airbag off AUDI S4 2013 Owners Manual

Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Why safety be lts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Safety belt pretens ioners . . . . . . . . . . 143
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 14S
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Mon itor ing the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Side curta in a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
I mpor tant th ings to know . . . . . . . . . . 166
C hi ld safety sea ts ................. 172
I ns tall ing a chi ld safety seat . . . . . . . . 176
L A T CH Lower anchorages and tether
for children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Addit ional Information
184
Vehi cle operat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 185
Not ice about data recorded by vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18S
Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) . 185
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
E lect ro-mechanical power assist ,
dynamic stee ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Driving w ith your qu attro ® . . . . . . . . . 191
E nergy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Driving and environment . . . . . 194
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . 194
Driving through water on roads . . . . . 194
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19S
Operate your vehicle econom ically and
minim ize pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
allroad: Driv ing offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Driving w ith a t ra iler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 1
Table of contents 3
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
202
Cleaning and protection . . . . . . 202
Genera l information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Care of exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Care of interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ... .. .. .. . .............
214
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Fuel tank .. .. .. .. .. . .. .... ...... . 216
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine compartment .............. 221
E ngine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
E ngine cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
B rake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Windshie ld/headlight* washer
container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 4
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Tire pressure monitoring system 253
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 256
What do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2S6
Space-saving spare tire (compact
spare tir e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Inflatable spare tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Inflat ing i nflatable spa re tire . . . . . . . 258
Changi ng a wheel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fuses..... .. .. .. .. . ............. 265
Bul bs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 269
Genera l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
St art ing by p ushing or towing . . . . . . . 269
Star ting with jumpe r cables . . . . . . . . 269
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Emergency towing wit h commercia l
tow truck ... .. .. .. .. ........... . 271
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
•
•

20 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Contact your authorized Audi dealer as
soon as possible.
-USA models: If the la warning light
and the
E warn ing light come on to­
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock­
up can cause loss of vehicle control and
an acc ident. Have your vehicle repaired
immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop. Dr ive
slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light . and the ABS warning light
li]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking. Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle
control and an accident. Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your author­
ized Audi dea ler or a qualified workshop.
Drive slowly and avo id sudden, hard
brake applicat ions.
I I !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models),£,1 (Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems (e.g.
airbags, pretensioners) and ill uminates for a
few seconds each time you switch the ignition
on.
If the fl (USA models)/ fll (Canada mode ls)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driv ing, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a ma lfunction somewhere
in the system.
If the light does not illuminate
when you switch the ignition on, this also
means there is a malfunction.
& WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your author ized Audi dealer
immediate ly. Otherw ise the safety sys­
t ems may not work properly in an acci­
dent.
l ) - : USA mod els only
(0) Worn brake pads
EiJ Brake pads!
If the warning light illuminates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­ ed . On USA models the warn ing light
EiJ
comes on together with the warning light
la-Both sets of brake pads on an ax le
must a lways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the warning light
EiJ and the warning
light
la1 l with the message Brake
pads! comes on in the instrument cluster
d isplay, immediately contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control.
The ~ warning/indicator light (Electronic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check.
(D Tips
If this warning/ indicator light illuminates
while you are driving, then there is a mal­
funct ion in the engine electronics. Have
the malfunction corrected as soon as pos­
s ib le by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repa ir facility.
Ci Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
T he Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is par t
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
-
The symbo l ¢4' lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
IJ>,

