Drivin g saf ety
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or p lace any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located.
- Before dr iving, 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 dr ive with the backrest reclined or
t ilted far back! The farther the backrests are
t ilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and imp roper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢ page 249. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenge r
seat¢ page 22 7.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
F or your own safety and to reduce t he risk of in
ju ry in the event of an accide nt, we recomme nd
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
.,. Adjust the ang le of t he seatback so that it is i n
an upright posit ion and you r back comes in f ull
contact wi th it w henever the vehicle is mov ing.
.,. 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 ad just the head re
straint so that it is as close to this position as
poss ible
¢ page 211.
.,. Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat .
.,. Fasten and wear safety be lts cor rect ly
¢ page 222.
For deta iled i nformation on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 54.
210
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or k illed by the airbag as it
unfo lds. To help red uce the risk of serio us
personal injury:
- Passengers must a lways sit in an upright po
sition and never lean aga inst or place any
p art of their body too close to the are a
where the air bags a re loc ated.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi
tion or too close to the airb ag can be se ri
ously in jured by an airbag as it unfolds wi th
great fo rce in the blink of an eye .
- Always make sure th at there are at least
10 inches (2 5 cm) between the fron t pas
senger's breastbone an d the instrument
panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen
ge r's knees and the lower pa rt of the inst ru
ment 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 d riving, always ad just 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 w ill not be
ab le to protect you properly and can even in
crease the r isk of injury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest recl ined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted bac k, the greater the r is k of injury due
to incor rec t positioning of the safety be lt
a nd imprope r seat ing pos ition .
- Ch ild ren must always ride in child seats
¢ page 249 . Special pre caut ions apply
when install ing a child sea t on the front
passenger
sea t¢ page 22 7 .
lL t:0 ....
'"" ......
'"" .... 0 0 :c '
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
fee t on the fl oor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve
hicle is in use .
To reduce the r isk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden b raking
maneuver or a n accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must a lways observe the follow
ing:
• For adjustable head restraints: Adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as poss i
ble with the top of your head . If that is not pos
sibl e, try to adjust the h ead restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possib le
c> page 211.
• Keep bo th feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
• Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c>page222 .
• Make sure that child ren are always properly re
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age
c> page 249.
8_ WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger m ust always sit on a seat of
their own and proper ly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum p rotection
when the safety belts are properly posi
t ioned on the body and securely latched. By
not sitt ing upright, a rear seat passenger in
c reases the risk of personal injury from im
properly pos itioned safety belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly so
that it can g ive maximum protection .
1l Vehicl es with re clin in g re ar seat: This fun ction is not avail·
abl e fo r the front passe ng er 's s eat.
Dri ving safety
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.
F ig . 218 H ead restrain t: v ie wed from t he front
The head r est raints must be correct ly adjusted to
a chieve the best p rotection.
• For adj ustab le head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi
bl e wi th th e top of your he ad . If that is not pos
s ible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this posit ion as possible.
¢ fig . 218 .
Adjusting head restraints c> page 58.
Crash - active head restraints
In the event of a re ar-end co llision, i t is poss ible
that the c rash -active head restra ints on the driv
er 's seat and front passenger's
seat1
) are trig
gered . On head restraints that have been trig
gered, the padding protrudes forwards by several
cent imeters. Drive the vehicle to your authori zed
Audi dealer w ithout delay and have the funct ion
of the act ive head restra ints restored .
8_ WARNING
-Driving without head restraints or w ith head
r est rai nts that are not prope rly a dju sted in
creases the ris k of serious or fata l neck injury
dramat ica lly . To help reduce the risk of injury:
- Always d rive with the head restra ints in
p lace and properly adjus ted .
211
Drivin g saf ety
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restra int so the upper edge is as
even as possib le w ith the top of your head.
If that is not possible, try to adjust the head
restra int so that it is as close to th is position
as possib le.
- 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, fi rst s top the vehicle safely before at
tempting to ad just the head restra int.
