Drivin g saf ety
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
The individua l safety features of your vehicle can
work together as a system to help protect you
and your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if they
are not always correctly adjusted and correctly
used .
This chapter contains important informat ion,
tips, instruct ions and warn ings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of you r passengers and others . We have summar
ized here w hat you need to know about safety
be lts, a irbags, child restra ints as well as child
safety. Yo ur safety is for us priority number 1. Al
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section -for your own safety as we ll as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the fea
tures described in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equ ipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your author ized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in
structions and heed the WARNINGS in th is
manual.
It is in your inte rest and in the in
te rest of your passengers .
-
-Always keep all of the Owner's L iterature
manuals in yo ur Audi when you lend o r sell
yo ur vehicle so that this import ant informa
t ion w ill alw ays be availab le to the dr iver
and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner 's Lite ra ture han dy
so that you can find it easi ly if yo u have
questions .
252
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care
ful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen
gers,
bef ore dri ving alw ays:
.. Make sure that a ll lights and signals are operat
ing correctly .
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.. Sec ure all luggage and othe r items ca refully
¢ page 257 .
.. Make sure tha t noth ing ca n interfere wi th the
peda ls .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re
straints according to their he ight.
.. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor
rectly to protect
children ¢ page 291, Child
safety .
• Sit proper ly in yo ur seat a nd make sure t hat
your passenge rs do the same
¢ page 56, Front
seats .
.. Fasten your sa fety belt and wear it p roperly . Al
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe
ty be lts
properly ¢ page 261 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili
ty to concentrate on the rood without being dis
tracted.
The driver is responsib le for the safety of the ve
hicle and a ll of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impa ired, safety risks for everybody in the
vehicle increase and you a lso become a hazard to
everyone else on the road
¢ _&. . Therefore:
.. Do not let yourse lf be distracted by passenge rs
or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im
paired (by med ications, alcohol, drugs, etc .) .
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and
speed lim its and plain common sense .
.,.
Airbag syste m
Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR B AG
OFF ,;; light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
- If the PASS ENGER AIR B AG O FF 1'i; light
does not go out when an adult is sitting on
the front passenger seat after tak ing the
steps described above, make sure the adult
is p roperly seated and restrained at one of
the rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenge r
side w ill be tu rned off, and the
PA SSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
1'i ; light will stay on.
-
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov
ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an area of the
veh icle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a collision .
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
env ironment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repai r proce
dures can increase the r is k of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de
ploying when needed or dep loying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in
strument pane l or modify them in any way.
284
- Never attach any objects such as cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov
ering the a irbag un its.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois
tened w ith plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the st iffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or e lectr ica l system ( in
cluding the installation of a udio eq uipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.) m ust be performed by a qualified techn ician
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strong ly recommend that you see your au
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module mus t always be repaired immedi
ate ly by an autho rized Aud i dealer .
- The a irbag sys tem can deploy on ly once. Af
ter an airbag has been deployed, it m ust be
replaced with new replacement parts de
signed and approved especia lly for your
Audi model version . Replacement of com
plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be performed by qua lified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service ac
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet under AIRBAG RE-
PLAC EMENT RECORD.
Ii)-
Child sa fety
one o f th e rear seating positions . If in exception
a l circumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and
heed all of the app licab le WARNINGS. Make cer
tain that the child and child restraint are correct
ly recogn ized by the capacitive passenger detec
tion system in the front passenge r seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off, and t hat the
a ir bag stat us is a lways cor rectly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF ~; light.
Many types and models of c hild rest raints have
been ava ilable ove r th e yea rs, new mode ls are in
troduced regularly incorporat ing new and im
p roved designs and o lder mode ls are taken o ut of
p roduction . Chi ld restraints are not standardized .