32 Openin g and clo sing
Opening and closing
Power locking system
General description
The power locking system locks or unlocks all
doors and the rear lid simultaneously.
You can lock and unlock the vehicle centrally.
You have the following choices:
- Remote master key~
page 35,
-Door handles with convenience key*
~page 36,
-Lock cy linder at the dr iver's door
~ page 38, or
- Power loc king switch inside
~ page 36.
Automatic l ocking
The automatic locking feature locks all the ve ­
h icle doors and the rear lid when you drive
faster than 9 mph ( 15 km/h) .
The car is unlocked again once the ignition key is removed. In addition, the veh icle can be un ­
locked if the opening function in the power
lock ing system switch or at one of the door
leve rs is actuated. The Auto Loc k function can
be turned on and off in the rad io or
MMI*
~ page 37.
Addit ionally, in the event of a crash with a ir­
bag deployment the doors are automatically
un locked to allow access to the veh icle.
Selective unlocking
When you lock the vehicle, the power locking
system w ill lock the doors and the rear lid .
When unlocking, you can set in the rad io or
MMI* whether
only the dr iver's door or the
enti re ve hicle should be unlocked
~ page 37.
Anti -th eft alarm warning system
If the anti-theft alarm warning system de­
tects a break- in into the vehicle, acoust ic and
visua l wa rning signals are triggered.
The anti -theft warn ing system is act ivated au ­
tomatically when you lock the vehicle .
It is de­
activated when u nlocking using the remote key, with the mechanica
l key, and when yo u
switch on the ignition.
T he alarm a lso t urns off when t he a la rm cycle
has expired.
Turn signals
When you u nlock the veh icle, the turn s ignals
flash twice , when you lock it once . If they do
not flash, one of the doo rs, the luggage com ­
partment lid or the hood is not locked or the
ignition is s till sw itched on.
Unint entionally locking yourself out
In the follow ing cases there safegua rds to
prevent you lock ing you r remote master key in
the vehicle:
- The vehicle does not lock w ith the power
lock ing switch ~
page 36 if the drive r's
door is open .
- On veh ides with convenience key*, if the
most recently used master key is in the lug­
gage compa rtment, the rear lid is automat i­
cally un locked again after it is closed.
Do not lock your veh icle w ith the remote mas­
ter key or convenience key* unt il all doors and
the rea r lid a re closed . In this way you avoid
locking yourself out accidentally .
_& WARNING
-
-When you leave the veh icle, alw ays re ­
move the ignition key and take it with
you . This will prevent passengers (chil­
dren, for example) from acc identally be­
ing locked in the vehicle should they acci­
dentally press the power locking switch in the front doors .
- Do not leave ch ildren inside the vehicle
unsuperv ised. In an emergency it would
be imposs ible to open the doors from
the o utside without the key .
(D Tips
- In the event of a crash with airbag de­
ployment all locked doors will be auto­
matically unlocked to give access to the
vehicle occupants from the outside.

-You cannot open the doors or the rear lid
from the outside (increased security, for ex­
amp le when yo u are stopped at a red light).
- The diodes in the power loc king switc h illu­
minate when a ll the doors are closed and
l ocked.
- Front doors: you can un lock and open the
doors from the ins ide by p ulling on the door
hand le.
- Rea r doors: p ull the door handle once to re­
lease the lock. Pull the hand le again to open
the door.
- If you have a crash and the airbag is activat­
ed, the doors automatically un lock.
A WARNING
- The power locking sw itch works w ith the
ignition off and automatically locks the
entire vehicle when it is actua ted .
- On a vehicle locked from the outs ide the
power locking system switch is inopera­
t ive.
- Locked doors make it more diffic ult for
eme rg ency workers to get into th e vehi ­
cle, w hich puts lives at risk . Do not leave
anyone behi nd in the ve hicle, espe cially
ch ildren.
(D Tips
Your vehicle is locked automatically at a
speed of
9 mph (15 km/h) (Au to Lock)
~ page 32. You ca n unl ock the vehicle
a g ai n using the opening f un ction in the
power locking sys tem swit ch ~ -
Setting power locking
In the radio/MM !*, you can se t which doors
t he central locking system will unlo ck .
.,. Se lect: ICARlf unct io n button>
Central lock­
ing .
Or
.,. Se lect: ~ I C-A-R~I fu nct io n bu tton >
Car sy s­
tems*
c ontrol bu tton > Vehicle setting s >
(Central lock ing) *.
Single door unlocking /Unlock door s* -
you
c a n specify whi ch door s unl ock when yo u open
the vehicle .
Opening and clo sin g 37
-Select ing off / All and p ressing the Iii button
on t he remote contro l key unlocks the entire
veh icle.
- Selecting
on /Driver and pressing the Iii but­
ton on the remote control key once un locks
only the driver's door. In vehicles with a con­
ven ience key*, only the door whose handle
you pull w ill unlock. If you press the
Iii but­
ton tw ice, the entire vehicle will u nlock . If
you press the [@] button, t he entire ve hicle
w ill always lock .
Luggage comp. loc k/Lock e xterior trunk han­
dl e -
If you select On , you can no longer ope n
the luggage compartment using the rea r lid
hand le
~ page 39, fig. 2 7. In this case, the
r ear lid can be opened with t he l=I button on
th e maste r key¢ page 35, fig. 22 or with the
l = I* button in the d river's doo r¢ page 40,
fig .
29 .
Fold mirrors * if you se lec t On , the outs ide
mirro rs will fo ld in au tomati cally when yo u
press the
Iii button on the remote cont ro l key
~ page 50.
Tone when locking -if you selec t On, a to ne
will soun d when yo u lo ck t he vehicle.
Auto Lock /Lock when driving -if you selec t
On, th e e nti re ve hicl e w ill lock automat ically
whe n the speed reaches
9 m ph (1 5 km /h).