- Children must always be p roperly restrained
in a chi ld restrain t that is appropria te fo r
their age and size
q page 249.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
sea ted.
I mp roper seating posit ions can cause se rious in
ju ry or deat h. Safety belts can only wo rk when
t hey are p roper ly posit ioned o n the body . Im
p roper seating posi tions reduce t he effect iveness
of safety belts and wi ll even increase the risk of
inj ury and death by moving the safety be lt to crit
ical areas of the body. Improper seating posit ions
also increase the risk of ser ious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and str ikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seat ing position . A driver
is responsible for the safety of a ll vehicle occu
pants and especially fo r ch ildre n. Therefo re :
"' Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition w hen the ve hicle is being used
q& .
The fo llow ing bulletins list only some sample po
sitions that wi ll increase the risk of ser ious injury
a nd death . Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seat ing pos it ions that
are dangero us.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
- never stand up in the ve hicle
- never stand on the seats
212 -
neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride w it h the sea tback re clined
- neve r lie down on the seats
- never lean up aga inst the instrument panel
- never s it on the edge of the seat
- never s it sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- neve r put your feet on the instr ument panel
- neve r rest you r feet on the seat c ushion or bac k
of t he se at
- neve r ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imp roper seating posi tions inc rease the risk
of ser ious personal inju ry and death 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 a re
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used .
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
A lways make su re 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 airbag 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
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's se at. Bu lky objects (shopping
bags, for examp le) can ham per or prevent
proper dep loymen t of the airbag . Sma ll ob
jects can be thrown thro ugh the vehicle if
the air bag deploys and in jure you or your
passengers.
Drivin g saf ety
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other 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 secure objects in the luggage com
partment using the tie-down hooks and
suitable straps .
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi
cle handles. To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of control leading to serious pe rsonal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a change in the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distribute 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 left
doo r jamb. Exceed ing permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
hand le differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
c> page 208.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being d rawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed whi le driving.
- Never transport objec ts larger than those
fi tt ing complete ly into the luggage a rea be
ca use the rear l id cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely mus t drive w ith the rea r lid
open, obse rve the follow ing notes to reduce
t h e risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
214
-
- 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 su re that the doo rs, all win
dows, the powe r roof and the rear lid are se
curely closed and locked to re duce the risk of
in jury when the veh icle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always ma ke sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your veh icle unattended espe
cially with the rear lid left open . A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug
gage compartment and close the rea r lid be
coming trapped and unab le to get o ut. Be
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to ser ious
pe rsonal injury.
- Never let ch ildren play in o r around the vehi
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment . Vehicle occupants mus t al
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve hicle's seat ing pos itions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce w indow fog
ging . Stale ai r esca pes to the outs ide
through vents in the trim panel, on the left
side of the luggage compartment. Be sure
to keep t hese s lo ts free and open.
- T he tire p ressure must correspond to the
load. The t ire pressure is shown on t he tire
press ure label. The ti re pre ssure label is lo
c ated on the drive r's side B- pilla r. The tire
pressu re label lists the recommen ded cold
t ire inflation pressures fo r the veh icle at its
maximum capac ity we ight and the tires that
we re on your veh icle at the time it was man
ufactured . For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load conditions, p lease see chap
ter
c> page 294.
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
¢ page 213, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause ser ious in
jury . Items in the ve hicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the item . Veh icle speed is the most s ignif ica nt factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces act ing o n 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
t hat a 200 lbs. (9 0 kg) item flying freely throug h
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
brak ing or in a col lision and cause serious per
sonal injury .
- Always use suitab le 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 .
- 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 NHTSA, you may
either call:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1-800-424-9153) or
1-800-424-9393
or you may write to:
NHTSA
U.S. Department of Transporta
tion 1200 New Jersey Ave ., S.E.
West Building
Washington , DC 20590
You can also obtain other infor
mation about motor vehicle safe
ty from:
http:/ /www.safercar.gov
215
u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c '
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety be lts 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 s ingle most effective
means ava ilable to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobi le accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen
gers, always co rrect ly wea r safety be lts
w hen the veh icle is mov ing.