Chi ld restraints of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and sizes and d ifferent "foot
prints", the s ize and shape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that s its on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat . These differences
make it virtually impossible to ce rtify compliance
with the requ irements fo r advanced airbags with
each and eve ry c hild rest raint that has ever been
sold in the pas t or will be sold ove r the co urse of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the Un ited States Nat ional High
way Traffic Safety Adm inist ration has p ublished a
lis t of specific type, makes and models of child
rest raints that must be used to cert ify comp li
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi
cle with th e suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ange l Guard Ange l September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
294
Subpart B -Rear-facing child rest raints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1 999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22 -999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December
1, 1999
just R ight 212
E venflo First Choice December
1, 1
999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December
1, 1 999
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
P eg Perego P rimo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SI P IMU NOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 025 19 December
1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
H igh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
E venflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December
1, 1999
E venflo Generat ions September 25, 200 7
35 2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Todd le r Safety September 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
Graco Plat inum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of se rious injury, ma ke sure
that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light
comes on and stays on whenever a c hild re
straint is insta lled on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
Wheels
by the tire manufacturer. This in
formation is used to contact con sumers if a tire defect requires a
recall.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and lug
gage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilo
grams) times the vehicle's desig nated seating capacity .
Vehicle maximum load on the
tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib
uting to each axle its share of the
maximum loaded vehic le weight
and dividing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individual
tire that is determined by distrib
uting to each axle its share of the
curb weight, accessory weight,
and normal occupant weight (dis
tr ibuted in accordance
with¢ ta
ble on page 33 7)
and d ividing by
two .
Occupant loading and distri
bution for vehicle normal load
for various designated seating capacities
Re fer to the tire inflation pres
sure
label¢ page 335, fig. 269
332
for the n umbe r of seating posi
tions. Refer to the
table ¢ table
on page 337
for the number of
people tha t correspond to the ve
hicle normal load.
New tires or wheels
Audi recommends having all work
on t ires or wheels performed by
an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility.
These facilities have the proper
know ledge and are eq uipped with
the required too ls and rep lace
ment parts.
... New t ires do not yet have the
optim um gripping properties.
Drive carefully and at moderate
speeds for the first 35 0 m iles
(500 km) with new tires .
... Only use tires with the same de
sign, size ( rolling circumfer
ence) , and as close to t he same
tread pattern as possible on a ll
four wheels .
...
Do not replace tires individually.
At least replace bo th tires on the
same axle at the same time .
... Audi recommends that you use
Audi O riginal Tires. If you would
like to use di fferent tires, please
note that the tires may perform
...
u co .... N r--N .... 0 <( 0 00
on the label on the driver's side B
pillar, always follow the specifica
tion on the B-pillar label
c:::> page 335, fig. 268.
Make sure that the tire designa
tion on your tire matches the des-
Model/ Tire designation
Wheels
ignation on the tire pressure label
and the tire pressure table.
The following table lists recom mended tire pressures in cold
tires according to the load and
the size of the tires installed.
Tire pressure
Engine Normal load Maximum load
(up to 3
people)a)
front
PSI kPA
Q5: 235/60 R18 103H 29 200
2.0L
235/55 R19 101H 29 200
4-cylinder
255/45 R20 101H 29 200
gasoline en-
255/45 R20 101W
29 200 gine
255/40 R21102Y
32 220
SQ5: 255/45 R20 101H 33 230
3.0L
255/45 R20 101W 36 250
6-cylinder
gasoline en- 255/40 R21102Y 33 230
gine
a
) 2 people in the front, 1 person in the rear
A WARNING
Please note the important safe
ty precautions regarding tire
pressure
c:::> page 335 and load
limits
c:::> page 337.
Tires and vehicle load limits
There are limits to the amount of
load or weight that any vehicle
and any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle
well and is more difficult to stop .
Overloading can not only lead to
rear front rear
PSI kPA PSI kPA PSI kPA
29 200 35 240 38 260
29 200 33 230 36 250
29 200 33 230 36 250
29 200 32 220 35 240
32 220 32 220 35 240
30 210 36 250 36 2 50
33 230 4
1
280 44
300
33 230 36 250 39 270
loss of vehicle control, but can al
so damage important parts of the
vehicle and can lead to sudden
tire failure, including a blowout
and sudden deflation that can
cause the vehicle to crash.