The leavin g home function i lluminates the
area around the vehicle when unlock ing it.
T his function can be switched on and off.
The
c o ming h om e and lea ving home func­
tions on ly operate when it is dark and the
light switch is in the AUTO posit ion
¢ page 47 , fig. 40 .
Auto headlight s*
When the light switch is in the A UTO
¢
page 47 posi tion, the switch-on po int of the
lights can be changed in the automatic driving
light function.
Daytime running lights
USA m odel s:
You can switch the dayt ime run­
ni ng lights
on and o ff .
Canada mod els:
The function cannot be
turned off .
It is activated a utomat ica lly each
time the ignition is switched on.
Travel mode*
T he headlig ht beam is asymmetrical. This pro­
v ides stronger illum ination on the s ide of the
road on wh ich you are driving .
If you are driv­
i ng in a count ry that d rives on the opposite
side of the road from your own country, th is
will cau se glare for on coming dr ivers. To pre­
vent glare:
- Trave l mode must be selected in vehicles
with Xenon headlights*.
- In veh icles with halogen headlights, ce rtain
areas of the head light lenses must be cov­
ered w ith wate rproof adhesive covers that
prevent light from passing thro ugh. Fo r
more informat ion, please see your author ­
i z ed Audi dea ler or author ized repa ir faci lity .
(D Tips
When trave l mode is activated, a display in
the dr iver information system in dicates
this each time you switch the ignit io n on.
Clear vi sion 49
Emergency flashers
Fi g. 42 Center co n sole : em erge ncy flasher sw itc h
The emergency flashers makes other moto­
rists aware that you or your vehicle are in an
emergency situation .
.,. Press the switch~¢
fig. 42 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off .
When the emergency f las hers are on, all four
turn s ignals b link at the same time. The turn
s ignal indicator lights
1111 in the instr ument
cluster, as well as the light in the emergency
fla sher switch ~ blink likewise.
You can indicate a lane change or a t urn w hen
the emergency flashers are switched on by us­
ing the turn signal lever. The emergency flash­
ers stop temporarily .
T he emergency flashers a lso work when the
ign ition is turned off .
T he emergency flashers wi ll turn on a utomat i­
ca lly if yo u are in an accident where the airbag
has deployed.
(D Tips
You sho uld turn on the emergency f las hers
when:
- yo u are the last veh icle standing in a t ra f­
fic jam so that any other vehi cles coming
can see you , or whe n
- your vehicle has bro ken down or you are
in an eme rgency s ituation, o r when
- yo ur vehicle is be ing towed by a tow
truck or if you are tow ing another vehicle
beh ind you .