- Pregnant wome n, in ju red, o r physically im
paired persons mus t also use safety be lts.
Lik e al l vehicle oc cupan ts, they are mo re
li kely to be serio usly injured i f th ey do no t
wear safety be lts . The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mothe r -throug hout
the ent ire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Aud i has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in t he rear. In some
veh icles, there are four seat ing positions: two in
the fro nt and two in the rear . Each seati ng posi
tion has a safety belt.
A WARNING
N ot we aring safety bel ts or wear ing them im
pro perly in cre ases the risk of ser io us pe rsonal
inju ry and dea th.
- Never st rap more th an one pe rso n, includ
ing sm all c hildr en, in to any be lt.
It is espe
c ially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap .
Safet y be lts
- Never let more peop le r ide in the vehicle
than there are safety be lts available.
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
proper ly restrained w ith a separate safety
be lt or ch ild restraint.
,ff. Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about
the importance of buckling-up.
F ig. 21 9 Safety belt warnin g lig ht in t he inst rument clus·
te r -en larged
Befor e dr ivi ng off , always :
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
~
~ Make sure that your passengers a lso buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect ch ildren with a c hild restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age .
The warning lig ht . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts . In addition, you will hear
a war ning tone for a certai n period of time .
Fasten your safet y belt and make su re that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
b e lts .
A WARNING
-
-Safety bel ts are the sing le m ost effec tive
means available to red uce the risk of ser io u s
i njur y and death in a utomob ile accidents.
F or your p rotection and that of yo ur passen
ge rs, always correc tly wear safety bel ts
when the vehicle is moving .
~
219
Safety belts
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 correctly restrained.
-For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
-Never strap more than one person, includ
ing small children, into any belt .
-Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven .
-Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or sticking 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 belts twisted.
-Never wear belts over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing, such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc ., as these may cause
injury .
-Never allow safety belts to become dam
aged by being caught in door or seat hard
ware .
-Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position.
-Several layers of heavy clothing may inter
fere with correct positioning of belts and re duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
-Always keep belt buckles 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 belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci
dent . Inspect belts regularly .
If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
222
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen . Anchorages that were loaded must al
so be inspected.
-Never remove, modify , d isassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself .
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly and can impair the func
tion of the inertia
reel¢ table Interior
cleaning on page 308.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 225 Be lt buckle and tongue on the drive r'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 54, Seats and storage.
.. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis
Q fig . 225, Q _&. .
.. 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 securely
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,
..,.
lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c '
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a ste ep
h ill or through a sharp curve . Dur ing normal driv
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety belt pretension ers
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre ten
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and remove slack when the pretens ioner is activated
c:> page 225. The function of the p retensioner is
monitored by a warn ing light
c:> page 23.
Conv ert ible loc king retractor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac
tor that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the important information about this feature
c:> page 259 .
A WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety belts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c:> page 223 ,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the body.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat . Attaching the belt to the
wrong bu ckle w ill reduce safety belt effec
t iveness and can cause serious persona l in
jury .
- A passenger who is not p roperly restrained
can be seriously injured by the safety be lt it
sel f when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo
men.
- Always lock the convert ible lock ing retractor
when you are secur ing a child seat in the ve
hicle
c> page 261.
@ Tips
For information on safety be lt pretensione rs,
refer to
c:> page 225.
Safet y bel ts
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig . 2 26 Safet y be lt po sit ion
U se the height adjustment to change the position
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts.
.&_ WARNING ~
Improperly positioned safety belts can ca use
serious personal injury in an acc ident.
- 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 a lways fit
snug ly
c:> fig. 226. Pu ll on the bel t to tighten
if necessary.
- A loose-fit ting safety belt can cause serious
in jur ies by shi fting its position on your body
from the strong bones to mo re v ulnerable,
soft tissue and cause se rious in jury.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
o ther impor tant informat ion
c:> page 221.
223