Your safety and that of your pas
sengers also depends on making
sure that load limits are not ex
ceeded. Vehicle load includes ev
erybody and everything in and on
the vehicle . These load limits are
technically referred to as the
..,
337
u co ..... N r--N ..... 0 <( 0 00
control, which increases the risk of an
accident.
@ Note
-Snow chains can damage the rims/wheel
covers* if the chains come into direct con
tact with them . Remove the wheel covers*
first. Use coated snow chains.
-Do not install and use snow chains if there is
a malfunction in the air suspension*, be
cause the vehicle height will be very low. If
you drive with snow chains anyway, the
wheel housings and other vehicle compo
nents can be severely damaged.
(D Tips
When using snow chains, it may be useful to
switch the offroad mode on <=>
page 141.
Low-profile tires
App lies to: ve hicles with low -profile tires
Compared to other tire/rim combinat ions, low
profile tires offer a wider tread surface and a
l arger r im diameter with shorter tire sidewalls.
This results in an agile dr iv ing style. However, it
may reduce the leve l of comfort and increase
road noise when driving on roads in poor condi
tion .
L ow -profile tires can become damaged more
quickly than standard tires when driving over
l arge bumps, potholes, manhole covers, and
curbs . Therefore, it is particular ly important to
maintain the correct tire pressure<=>
page 335 .
To reduce the risk of damage to the tires and
rims, drive very carefu lly on poor roads.
Check your wheels regularly every 2,000 mi
(3,000 km) for damage. Fo r example, check for
bulges/cracks on the tires or deformations/
cracks on the rims.
After a heavy impact or damage, have the tires
and rims inspected or replaced immediate ly by
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility .
Lo w-profile tires can wear out faster than stand
ard tires.
Wheels
Uniform tire quality grading
-Tread wear
-Traction AA ABC
-Temperature ABC
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire side wall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width <=>
page 326, fig. 266.
For example: Tread wear 200 , Traction AA, Tem
perature A.
All passenger car tires must conform to Federal
Safety Requirements in addition to these grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled cond it ions on a specified gov
ernment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one half (1 1/2) times as we ll on the govern
ment course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends upon
the actual cond it ions of the ir use, however, and
may depa rt significantly from the norm due to
variations in driv ing habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA , A, Band
C. Those grades represent the tire's
ability to stop o n wet pavement as measured un
der controlled conditions on specified govern
ment test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance
c:>,& .
Temperature
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions on
a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the mate
rial of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life,
and excessive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure
c:> ,& . ..,.
341
Emerg enc y assis tance
~ Inflate the tire to between 29 psi (200 kPA)
and 36 psi (250 kPA) and read the pressure on
the gauge.
~ If this tire pressure is not reached, remove the
filler hose. Drive s lowly approximately 33 feet
(10 m) forward or in reverse so that the sealant
can be d istr ibuted in the tire . Pump up the t ire
again ~,&. .
_& WARNING
-Read and follow the manufacture r's safety
precautions on the compresso r and in the
instructions on the bottle of sealant.
- If a t ire pressu re of 29 ps i (200 kPA) cannot
reached after inflating for 6 minutes, then
the tire is too severely damaged . Do not
continue driving .
- If the tire cannot be repaired with the tire sealant, see an authorized Audi dealer or au
thorized Audi Service Facility for assistance .
(D Tips
Do not operate the compressor for mo re than
six minutes continuously, or it can overheat .
Once the compressor has cooled, you can con
tinue to use it .
Completing
App lies to: ve hicles w ith t ire mobility kit
~ Adhere the sticker that says "max . 50 mph
(max. 80 km/h)" that is provided w ith the t ire
mobility kit within the driver 's field of vision .
~ Stop the vehicle after driving for about 10 m i
nutes and check the tire pressure.
~ If the t ire pressure is lower tha n 19 ps i (1 30
kPA), then the t ire is too severely damaged. Do
not continue driving .
_& WARNING
Pay attention to the following after repairing
the tire:
- Do not drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h) .
- Avoid hard acceleration, bra king sharply,
and fast cornering .