58 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so
important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjust ing the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger . Adjust
your seat properly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is prope rly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and a irbag system can offer
maximum protection
¢ page 145 .
In the following sec tions, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust you r seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat. Always follow the informa­
tion rega rd ing child safety provided in
G page 166, Child Safety.
WARNING
Refer to G page 12 7, Driving Safely for
important information, tips, suggestions
and warnings that you should read and fol­
low for your own safety and the safety of
your passengers.
A WARNING
, -
Incorrect seating position of the dr iver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal inj ury .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor when
the vehicle is in mo tion -never p ut your
feet on top of the instrument panel, out of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion. This app lies especially to the passen- gers
. If your seating position is incorrect,
you increase the risk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an accident. If the
airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect, this could result in pe rsonal
in ju ry or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and front passenge r to keep a distance of at
least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
s trumen t panel.
If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can ­
not protect you properly. In addition, the
front seats and head restraints m ust be
adj usted to your body height so that they
can give you max imum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the steer­
ing wheel or instrument panel.
- Do not adjust the driver's or front pas­ senger's seat while the vehicle is moving.
Your seat may move unexpected ly , caus­
ing sudden loss of veh icle control and
pe rsonal injury. If you ad just you r seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving .
We recommend that you adjust the dr iver's
seat in the follow ing manner:
.. Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so
that you can easily push the pedals to the
floor wh ile keeping your knees slightly bent
G &. in Why is your seat adjustment so im ­
portant? on page 58 .
.,. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against t he seatback, you can
s till grasp the top of the steering whee l.
.. Applies to veh icles with adjustable head re­
straints: Adjust the head restraint so the up­
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of yo ur head. If that is not possib le, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as .,.

close to this position as possible
c:>page 61.
A WARNING
Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal
area and interfere with pedal function. In
case of sudden braking or an accident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate .
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position .
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
ploying, do not sit any closer to the instru­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three-point safety belt provided adjusted
correctly . We recommend that you adjust the
passenger's seat in the following manner:
.,. Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
position.
Do not ride with the seat reclined .
"" Applies to vehicles with adjustable head re­
stra ints: Adjust the head restraint so the up­
per edge is as even as possible with the top
of your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this position as possible
c:> page 61.
.,. Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenger's seat .
Front seats
Manual seat adjustment
Appl ies to vehicles: with manu ally a djustable seats
Fig. 58 Fr ont seats: manual seat adjustment
Seats and storage 59
Controls
@-Moving the seat forward/back: pull the
lever and slide the seat
c:> A.
@ -Lengthening/shortening the upper thigh
support*: lift the handle. A spring moves the
support forward
c:> ,& .
@ -Adjust ing the angle* of the seat surface:
pull/press the lever
c:> ,& .
@) -Adjusting the lumbar support*: press the
button in the corresponding position
c:> ,& .
®-Moving the seat up/down: pull/press the
lever
c:> .&. .
@ -Adjusting the backrest angle : turn the ad­
justing wheel
c:> .&..
A WARNING ,--
-Never adjust the driver's or front pas­
senger's seat while the vehicle is moving.
If you do this while the veh icle is moving,
you will be out of position. Always adjust
the dr iver's or front passenger's seat
when the vehicle is not mov ing.
- Be careful when adjusting the seat
he ight. Check to see that no one is in the
way, or ser ious injury could result!
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden braking or accident, front pas­
sengers must never rid e in a moving ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined. Safety
be lts and the airbag system on ly offer
maximum protection when the backrest
is upright and the safety belts are prop ­
erly positioned on the body. The more
the backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of personal injury from an incorrect
seating position and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts.

60 Seats and st o rage
Power seat adjustment
App lies to vehicles: with power adjustable seats
Fig. 59 Front seats: power seat adjustment
Controls
@ -Adj usting the lumbar support*: press the
button in the corresponding position¢.&..
@-Moving the seat up/down: press the but­
ton up/down¢ .&..
@-Moving the seat forward/back: p ress the
button fo rward/back
¢ .&, .
©-Adjusting the backrest angle: press the
button fo rward/back
¢ .&. .
©-Raising/lowering* the head restraints:
press the button up/down ¢ .&. .
@ -Lengthening/shortening the upper thigh
support*: lift the handle. A spring moves the
front seat cushion forward¢.&..
A WARNING
- Never adjust the d river's or front pas­
senger 's seat while the veh icle is moving.
If you do this wh ile the vehicle is moving,
yo u will be out of posit ion. Always adjus t
the drive r's or front passenger's seat
when the vehicle is not moving .
- Be care ful when adjus ting the seat
heig ht. Check to see that no one is in the
way, o r serious injury could result!
- B eca use the sea ts can be elec trically ad­
justed with the ignit ion off or with the
ignition key removed, never leave chil­
dren unattended in the vehicle. Unsuper­
vised use of the electric seat adjust­ ments may cause serious injury. -
To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden braking or accident, front pas­
sengers must never r ide in a moving ve­
hicle with the backrest reclined. Safety
be lts and the airbag system only offer
maximum protection when the backrest is upr ight and the safety belts are prop­
e rly po sitioned on the body. The more
the backres t is reclined, the grea ter the
risk of persona l injury from an incorrect
seating position and imprope rly posi­
tioned safety belts.
Center armrest
The center armrest can be adjusted to several
levels .
Fig. 60 A rm rest between the driver's/front passenger's
seats.
Ad ju sting the center armrest
"" To adjust the ang le, raise the arm rest from
the starting position
¢ fig. 60 detent by de­
t en t.
.,. To bring the armres t back into the starting
position, raise it out of the top detent and
fold it back down.
T he armrest can slide forwar d and back .

