of be
ing inj ured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt he ight
App lies to: vehicles wit h safety belt height ad justment
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust
ment, the three point safety belt strop routing
can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size.
Fig . 244 Safety belt heigh t adj ustme nt - loop-a ro und fit
t ings
The shoulder be lt shou ld lie as close to the center
of the co llar bone as poss ible and s hou ld fit well
..,.
Child safety
-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 .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly
c::> page 308.
.,. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe
ty 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 313.
.,. 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 308 .
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.
_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
306
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact .
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- 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 .
- 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.