- The veh icle m ay become mo re diff icul t to
contro l.
352 -
If the tire is too severe ly damaged, see an
author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility for ass istance.
@) For the sake of the environment
You can give the used tire sealant bottle to an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi
Service Fac ility for disposal.
(D Tips
Remember to obtain a new bott le of sealant
from an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Fac ility after repairing a tire.
Replacing a wheel
Preparation
You must complete the preparation before
changing a tire .
~ Read and follow the important safety precau-
tions ~ page 350 .
~ Set the park ing brake .
~ Select the "P" se lector lever position.
~ When tow ing a tra ile r: d isconnect the trailer
from yo ur vehicle.
~ Switch on wheel c hange mode* in the In fotain
ment system:
! MENUI button> Vehicle > left
control button >
Ser vic e & check s > Air suspen ·
sion : wheel change .
~ Switch the ignit ion off.
The vehicle jack mode* switches off automatica l
l y at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/h).
_& WARNING
When us ing the veh icle jack* on a road with a
steep hill or offroad, you must take extra pre
cautions to prevent the vehicle from rolling .
Use suitable objects to block the front and
bac k of the wheel that is d iagonal from the
wheel with the flat t ire.
_& WARNING
You o r you r passengers could be injured while
ch anging a whee l if you do not follow these
safety pre caut ions:
u co ..... N r-N .....
~ 0 co
(D Tips
The vehicle jack mode* switches off automatically at speeds above 6 mph (10 km/h) .
Removing and installing a wheel
Fig. 278 Wh eel: i nt ern al hex so cket to turn th e w hee l
b olts
Fig. 279 Wheel: alignment pin in the top hole
Remo ving a wheel
.,. Remove the top wheel bolt complete ly using
the hex socket in the screwdriver handle (in the
vehicle tool kit)
c::> fig. 2 78 and place it on a
clean surface .
.,. The n install the alignment pin (from the vehicle
tool kit) by hand into the empty wheel bolt ho le
c::>fig . 279.
.,. Remove the rest of the wheel bolts .
.,. Remove the wheel c::>G). The al ignm ent pi n re-
mains in the hole while doing this.
Install a wheel
Read the direct ions on c::> page 355 when ins tal
ling unidirectional tires .
.,. Slide the wheel on over the alignment pin c::> 0 .
.,. Install the wheel bo lts and tighten gen tly using
t h e hex socket .
Emergen cy as sis tanc e
.,. Remove the alignment pin and also tighten the
remaining whee l bolt .
.,. Carefully lower the vehicle using the vehicle
jack* .
.,. T ighten the wheel bolts in a diagonal pattern
using the wheel wrench .
The wheel bolts must be clean and loosen/tight
en easily. Check the contact surfaces for the
whee l and hub. Contam inants on the se surfaces
must be removed before install ing the whee l.
A WARNING ~
Never use the hex socket in the screwdriver
handle o r the hex socket wrench with the
ra tc het to loosen or tighten the wheel bolts.
This increases the risk of an ac cident, because
you will not reach the tightening specif ication
required .
(D Note
When removing o r instal lin g the wheel, the
rim co uld h it the br ake rotor and damage t he
rotor . Work carefully and have a second per
son help you .
(D Tips
-When mount ing tires with unidirectional
tread de sign
make sure the tread pattern is
pointed the right way
c::> page 355 .
- T he wheel bolts sho uld be clean and easy to
t u rn. Check for dirt and corrosion on the
mating surfaces of both the wheel and the
hub. Remove all dirt from these s urfaces
be
fore remounting the wheel.
Unidirectional tires
-
A un idirectional t ire profi le is identified by arrows
that point in the r unning direct ion on the tire
s idewa ll. You must always adhe re to the spec i
fied ru nning direction. Th is is necessary ensure
the tire's opt imum pe rformance in reg ard to
ad
hesion, runni ng no ise, friction and hydroplaning .
T o benefit fully from the advantages of the uni
directional t ire design, yo u should replace fa ulty
t ir es as soon as possible and restore the correc t
runn ing direction on all of the t ires.
355