130 Driving Saf ely
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
posit ion 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 po­
sit ion or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un ­
folds with g reat force in the blink of an
eye.
-Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenge r's breastbone and the inst ru­
ment pane l.
- Each passenger must always s it on a seat
of the ir own and properly fasten and
wea r the safety belt be long ing to that
seat.
- Before driv ing, a lways adjust the front
passenge r seat and head restra int prop­
er ly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument pane l, out of the win ­
dow, etc . The airbag system and safety
belt w ill not be ab le to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest recl ined or
t ilted far back! The farther the backrests
are t ilted back , the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
t ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 166 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenge r seat ¢
page 145.
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 vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a s udden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas- sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following:
.. Make s ure that the seatback is secure ly
la tched in the up right pos ition ¢
page 69.
.. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seating position, slide the center head re­
straint upward at least to the next notch .
.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety be lts properly
¢ page 140 .
.. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child rest raint that is appro­
priate fo r the ir s ize and age¢
page 166.
& 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 maximum protec ­
tion when the seatback is sec urely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety belts are properly posit ioned on the
body . By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
be lts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection.

with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags a lone for protection.
E ven when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection . Ai rbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with a irbags, all
veh icle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­ mize t he risk of severe injury or death in a
crash .
Remember too, that airbags wi ll deploy on ly
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have a lready deployed . Unbelted
occupants ca n also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle whe re even more severe or fa tal in ju ries
can occur .
It is also impo rtant fo r the rear passenge rs to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbe lted passen­
ge rs in the rea r seats endanger no t on ly them­
se lves bu t also the driver a nd o ther passen­
gers
¢ fig. 146 . In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward vio lent ly, where they can
h it and injure the dr iver and/or front seat pas­
senger .
Safety belts protect
People think it 's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It 's simply
not true!
F ig . 1 47 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudden bral<·
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference . Safety be lts he lp to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
Safety belts 139
applied to the body in an accident, and he lp
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
ca use serio us injuries . In addition, safety be lts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and
give t hem the benefit of being s lowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features enginee red into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" t he kinetic energy over a longer
per iod of t ime, the safety be lts make the
fo rces on the body more "tolerable" and less
li kely to ca use inju ry.
Althoug h these examples a re based o n a fron­
ta l co llision, safety belts can a lso substantia l­
l y reduce the risk of in jury in other kinds of
cr ashes. So, whethe r you're on a long trip o r
just going to the co rner store, a lways buckle
u p and make sure others do, too . Accident sta ­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of be ing
i njured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen ­
ta l airbags to do the ir job in a collision . Fo r
th is reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in mos t countries including much of
t he United States and Canada.
Althoug h your Aud i is equipped wi th a irbags,
you st ill have to wear the safety belts p rov id­
ed . Front airbags, fo r example, a re activa ted
o nly in some frontal collisions. The front a ir­
bags are not act ivated in a ll frontal coll isions,
in s ide and rear co llisions, in roll ove rs or in
cases where t here is not eno ugh deceleration
through impact to the front of the veh icle.
The same goes for the other a irbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make su re everybody in your veh icle is
properly restrai ned!